The Argosy — page 213: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

196 A Country Heart. Then, as Miss Verey did not speak: ‘‘ You know, my dear girl, in a little place lke this, people zz// take notice of such a very marked flirtation, and Henry Tredennick being the squire, and your mother such a very old lady.” Here Mrs. Briscoe got terribly confused, for the girl had slowly turned her face full on her, and was waiting to reply. “Good afternoon,” was all she said, however; and crossing the street, she joined Harry Tredennick, who was pushing out of the post- office with more letters and papers in his hands than he or his grand- mother ever received at the Park in a month. ‘¢ Stop a moment,” she said, ‘‘ there is a gentleman in here I want to speak to.” And when little Mr. Verriker emerged he was quite astonished at the friendly greeting he got from the exclusive Miss Verey, with whom in town he was but slightly acquainted. Mrs. Briscoe, burning with her rebuff, had retreated upon the Misses Peach, of Marine Parade, whose diffident umbrellas came bobbing round the corner at the minute. But she could see the group at the post-office quite well: the animated girl and the pleased face of her London friend, Harry standing by, with the letters and parcels, looking down from his superior height in unconcealed jealousy of the new comer: the Hon. Charles Burke, and his other shipmate, minutely examining a case of nail-brushes in the chemist’s window opposite, which, being of plate-glass, gave a very fair reflection of ‘“‘Verriker’s last !” The young lady had positively nothing to say to Mr. Verriker when she addressed him; but a vehement desire to repay Mrs. Briscoe for her unwarrantable impertinence possessed her, and she guessed that this would have the desired effect. Accordingly, some questions about the yachting and some mutual friends were easily started, and Verriker began eagerly to regret that their racing engagements necessitated an immediate start for Falmouth directly the coaling was over. ‘Otherwise, I’m sure, Burke—let me introduce Mr. Burke to you, Miss Verey—would have been only too proud to take you and your people round to Torquay, if you cared about sailing. Is Mrs. Chamberlain with you ? ” “You are very good,” answered Kate, bowing to the Honourable Charles, who had now openly given over the study of the nail-brushes, and had drawn himself into the principal group. ‘‘No, alas, Mrs. Chamberlain is in the north. No rural delights that I could urge would tempt her from home so near the r2th. I don’t think the day would be observed at all in Scotland if she were known not to be at Invertocher, but would just be passed over un- - noticed.” This was said to Mr. Burke, who had intimated, by a smile of in- telligence, that he, too, knew Mrs. Chamberlain. Mr. Verriker, anxious to reassert his claim of prior acquaintance, here broke in. ‘Anstey, her cousin, is at Falmouth: we are going round to meet CONIC MOOOKS (Eo)