The Argosy — page 276: what you’re looking at

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

The Mystery of Allan Grale. 257 there for some months. What he is, or who he is, I know not. One thing I expect would plead strongly in his favour,—that he is not going to take Morna away from the Glen. ‘The father and mother would hardly have survived that.” ‘Has he taken a house there?” “ Of all the snug, common-place arrangements,” went on George, still laughing, ‘‘which one could never have imagined in connection with such a girl, this last is the chief! Mr. and Mrs. Smith have taken the management, or are to take it, of the local hotel! It is only about one mile from Ragan itself.” » “Well,” said Maria. It seemed to her a very natural and com- mendable state of things for a small farmer’s daughter and a respectable young man from the South. ‘Then Mr. Smith cannot be a gentleman,” said Maria, quickly. “No; unless he is a reduced one. Fellows do all kinds of things when the pocket fails. It 1s impossible to picture a girl of the refined nature of Morna McOrist ‘taking up,’ as our servants say, with any man not a gentleman.” ‘‘ After all, George, she is only a farmer’s daughter.” “True. But—well you cannot understand what an incongruity it would be unless you knew her. ‘This Mr. Smith had been staying at the hotel for some timewhen the landlord was laid prostrate bya sudden and severe illness, likely to be protracted if not permanent. The young Englishman, as Colin tells me, undertook, entirely out of good feeling and kindliness, the management of the house; and Morna, out of the same good feeling, came up from Ragan to assist the landlady with her duties, so as to set her partly free to nurse her sick husband. A few weeks of such close acquaintance stands as good as months of slighter intimacy, you know: and that’s how the affair sprung up between Morna and Mr. Smith.” “ Does Colin say what part of England Mr. Smith comes from—or what his position has been?” questioned Maria. “Not a word. Apparently Mr. Smith does not say it himself. They call him ‘ reserved.’ Possibly he may have had his dark and foolish days of some sort, or he may have suffered through others. I can quite understand Morna’s love going forth most strongly to any- body who needed an almost celestial pity and help. They say he seems devoted to her: but that nevertheless all the joy of the union seems on her side.” “Does Colin Vass write all this to you, George ? ” ‘He, or some of the others.” It passed through Maria’s mind that these Ragan people must be surely very good correspondents for elderly Scotch folk of even the most superior farming class. And how singular it was that they should write so freely to a comparative stranger, as George must be, of the affairs of their own daughter. VOL. XL. S GORNIGDOO SS (CO) am