The Argosy — page 345: what you’re looking at

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

324 The Mystery of Allan Grale. can you be so patient and forbearing now, when worse evils than you foresaw have come to pass?” She did not answer. How could she say, ‘‘ When the world turns against those we love, we must ourselves stand beside them.” They walked on in silence. The thought of her heart was: ‘‘ How is this cloud of suspicion to be lifted from him? Providence can never intend him to go in its shadow for ever. His innocence must be made clear. It must! It shall!” And the thought of his heart was: ‘‘ What does all the rest matter if she trusts me? Onecan live down anything. And the world is wide. And Heaven is wider.” They were walking down that part of the Dering road, where on the one hand there was no hedge-row, nothing but thick irregular bushes. To plunge among these for a few paces would bring one within that great circle of ancient trees, in whose centre lay the solemn waters of the Black Pool. The two walked in silence. It was only natural that each mind reverted to the terrible mystery which had been enacted there, and each could guess what was in the other’s thoughts. But suddenly each face turned to the other, with an expression of startled horror. For it seemed to their highly-wrought nerves almost as if their thoughts had taken palpable form! Did each hear something? Did each hear the same ? A shriek—a cry—a confusion of painful struggle. They stood still—Agnes grasping Edgar’s arm. But only for a moment. Just as she relaxed her hold, and he darted swiftly among the bushes towards the pool, two women came running from its direc- tion. One was the smith’s wife—the other a stranger. ‘They were running, but paused when they saw Edgar, seeming too excited to notice Agnes. “Tt will be all nght now! The gentleman will save him! the one. “ Hell never go mn!” retorted the, other.\..“/Tiats, Gammpigeu know. He'll not dare the Black Pool—of all places in the world.” But as Edgar went plunging among the brambles over the uneven sround, they turned to follow him. ‘Then Agnes overtook them. ‘What is the matter?” she asked. The smith’s wife turned with a start. ‘‘Oh, Miss Agnes,” she said, “it’s a little boy fallen into the water—a child belonging to one of the harvest workers from London. It’s as much as the other women can do to keep the mother from going in after him.” ‘Has it only just happened ?” asked Agnes, hastening on beside the women. ‘* Aye, this very minute,” answered the strange woman. “If you were a-walkin’ down the road, you must have heard the mother’s screams.” “ Mr. Edgar Vivian will save the child: he is a splendid swimmer,” said Agnes. ” cried Tn Tee. a oe , e ECORNICLOOKS nO