The Argosy — page 352: what you’re looking at

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

The Mystery of Allan Grale. 23z and Rose was at Ragan still, living with the McOrists. He told of the little child, who had come into the world prematurely and had died at his birth. He also said that he himself had not been to Ragan during his wife’s stay there. On his visits to Scotland she had met him at Edinburgh, or elsewhere. When George’s voice had ceased, Maria did not make any com- ment. She was at the window, dreamily gazing upon the trees below. “Ts the name Rose or Rosa?” she asked. ‘You call her both.” ‘She was christened Rosa. But her friends call her Rose.” “Your wife must be sent for, George,” she went on presently, turning to him. “ But what about my aunt and uncle?” ‘TI must tell them,” she sighed, for she did not like the task. And Maria went forth at once to do it, for she saw that no time must be lost—George’s hours were numbered. ‘“‘ And this is the grand thing I have made of my life!” groaned George, when she was gone. ‘“ What shall I leave behind me? Well, perhaps a beacon to warn others from the rock where I foundered ; the terrible, slippery rock of wandering heedlessly on the sunniest road, and doing what seems the pleasant or the easy thing, instead of the right and straightforward. I took no thought for the morrow ; and now the morrow has come and will take no further thought for me! Poor child!” he added, thinking of his wife; ‘“‘ better perhaps that I had sent her back at once from London to her home at Redbourne, instead of marrying her! Still, I did that for the best ; I did it for her, not for myself. Well, well, God sees all things: our shortcomings and our pain and our repentance: and He is ever merciful.” Maria got through her painful commission, as people always get through whatever they set their will to front. She did not choose to record in her memory the General’s first angry outburst : she passed by without mental note Mrs. Vivian’s one characteristic scornful com- ment on the young person who had taken in careless George. Both of them mentally recognised the right thing to do now, and they did it. A telegram was despatched that evening to Mrs. Forester, at Ragan, without loss of time. Coe: EP PR 26 Tk: THE YELLOW WOMAN. Maria Vivian had gone bravely enough through the ordeal of telling the General and her aunt of the secret mésalliance of their heir, her brother. Somehow, she felt a far more painful shrinking when she found that the truth was leaking out among the servants. But it had to be borne. And Maria wore a calm, impassive face as she issued GOmMiGhbooksneo