The Argosy — page 378: what you’re looking at

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

Aunt Paradox. 357 as usual, ‘‘ what if somebody else wants you to keep house for him ? What if Z want you ?—if I cannot spare you to Richard P” He had taken both her hands in his, and caused her to turn her face towards him. Poor Mary never answered. Her eyes were cast down ; her cheeks were burning. ‘Will you be my wife, Mary? And come home to me, and keep my house? Will you be my dearly-loved wife for ever and for ever?” ‘‘T have no fortune, to speak of,” faltered Mary. ‘ Armine says I must not expect to marry.” ‘And no personal attractions to make up for the want of fortune ; and so you will have to vegetate here with Aunt Paradox and grow into an old ‘ “Oh!” cried the girl, blushing more than before, “‘ you must have overheard !” | “To be sure. I was at the back of the trees there, filling-in my sketch. My little darling, my best-beloved! I shall take you away from this unkindness to a haven of happiness.” He bent her face down upon his breast and took his first kisses from it. He did it so masterfully that Mary could not hinder hin, —and at last did not try to. ‘What will Richard say ?” she whispered. ‘“‘ Richard said last night, when I spoke to him, that he would give Mary to me with all the pleasure in life, and the sooner I took her away the better.” Tea and the ladies had been waiting a quarter of an hour when the two got indoors. ‘They had supposed Mary was sulking; Aunt Paradox said so; and to see her come across the lawn with George Ryde, surprised them much. ‘Why, they are arm-in-arm! Do you see, Armine Pp—she has taken his arm! What a brazen child it is!” And Aunt Paradox, who did sometimes forget her cormpany manners when very much put out, met Mary with an angry reproach at her forward behaviour. George Ryde stood quietly to listen, keeping her on his arm. “Tt is all as it should be, Mrs. Paradox. I have been extorting a promise from this young lady which gives her the right to my arm from henceforth. She has consented to be my wife.” A dead silence. The communication was too weighty to be answered lightly. It partially stunned Aunt Paradox. “This comes of those sketching mornings!” she sailaiel finding her tongue. “Well, I suppose it has partly grown out of them,” assented Mr. Ryde. “But I assure you I fell in love with Mary at first sight, when she was in the kitchen, scraping asparagus. I thought she had the sweetest face I ever saw.” Aunt Paradox knew very well on which side her bread was buttered ; COMICOOoOlKS.¢