The Argosy — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

A Modern Fatima. 73 Even the old bachelor head of the firm Rogers was in, came all the way down from town to call on her one afternoon ; and, finding her society very pleasant, and her cool drawing-room most comfort- able, he actually stayed on till her husband’s return. Only one or two remarks out of the long chat they had together need be chronicled, because Audrey remembered them. She was laughingly complaining to Mr. Ellerton of the long hours he gave her husband at the office. ‘*T do not so much mind his time for getting home,” she said; “ it is his early start I so dishke.” Mr. Ellerton looked amused. ‘‘ Well,” he said, “I don’t know what you young people call /aze if Rogers is early.” ‘* He leaves home punctually at half-past nine every morning.” “Really! Sosoon as that! Why he never gets to the office until eleven.” “Tt zs a long journey for him,” Audrey said, and changed the subject.” That evening, whilst chatting with her husband, Audrey asked him a question casually : ‘‘ How long does it take you, Alick, to get from the house to the office ?” “How long? Oh, just an hour,” he answered, hardly looking up from his paper. There was clearly a discrepancy of half-an-hour somewhere. Pro- bably old Mr. Ellerton was mistaken in the time at which Rogers arrived. One day, after Rogers had gone up to town, Audrey, amusing her- self in tidying up the things in his dressing-room, came across a prettily dressed new doll. She laughed a good deal to herself over this plaything, took it down to the drawing-room with her, and greeted him with his toy when he came home. He seemed vexed, and asked her where she had found it. ‘It was in your drawer, Alick. Why should you mind my bring- ing it down ?” ‘* Oh, it’s so silly.” ‘What are you going to do with it ? ” ‘“Give it away, of course.” And the next morning he started at the usual time with a parcel looking very much like the doll under his arm. Feeling vexed that he had not told her more about it or asked her to do it up for him, she did not wave her usual good-bye to him as he went out of the drive ; then, a moment afterwards, repenting her ill- temper, she ran down the garden that she might see him again and greet him from the arbour at its extremity. But by the time she reached that spot he had already passed, and was striding down the long road that led to the station. Audrey bent forward to look after him. Just before he would have turned out of her sight, he stopped— opened the garden-gate of a small unpretending villa-dwelling near COMICOOoOlKS.EO