The Argosy — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

74 A Modern Fatima. the road, passed up the path to the house and entered it; without ringing the bell, as it seemed to Audrey, though she could not be quite sure at that distance. She coloured up instantly. It was very odd if Alick had friends in the tiny house so near, that he had not said so, or even mentioned their names to her: and she fell into thought. Perhaps they were poorish people whom he was interested in and kind to, without wishing to bother her about it; but, if so, why— oh, why did he stay so long? It was just half an hour before Mr. Rogers came out of the house again, without the parcel, and continued his way towards the station. Audrey instantly put on her things and went to inspect the villa. It was small but very well kept, and the bright face of a well- dressed child of about three years old—evidently not a poor child— was to be seen at one of the windows playing with the doll she her- self had laughed so merrily over the day before. Where was the harm in her husband’s making a present to any child he fancied ? Audrey knew that it was ridiculous to be angry at that; though if she had been a wise woman she would have told Alick that evening that she had seen him go into the villa, which was called Rose Villa, and would have asked him the name of the child who lived there. But Audrey was not wise: she was excitable, impetuous, spoiled, and Alick was certainly difficult to deal with in some matters: so she said nothing at all about it, and though she was discontented at heart, she smiled more brightly than ever and sang to him the whole even- ing through with admirable good humour. ‘The next morning it was wet. “You'll have to stay in all day, my darling, I am afraid!” Alick said, as he stooped to kiss her before he went away. * Ves, Fam. airaid, i-shan 4 But directly he was gone, she slipped on an old ulster, and taking an umbrella from the hall, she ran across the garden again to the arbour, and again she saw her husband turn into Rose Villa. Audrey waited in the soaking rain whilst he stayed there, which was just half an hour. She slowly went back to the house, utterly oppressed by the missing half hour which Mr. Ellerton had disclosed to her, and feeling very anxious and unhappy. By and by she found she had caught a cold, standing out in the rain; but when her husband sympathetically asked her in the evening how she had managed it, she replied that she did not know. He noticed that there was something wrong with her, but put it down to the cold. Every day in the following week, Audrey watched her husband into Rose Villa at 9.30, and out of it at 1o o’clock. She herself haunted it during the day time. The only people she ever saw coming out of it were the bright-eyed recipient of the doll and his nurse—for it was a little boy—but she naturally imagined they did not live there alone. And although she would not allow her suspicions to take any definite form, her husband’s behaviour with regard to ECORNIECLIOOKS EO) m