The Argosy — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

A Modern Fatima. Vii caught sight of Audrey, and saw that she looked pale and ill. Being a kindly and observant woman, she said to her: “I have just this moment made the tea, ma’am ; I will bring it out for you under the trees, if you would like me to.” “Thank you, Janet; I will come in for it,’ and Audrey followed her maid indoors. As she sat at her tea, which calmed her, she made up her mind to see her husband once more and to hear what he would say for himself; yes, she would do that. She was too thoroughly miserable to attend to the small niceties of life. She did not put dessert for dinner, she did not dress herself for her husband’s arrival; but in her simple morning frock she stood at the window, gazing out of it with the vacant stare of a pre-absorbed and pained attention. She heard Alick’s latch-key in the front door, and she heard his cheery voice call out for her directly he entered the hall. When she did not answer him, he ran upstairs to their room two steps at a time, calling her as he did so; he came down again in a moment and impatiently pushed open the drawing-room door, and there he saw her, standing with her back to him. He ran up to her gaily, and, putting both his arms round her, he stooped to steal a kiss from her lips. Audrey turned round upon him furiously, forcing herself away from him. ‘How dare you insult me by any such caresses?” she cried out, tremblingly. He looked at her in absolute amazement. Had he only heard what she said and did not see her expression, he might have thought that she spoke in fun; but there was a grim reality in her face which he could not doubt or deny. “ My darling, what on earth do you mean ?” “ Do not call me by that name, do not deceive me any longer! Tell me the truth; tell me you have betrayed me, toyed with me—and let me leave you !” A horrible dread, that she must be mad, arose in Alick’s mind. She was neither acting nor playing, and her words were so utterly unreasonable that he could find no clue wherewith to interpret their meaning. ‘“My dearest Audrey, I do not understand you; I declare I do not. Will you not explain yourself to me?” “If you persist in this insolence, I will explain in one way only— by leaving you !” And she took some steps towards the door. ‘No, that you shall not do,” he said imperatively, putting his back against the door, and firmly grasping both her dear wrists when she came up to him. ‘ You shall not leave this room until you tell me in plain English what you mean.” Woman like, directly he asserted himself she burst into tears ; and though she tried to check them, and still to speak angrily and dis- CoOnniclooolkks (S©)