The Argosy — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

A Modern Fatiuna. 79 Also she interfered much with him personally, unfitted him for his office work, and still they fell deeper and deeper into debt.” ‘“‘But were there no means by which he could have stopped it ? 2 interrupted Audrey, breathlessly. ‘Jack was a bit weak, I admit,” said Alick, “not to assert his authority, and insist upon his wife behaving herself; but Maud had a most violent temper and a persistent will. At last a crisis came. Jack’s affairs became hopelessly involved, and to avoid legal proceed- ings and inquiries, which might have brought I know not what of un- pleasantness, he ran away from the country to escape his creditors. Poor fellow! he believed there was nothing else left for him to do. His wife refused, point blank, to accompany him. She went off to the Continent with some gay friends of her own making and choosing, and there she is living still. She went off before her husband. Their child, who was named Alick, after me, was then two years old, and poor Jack sent for me one evening, only an hour or two before he left England, and begged me for the sake of auld lang syne to look after his boy, and do my best for him. Maud had not taken him with her, and Jack could not take him. ‘This is the only comforting piece of the whole business, for I would rather send my child to be brought up at a charity-school than leave him with his mother,’ said poor Jack. Of course I promised I would do my best. It was no very pleasant burden, that of a child whose father had been obliged to leave the country for debt, and whose mother will have nothing to do with him; and just at that time, too, my fate, which was in your hands, was trembling in the balance ; but I couldn’t have failed Jack. And besides the boy was my own sister’s child, so that he had claims on me on both sides.” “ Alick! Alick !” Audrey whispered, repentantly. “So I took two rooms in Rose Cottage, near at hand, brought little Alick to it, and engaged a nurse to attend him ; and there I expect they will stay until his father comes home again, for Jack is making a good start now in America, and I do not doubt that in a year or two he will be able to pay off every penny he owes and come back to us all.” “ But why did you not tell me all this?” Audrey gently asked her husband. : ‘“‘ Because I was a fool, I suppose,” he rejoined. ‘‘I hated the sub- ject, Audrey. The child is here in hiding, as may be said, lest Jack’s creditors should hear of him, and beset me to know where Jack is to be found; and I shrank from telling you of my own sister’s folly. Will you forgive me, Audrey ?” | She burst into tears and fell into his arms; and there she told her own tale, sobbing with contrition. “Tt is I who should ask forgiveness, Alick. Can you forgive me —and love me again?” ‘““My dear wife, I think this must teach us both a lesson—always in the future to trust each other entirely.” | GomiilGaooks (S©@)