The Argosy — page 353: what you’re looking at

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

332 Lady Valeria. Elsie’s face fell. ‘‘Indeed, Miss Archdale, he takes it to heart terribly ; but if I can only get him to listen to what Mr. Poynter says I’m sure he must come round.” ‘Mr. Poynter! What do you know about him?” Hester tried to ask indifferently. Elsie flushed hotly. ‘‘ He was good enough to come and explain things to us—to me,” she said. ‘‘ He has been here to-day,” ina low tone. ‘ He is very kind, and will take an interest in Sammy.” ‘Oh, well, I am glad it is all so very satisfactory,” said Hester, trying not to speak curtly and drily. ‘‘ Good-bye, Elsie; Mrs. Damien will be pleased to hear of you. You are looking so well, too.” ‘‘T have kind friends who take care of me—Oh! the dog, the dog!” ‘‘ What is it, Roswal? Down, sir! down!” For Roswal had sud- denly flung himself at the door, and was tearing furiously at the floor with a low, savage growl. He stopped at Hester’s voice, but never moved his nose from the ground. “Come here!” cried his mistress, imperatively. ‘I am so sorry he frightened you. I suppose it was a cat outside. Now quiet, will you. Good-bye.” She opened the door and passed out, but at one bound the dog was half-way up the low staircase, and before she could overtake him was growling and tearing frantically at a closed door on the landing above. Hester seized him by the collar and dragged him away, struggling rebelliously and screwing his head round, half-choked but still obstinate. She gave in and dropped him in despair at last, when his sense of what was due to a lady seemed suddenly restored and he sprawled downstairs again obediently beside her. Once in the street, Hester felt ready to sit down and cry. Roswal’s misconduct following on the rebuff she had received had quite un- strung her nerves. The noise had made her head ache, the hot drive with home at the end of it seemed unendurable to contemplate. Instinctively she crossed the crowded street, after a word to the coachman, and ascended a short flight of steps between two blocks of warehouses and so on through a crooked lane, under a covered alley and out into the open space in front of St. Fridolin’s. The church door yawned open, wide and dark. Here at least she should find quiet and solitude. Here she might rest, weep, pray as she listed; yet half unwillingly she crossed the churchyard, Roswal at her heels. Within was gloom and emptiness, and stillness so deep that even her soft footfall on the flagged aisle seemed to rouse irre- verent echoes. She slipped into one of the seats, and sinking on her knees dropped her face on her arms witha sob of weariness. Roswal, after tentatively licking her elbow, the brim of her hat, and her boot- heel very delicately, decided that it was nota case for his ministrations and departed to make sure that the horse and carriage were not absconding in his absence. Finding that the coachman, who was wellh COMICOOOKS».E@ mM