The Argosy — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

Lady Valeria. 5 not complete—‘‘and I felt it was a sign given to me that I might save you—if you zwz// be saved!” And both Elsie’s hands were laid imploringly on his. “Tt isn’t shown very clearly how you are to do it though. Suppose you have already done so without being aware of it? If I hadn’t been gossiping here with you I might have come to grief up there perhaps. Slipped over the cliff, got bitten by a mad dog, lost my heart to some fair-haired fiend who would be the death of me in the third volume.” LEdric stopped to laugh, looking so cheery and confident and handsome that Elsie smiled too, a misty, tearful smile. ‘Tm not laughing at your visions. It was as right for you to act upon them as for me to disregard them, but that’s all we can do. How long do you stay here ?” “Only till to-morrow,” with a regretful sigh. Edric sighed too— with relief. “Then we shan’t meet again? So good-bye. Now don’t begin to cry again, like a dear girl!” She smiled obediently, looking so penitent and alarmed at his tone of vexation that he could but lift the httle hand to his soft moustache. ‘‘I’ll come and see you. I willindeed. Just to show you I’m all nght.” When ?” “ Oh, I can’t promise. Not for a week or so—let the dream have a chance of coming true.” ‘In a fortnight ?” “ Yes, if it will make you happy. Good-bye, good-bye.” The bath-chairman was hanging over the railings in converse with a friend, well-content at the easy fashion in which his hourly wage was being earned. Edric sent him back to his duty, and was well- pleased to see that the little group of officers had scattered and that he had no questioning to fear on the subject of his prolonged interview. He took a turn or two up and down the Lees, looked in at the club, went to three afternoon teas and back to Camp. He was devoured by an odd, restless wish that the day should come to an end. He wanted to get a night’s sleep over before he began to think over its experiences. The dinner at the West Cliff seemed intolerably slow, the conversation unendurably heavy. ‘There was an open-air concert in the hotel gardens. Some of the party strolled out to listen, and he among the number. But once there, the idea of spending another hour in the company of the people he had been meeting and talking to over and over again since mid-day grew too insupportable to be entertained, and with an abrupt fare- well he departed. He walked aimlessly down the town to the harbour and up again to the Lees. People were everywhere that night, out under the white glare of the broad July moon. On the pier, on the beach, on the Lees above, CoOnnicloooks (CO)