The Argosy — page 247: what you’re looking at

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

230 Faithful unto Death. never saw or heard of her again. She left the neighbourhood, and it was supposed was conveyed by her friends to America. As the time passed slowly on and still they did not actually break into the house my courage rose again. Surely, I thought, the soldiers will soon be here—if Nelly only got safe away. I took up my station close to the door of the conservatory, ready to let Nelly in if she returned, and waited anxiously from minute to minute. At last, peering out into the darkness, I made out a figure stealing quietly up through the bushes. I saw that it was certainly the figure of a woman, and felt it must be Nelly. As she came close up I was about to open the door to let her in when there was a flash of light followed instantaneously by the report of agun close by, and the girl fell heavily at the threshold of the door. Forgetting all precautions I sprang out, and in an instant had the girl in my arms, for it was indeed poor Nelly. She was in horrible agony, but she just managed to gasp out: ‘“‘'The sogers are here, mistress ; you are saved. ‘Tell the master I saved you.” I was about to try and carry her into the house, when a man sprang out of the bushes close by, calling out, in an agony of voice I shall never forget, ‘‘Is it Nelly I’ve shot?” and flung himself on the ground in a transport of grief and horror. At the same instant the tramp of many feet moving at a fast pace was heard, and the word of command given to “Fix bayonets.” I realised that I was saved; and the cowardly crowd outside, crying out: ‘The sogers! the polis!” dis- persed in all directions. Tim Doolan—for it was indeed he who had fired the shot—helped me to carry Nelly into the house. We laid her on a sofa, and did all we could think of for her. Tim then told me, with many exclamations of grief and distress, that on Nelly’s account he had determined to try and prevent anyone getting into the house. He knew that the conservatory door was the weakest place, and was watching that when he saw a figure stealing up, and evidently going to enter. It was so dark that he could not distinguish the figure ; had no idea it was a woman’s ; and he believed, of course, that Nelly was inside with me. He fired deliberately, with the intention of stopping that person from entering ; fired with such fatal aim that she he loved best, and would have died to save, was dying by his hand. We sent one of the police for a doctor, but he could not hope to bring him under half an hour. Even if he had been on the spot he could not have saved her life. She spoke but little. Once she turned to me. ‘I did my best, mistress, didn’t I?” With bitter tears I assured her, over and over again, she had done as noble a deed as any man or woman that ever had lived, and that her memory should be held in sacred reverence by me and Hugh for all time. CONMMICOOOKS.E©