The Argosy — page 216: what you’re looking at

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

Fohn Davidson. 199 it. She was aware that she was not acting honourably in thus mis- representing what she knew to be her sister’s feelings; but, having made up her mind, she deliberately did it. Not the faintest quiver of change came to his expression. After Mrs. Hattley finished speaking a perfectly dead silence followed, broken only by the loud ticking of a clock on the mantlepiece. “I must thank you very much for this warning,” said Mr. John Davidson at length, ‘‘ of which the forethought is so remarkable that you will pardon its taking me completely by surprise. Under the circumstances, however, does it not strike you that any such warning has been a little unnecessary ? ” “Under what circumstances?” enquired Mrs. Hattley, drawing herself up and flushing. Mr. Davidson’s attitude was still gravely and gracefully polite, but the look of repressed, and very con- temptuous, amusement in eyes and mouth there was no longer any mistaking. “TI allude to my immediate departure for America. I start for Liverpool this afternoon. It is true that I must return here ere I set sail; but virtually, after to-day, I shall have said ‘good-bye’ to Bremingly. As Mr. Hattley will probably intrust me with the carrying out of the arrangements for our new factories there, it will, in all likelihood, be a year or two before I get back again. Before that time I feel perfectly assured your sister will have removed all danger out of my way by definitely levelling her researches on some object more worthy their attention. Nevertheless, Mrs. Hattley, I must thank you once again for your extreme forethought on my account.” She had complained of feeling cold, and the repose of her manner had over and over again been adjudged perfect; but with a crimson flush on her face she was hurrying out of the office in a way she would have condemned in her own housemaid. ‘This is surely very sudden ?” she managed to stammer. ‘So far as the early train this afternoon goes, yes; but a business man’s time, you know, Mrs. Hattley, is never his own. I regret that I shall not have an opportunity of giving your sister a final physiognomical interview. You will wish her all success from me in the prosecution of her scientific studies.” A few minutes later Mrs. Hattley, in a mingled fever of indignation and humiliation such as she had never known before, was driving rapidly homewards. She had gone to this man and spoken as she had done, and all the time he had been thinking about them so little that he had never even cared to let them know of his coming departure. Stay; he must have told Victoria; yes, and this was why Victoria had laughed when she had warned her against the danger of such an intimacy. It was too bad, too unkind of Victoria, not to have explained matters. Arrived at home, the tears of vexation rising in her eyes as John COMMICMOOOKS.Cc©