The Argosy — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

Lady Grace. 9 after an hour or two, when she sent up to say he had better wake up for his tea, they found him dead. ‘The poor old lady is quite beside herself with the suddenness, and the maids be running about, all sixes _ and sevens.” *T will go down with you at once, Moore,” said Mr. Baumgarten. ‘But you will come back and tell us—and tell us how Mrs. Chester is?” said Lady Grace, as he was passing through the gate. “Yes, certainly, if you wish it,” he answered, walking away with so fleet a step that the clerk with difficulty kept up with him. ‘I fancy it must have been on his mind, sir,” said he; ‘‘ not direct perhaps, but some inkling like of what was about to happen. ‘This afternoon, when I’d took off his surplice in the vestry : it was him that had read prayers, as usual, Mr. Boyd preaching: I went and put things to rights a bit in the church, and when I got back to the vestry to lock up, I was surprised to see the Rector there still, sitting opposite the outer door, which stood open to the churchyard. Mr. Boyd was gone, but he was not. ‘ Don’t you feel well, sir?’ said I. ‘Qh yes, I’m well,’ he answered, ‘ but I’m tired. We must all get to feel tired when the end of our life is at hand, Moore, and mine has been a long one.’ ‘Yes, it has, sir, and a happy one too,’ I said, ‘thank God.’ With that he rose up from his chair, and lifted his hands towards heaven, looking up at the blue sky. ‘Thanks be to my merciful God,’ he repeated, solemnly, in a hushed sort of tone. ‘ For that, and all the other blessings of my past life on earth, thanks be unto Him!’ With that, he took his hat and stick and walked out to the churchyard,” concluded the clerk, ‘leaving me a bit dazed as ’twere, for I had never heard him talk like that before ; he was not the sort o’ man to do it.” Within an hour Mr. Baumgarten was back at Avon House. Lady Grace was still lingering in the garden in the summer twilight. He told her in a hushed voice all he had to tell; of the general state of things at the Rectory, of poor Mrs. Chester’s sad distress. ** Mamma is expecting you,” said Grace. ‘I broke the news to her, but she wants to hear more particulars.” They went into the drawing-room by the open doors of the window. Mr. Baumgarten gave the best account he could to Lady Avon; and then drank a cup of tea, standing ; he would not wait to sit down for it. Still asking questions, Grace passed out again with him to the open air, and strolled by his side along the smooth broad path which led to the entrance gate. When they reached it, he held out his hand to bid her good evening. The opal sky was clear and beauti- ful ; a large star shone in it. ‘Great Whitton is in my brother’s gift,” she whispered, as her hand rested in his. ‘I wish he would give it to you.” A flush rose to the young clergyman’s face. To exchange Little Whitton for Great Whitton had now and then made one of the flighty dreams of his ambition—but never really cherished. COnnicoooks (CO)