The Argosy — page 248: what you’re looking at

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

231 pees los S PN Coie LES. By SARAH DOUDNEY. CT AP Te eae: BEATRICE WARD. H IGH up in a top bed-room in the Miltons’ house, Beatrice Ward was rising and dressing, eager to begin her first ore of London life. Her waking thoughts were of the old cottage in the country, as up and empty now, and of the apple-blossoms drifting over the grassy garden-walks, and the swallows darting hither and thither in the sun- shine. ‘Tears were running down her cheeks, as this picture of the old home rose vividly before her eyes ; but she controlled herself, and steadily resolved to carry a cheerful face downstairs to the kind woman who had given hera home. And then came second thoughts ; the tears were dried; the vision of the little cottage faded, and she murmured half aloud: ‘“*T wonder whether I shall see him to-day ?” Mrs. Milton was a lady by birth and education, and she had trained Beatrice in her own simple and somewhat old-fashioned way. From childhood to girlhood she had attended her in her daily walks ; taking care that her frocks were properly lengthened ; and told her what was right and what was wrong for young girls todo. And it must be confessed that when her former pupil was handed out of the cab by a strange young man, the worthy woman had felt a little thrill of surprise and dismay. It might not be really improper, but it looked so ; and she took the first opportunity of questioning Beatrice about her travelling-companion. Wifehood had made very few changes in Mrs. Milton. Once a governess, she was always a governess, prepared with her neat little lectures on correct behaviour, and as ready as ever to administer mild rebukes to her charge. Beatrice had given a fairly satisfactory account of her acquaintance with Godwin Earle, but she could not bring herself to tell the whole story of that first meeting on the railway line. She was not used to concealments, and her tale was, perhaps, a little awkwardly told. In fact, if she had been severely cross-examined later on, it is doubtful whether she could have clearly repeated the explanation which had been extracted from her by Mrs. Milton. She felt that it was quite right of her old governess to ask questions under the circumstances, and she had tried to answer them without having recourse to any fibs. And the long and short of it all was, that Mrs. Milton had received a vague impression that Beatrice had been seized with COMICOOOKS.c© An