The Argosy — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

16 Lady Grace. Lady Grace showed it to me; at least, a portion of it. He wrote in answer to an appeal Lady Avon had made to him to give me the living. His promise was a positive one. It is this newspaper that makes the mistake, Brice ; it cannot be otherwise.” “Anyway, we will hope so,” briskly added the surgeon. But he spoke more confidently than he felt: and perhaps Mr. Baumgarten had done the same. Lord Avon’s reply to his mother’s letter of complaint and inquiry came to her by return of post, and ran as follows : My Dear MorTHER,—I cancelled my promise of giving the living to Baumgarten at Grace’s request. She wrote to me post haste some days ago, telling me there were reasons why Baumgarten would be utterly unfit to hold Great Whitton, and begging me to bestow it upon anyone, rather than upon him. That is all 1 know; you must ask an explanation of Grace. Of course, I assumed she was writing for you. It is settled now, and too late to change back again. Elliotsen will do very well in the living, I daresay. As to his wife wanting to turn and twist him to attempt foolish things in the church, as you seem to fear, I think it hardly likely. If she does, he must put her down. ‘Ever your loving son, HENRY.” “Ves, I did write to Henry, mamma ; I ad ask him not to give the living to Mr. Baumgarten,” avowed Grace, with passionate emphasis, when questioned, her cheeks aflame, for the subject excited and tried her. ‘‘ My reason was that I consider him an unfit man to hold it.” ‘Why, it was at your request that I asked Henry to give it to Mr. Baumgarten ; you let me have no peace until I consented,” retorted Lady Avon. ‘But, after reflection, I came to the conclusion that I ought not to have pressed it, that he ought not to have it, and would not do in it; and the shortest way to mend the matter was by writing to Harry. That’s all.” Lady Avon glanced keenly at her daughter. She was mentally asking herself what it all meant—the burning face, the tone sharp as 2 knife and telling of pain, the capricious conduct in regard to the preferment. But she could not tell ; she might have her suspicions, and very ridiculous suspicions too, not at all to be entertained ; but she could not tell. ‘‘T am sorry that a daughter of mine should have condescended to behave so; you best know what motive prompted it, Grace. To be- stow a living and then snatch it away again in caprice is sheer child’s play. It will be a cruel blow to Ryle Baumgarten.” A cruel blow it was. Lady Avon turned to her desk after speaking these words to her daughter, and began a note to the young clergy- man, feeling very much humbled in mind as she wrote it. In the most plausible way she could, a lame way at best, she apologised for COMMICOOOKS». EO im