The Argosy — page 341: what you’re looking at

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

320 The Missing Rubies. Did Alma really believe her lover guilty, or not? She could hardly have answered that question, even to herself. It was hot in her to set her heart’s love upon a pedestal, high above all reach of slander. Circumstances might have driven him to the deed, she thought; and Olga had seemed perfectly convinced that he knew what had become of the rubies. Perhaps the matter might be satisfactorily explained some day: and yet—would not the stain of the suspicion remain upon him always? She had talked the affair over with her father, and he had not hesitated to say that the evidence against young Earle was very strong. He knew that his daughter kept her liking for Godwin, and did his best to sever the last tie that bound her to an unfortunate man. Still, although that last tie had been most definitely and com- pletely severed, Miss Lindrick was conscious of a sudden thrill, and then a dull pain. She could not be quite composed when Godwin came into the theatre with that tall girl in black. Who was she? Alma did not admire her, of course, and felt perfectly certain that she was a nobody. But there is often a dangerous sort of charm about even a plain woman who keeps the ‘dew of the morning ” upon her still. And Alma told herself that she should be really sorry to see poor Godwin beguiled into a low marriage. And so, in the pause that followed the first act, when Godwin turned his head, his eyes encountered the gaze of those pale eyes which had once seemed to him beautiful by reason of their truth. And for old sake’s sake his heart, too, began to throb fast as Alma leaned forward to speak to him. “How strange that we should meet here!” She was sitting exactly behind Miss Ward, and the high treble voice almost made Beatrice start. ‘‘ We haven’t heard of you for a long time ; and yet I have made many inquiries at Meadow House.” “They don’t know anything about me at Meadow House.” God- win spoke calmly, but a swift glance had shown Beatrice that his face was flushed. ‘‘ How are you? Have you been long in town?” ‘Only a month ; you know I never let papa defraud me of my lawful share of gaiety. But he is just the same as he was in old days, and hates London as much as ever.” Here Colonel Lindrick, feeling himself drawn into the conversation, said something indistinct in a civil tone; and his daughter went on: ‘“‘ Now, tell me, what you are doing? You are looking very well— much better than you did when you left Fairbridge. I believe you mean to distinguish yourself, and astonish us all some day.” ‘Tt isn’t very easy to astonish people nowadays,” he replied, rather languidly. ‘‘ They get sated with ‘sensation’ in every conceivable shape, don’t they ?” ‘“T suppose they do,” said Alma, without following him in the least. ‘But you haven’t answered me, you know. What are you doing? COMMICOOOKS Eo)