The Argosy — page 253: what you’re looking at

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

230 THE MISSING. RUBIES By SARAH DOUDNEY. CHAPTER XIX. ON THE BRIDGE. BEATRICE struggled resolutely with herself for a few seconds, and wiped away her tears. But the face that she lifted to Aunt Jane was pale and sad. ‘‘T am sorry to have been so foolish,” she said quietly. ‘‘ Your words are not to blame at all. I was not happy when I came out this morning.” Jane Earle’s kind heart yearned to comfort the girl. ‘‘] hope you have had no bad news, my dear?” she said, laying a hand on Beatrice’s arm, and looking at her with sympathising eyes. ‘* No—not that. But Mr. Redburn has been saying cruel things about some one [I love.” | Was there ever yet an old maid who did not’ prick up her ears at the first hint of a love affair? Jane had always been more romantic than her sisters. And it was so seldom that any girl came to her with a love story to tell, that she could not refrain from encouraging Beatrice to speak on. ‘Ah, that is very hard,” she sighed. ‘Perhaps he thinks you are too young to—well—to decide on a certain important matter.” “T am nineteen; that is not very young. No; my youth has nothing to do with the things he has said. He has taken a most unwarrantable dislike to the man I am engaged to marry.” “But why—why, my dear child?” ‘‘ Because his mind has been poisoned,” replied Beatrice, her deep eyes looking steadily into Aunt Jane’s placid face. ‘* Because Colonel Lindrick has told him that there is a stain upon my lover’s character. Because Godwin is falsely accused of stealing the Countess Gradizoff’s ruby necklace.” Jane Earle took a step backward, and leaned for support against the brickwork of the bridge. Giving one quick glance along the road to make sure that no one was near, she gasped out her next question. ‘Do you mean that you are engaged to my nephew ?” ‘“T have been engaged to him ever since December,” answered Beatrice, with quiet frankness. ‘‘And of course he has told me everything. You don’t know that he is working hard to pay the full COMIC OOOKS. CO