The Argosy — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

34 The Five Myr. Fyttons. Of course we gave the old man no rest until, after much per- suasion, he told us the story of Ohe sive filr. SFyttons. But I am not going to bore you with Sheppard’s vernacular, so start off in my own way. It seems that the Hon. Richard Fytton had died about a hundred and fifty years back. He died suddenly, leaving three sons, and three months after his death, his wife died in giving birth to a fourth son. Now the legend goes that in early life the Hon. Richard had not been strictly immaculate—in fact, that he had been quite the reverse. One young lady, with whom he had contracted a sort of Fleet marriage, had vowed, the day he deserted her (which by the way he did immediately), to haunt him and his kindred for ever, or until the last of his line was extinct. He laughed and left her, to marry a wealthy heiress—the owner of ‘‘ Grey Shadows.” All went well for many years. As I have already told you they had four sons, when a hunting accident to the Hon. Richard deprived the sons of their father’s protection. ‘That night his body was brought home on a shutter, and laid solemnly on the state bed. At midnight a finger tapped upon the casement, a face was pressed upon the glass, and a voice said: “ Zhe First Mr. fytton.” Years went on. ‘Three of the boys grew into stalwart men, but the last born always suffered at intervals from a weakness of the heart. All went well with the boys, excepting that the younger one never played with his brothers. He was eh and taciturn. They called him ‘* Baby Charles.” Over the other side of the mere, hidden behind the shoulder of the hill, stood ‘‘ Velvet Hall.” Of the people who had owned it Sheppard knew little. But he knew this: that their second daughter, Evelyn O’Brien, was just the loveliest thing that ever walked the earth. What so natural as that Richard Fytton, the elder son, should love her, or that she should laugh at him. That he in desperation should ride home after his second refusal, across country, and in attempting a short cut by an arm of the mere, should be drowned. His body, like his father’s, was laid upon the state bed, and at midnight a finger tapped upon the casement, a face was pressed upon the glass, and a voice said: “ Zhe Second Mr. /yiton.” The next boy entered the Army. He enjoyed a distinguished career and returned home on leave for four years, owing to wounds contracted while on service under Clive in India. He, too, saw Evelyn O’Brien, and like his brother loved her. She liked him, but whether her nature was capable of a passionate attachment is most uncertain, She played with him, and cajoled Gomicbooksneo