The Argosy — page 137: what you’re looking at

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

122 A Capriccio. “Ves,” I assented, yawning. ‘“ Have you done zt yet?” “Not yet,” he said, with a suppressed smile. ‘ But I am expected to do so without delay. In fact, I am half-distracted. What is it my duty to do? Ought I to sacrifice myself for my mother, my family, and to keep up the old name—hang it! Or shall I go my own way, break my mother’s heart, and let the world forget there ever was such a name as Everril? Remember I am the last of the race. If I had a son he would, of course, succeed to the title, but to a yearly income of no more than three thousand pounds. For myself I don’t care a straw about family honours, and think them more bother than they are worth. But it seems selfish to cause real pain to so many people. It was my father’s last wish that I and my cousin should marry. In fact, he almost bound me by a promise.” ‘Ts she nice, your cousin ?” ‘Charming. But unfortunately she has her caprices. One of them is that she imagines herself to be in love with your humble servant. She has ideas in her head, and looks upon a mariage-de- convenance as the correct thing ; and has even, to accomplish her end, declared that unless I marry her or the girl she selects for me, she will leave all her money to the greatest brute of a fellow that ever lived. There is a nice look-out !” ‘But if she is so charming,” I exclaimed aghast, ‘‘how could she ask you to marry her P” ‘Well, she did not do it in somany words. But there are round- about ways of doing things of which you, Amaryllis, in your simplicity, know nothing. It is a kind of understood affair. Besides, I would rather marry my cousin than the alternative she has offered me, and she knows it. Now advise me.” ‘IT suppose family pride and honour, and all that, are something like what I feel for my own little home,” I replied, and my voice sounded very thin and silly and weak. ‘‘And if we had to let that fall into the hands of someone we disliked—oh, it would break our hearts to think of what my father would have felt. Then for your mother, it must be even worse, Lord Everril. And I think if you like your cousin, and she is so—so charming, you ought to marry her, and make everyone happy.” “Thank you. Your advice savours of worldly wisdom,” he said slowly ; and left me with a frown on his face, to join Aunt Rebecca at the other end of the room. I supposed that unintentionally I had offended him. Men are always going off at a tangent ; after all, I had only tried to be wise and brave. ‘True love, I told myself, should be unselfish, or it 1s worth nothing. Why! what was that dropping down my cheek? Was it beginning to rain, or could it be a tear that watered the creeper with salt drops? I stamped my foot, gulped back a sob, and began to sing some merry ballad, though my voice seemed to come from GOmMmicdooks (C(O)