The Argosy — page 153: what you’re looking at

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

138 Roy’s Good Samaritan. furnished to beguile his butterfly cousin. Indeed, the librarian’s daughter might never have crossed Roy Pierrepoint’s path at all, but for a fishing expedition he had made the previous autumn to an out-of-the-way Monmouthshire farmhouse where the Bevans also had their holiday-quarters. ‘Geoff, old boy, if it saust be done, do it tenderly,” had been his cousin’s parting words, but Geoffrey felt anything but tenderly disposed towards this inconvenient disturber of the family peace as he sought among the dingy houses in Great Russell Street for the particular one described to him as that inhabited by the librarian and his daughter. All this time, in a dark front parlour, not many paces distant, a girl, singing blithely over her work the while, seemed trying to con- vert the dull sitting-room into a background more worthy of her. And yet not that either, for the unconsciousness with which Una Bevan wore her crown of beauty was its greatest charm. Upon the table near lay a heap of bright laburnum blossoms, which she was arranging deftly in quaint-shaped flower-glasses, and disposing about the faded room, which sadly needed a little cheerful colouring. ‘He will see, at least, I’ve made the best of the old place,” she said to herself, as she paused a minute to admire her handiwork. Then, with a hasty glance at the clock—" Twelve o’clock! He will be here directly !” She gave a comical look of dismay at the heap of flowers still on the table; and, in truth, at that very moment a sharp ring at the front- door bell brought a sudden blush to her cheek. Una tried to recover composure as she lifted a pair of tall specimen-glasses, from which a golden rain of blossoms trailed prettily, to their place on the Queen Anne mantel-shelf of carved wood high above her head. The blush had almost faded as she turned to greet the visitor announced by the little maid-of-all-work. And then a sudden shade of disappointment fell upon the bright young face. Major Geoffrey Pierrepoint was a personable-looking man, but—when one was expecting Roy ! The intruder, however, whose brown eyes were taking in every detail of the room and its occupant, advanced with a bow (Geoff’s bow was always superb !), and going straight to the point, as was his wont, began boldly: ‘‘ Forgive this intrusion, Miss Bevan: you ex- pected my cousin. I am here to explain the reason of his non- appearance,” His listener’s face involuntarily clouded as she exclaimed quickly : ** He is not ill? Has met with no accident?” ‘Don’t be alarmed. He is perfectly well; and yet ”—with a pause kindly meant as preparation for his pea ow I am the unwill- ing bearer of ill news.” “Yes?” Her paling cheek betrayed her uneasiness ; but she said, still calmly: “I am forgetting hospitality. Pray sit down.” ECONMMIELOOOKSsE© m