The Argosy — page 276: what you’re looking at

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

The Story of Charles Strange. 255 I could not spare more than a fortnight from work, leaving Lennard as my locum tenens. Annabel would have been glad to spare less, for she was haunted by visions of what might happen to her mother. Though there was no especial cause for anxiety in that quarter just now, she could never feel at ease. And on my part I was more anxious than ever about Tom Heriot, for more reasons than one. The fortnight came to an end, all too soon: and late on the Saturday evening we reached home. Watts threw open the door, and there stood Leah in a silk gown. ‘The drawing-room, gayer than it used to be, was bright with a fire and preparations for tea. How home-like it looks!” exclaimed Annabel. ‘‘ Charles,” she whispered, turning to me with her earnest eyes, as she had been wont to do when a child: ‘‘I will not make the least noise when you have _ clients with you. You shall not know I am in the house: I will take care not to drop even a reel of cotton on the carpet. Ido thank you for letting me come to Essex Street: I should not have seemed so completely your wife had you taken me to any but your old home.” | The floors above were also in order, their chambers refurnished. Leah went up to them with her new mistress, and I went down to the clerks’ office, telling Annabel I should not be there five minutes. One of the clerks, Allen, had waited ; but I had expected Lennard. “Is Mr. Lennard not here?” I asked. ‘‘Did he not wait? I wrote to him to do so.” ‘Mr. Lennard has not been here all day, sir,” was Allen’s reply. ‘** A messenger came from him this morning, to say he was ill.” We were deep in letters and other matters, I and Allen, when the front door opened next the office door, and there stood Arthur Lake, laughing, a light coat on his arm. ‘Fancy ! I’ve been down the river for a blow,” cried he. ‘Just landed at the pier here. Seeing lights in your windows, I thought you must have got back, Charley.” We shook hands, and he stayed a minute, talking. Then, wishing good-night to Allen, he backed out of the room, making an almost _ imperceptible movement to me with his head. I followed him out, shutting the office door behind me. Lake touched my arm and drew me outside. ““I suppose you’ve not heard from Tom Heriot since you were away,” breathed Lake, in cautious tones, as we stood together on the outer step. “No; I did not expect to hear. Why?” “I saw him three days ago,” whispered Lake. ‘‘I got a queer- looking letter on Wednesday morning from one Mr. Dominic Turk, asking me to call at a certain place in Southwark. Of course I guessed it was Tom, and that he had moved his lodgings again ; and I found I was right.” “Dominic Turk!” I repeated. ‘Does he call himself that?” CORMNICOOOKS CO