The Argosy — page 73: what you’re looking at

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

60 ‘““ Boy’s Love” and ‘Old Man.” weighed their old friend in the balance, and so obviously found him wanting, restored their good humour. “You know what a colonel is!” Blanche said, in such a confi- dential way, that they both at once felt the advantage of mot being field officers. To Kose, it was all like a dream. On the very spot where, not half an hour before, she had stood with Lord Alfred, and had suddenly faced all the long future which she proposed to live as his wife, Christopher Horton was telling her of the six years of his past life, in the old, well remembered voice, which of itself seemed to annihilate all past sorrow. It was a sad story, and an involved one, though Chris Horton touched as lightly as possible on the brother’s extravagance, treachery and ruin which for a time had overshadowed his own life, crippled his resources, and threatened to stain his name with reproach, | ‘He is dead now,” Colonel Horton ended. ‘I did his last bidding to-day when I made over his wife and children to the care of her relations, who came down to Seamouth to receive her. And then I was free to take up my own life again, and my first impulse was to come here. Rose, do you remember where we broke off, six years ago, when you went away to Tenby, and I first heard of poor Ted’s misfortunes, and was obliged to go out with the regiment and see what could be done for him? I heard of you sometimes after that, when fellows came out who had been at Seamouth, but I never could have seen you again unless I had cleared our name from all this miserable business. ‘Thank God that has been done, though it has left me a poor man, and an old man, scarcely a fit mate for such a blooming rose.” But Rose Grantham had no fears on this score ; and as she listened to Chris rlorton’s honest, tender wooing, she was filled with a great thankfulness that she had not succumbed in the hour of temptation ; that she could still count her faithfulness worthy of this brave man’s love. By-and-bye, strolling homewards through the dusky summer night, they came to the garden corner where poor Lord Alfred’s little shrub lay battered and broken. Rose knelt down, with a feeling of tenderness she could hardly have explained, and cleared the plant of its snapped branches, setting it firmly in the earth again, and building the soil round its stem. ‘What is it?” Horton asked, holding out his hand for a piece. *** Boy’s Love ;? we used to call it ‘Old Man’ when I was at home.” ‘““Oh, Rose, Rose, there’s an allegory for you! Are you sure you know what you are accepting ?” But Rose declared she was quite content. ECOPMICLMOO KS. E@