The Argosy — page 166: what you’re looking at

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

I5I 7 —— ee <= *— ° = WAS IT A GHOST? “/\H, don’t let us talk of ghosts any more,” said our hostess ‘T have no patience with them. Idiotic beings! Wander- ing about at unseasonable hours, frightening inoffensive people out of their wits. I mever yet heard of a ghost who was of use to anyone, or who had any good reason to show for its appearance.” Everyone laughed except one person, and she, like Viola in “ Twelfth Night,” said: ‘Ah! but I know—” and then, like Viola, paused. No one heard her except myself. Mrs. Lester’s remark seemed suddenly to have put to flight the ‘eerie ” mood which a succession of ghost stories had encouraged in us. ‘The circle round the tea-table broke up, and one after another sauntered from the drawing-room, till at last there remained only myself and another.. The lights had not yet been brought in, and I could only see her face by the glow of the fire. “Now, Mrs. Mantell,” I said, carrying a chair up to take my place beside her. ‘‘ Tell me what you know.” About what ?” ‘ About ghosts.” “Oh,” said Mrs. Mantell, remembering her words, and recognising my meaning with a slight start and a blush. ‘I don’t know that it would interest you.” “Tt would interest me intensely.” And besides,” she continued, ‘‘I am not sure that it was a ghost.” | ‘Never mind; let me judge for myself.” For, indeed, I was less concerned about the ghost than about Mrs. Mantell herself. Most old maids have their hobbies; mine is an affection for romances—romances in real life, I mean. I love them, and I look for them as other people do for bric-a-brac, antique coins or foreign postage stamps, and in the course of the last twenty years, I have amassed a very pretty collection. Already, I divined One in the presence of Mrs. Mantell, not merely from the mingled Sweetness and sensitiveness of her expression, but from a few words which, on the day of her arrival, had fallen from our hostess. “Mr. Mantell is our friend,” Mrs. Lester had explained. ‘‘ I have hot yet seen fer, She was his mother’s governess or companion, I forget which, and she had rather a romantic story. She was brought up in a most extravagant style, and then her father died bankrupt, and left her without a penny.” ae ne SES a = vt 5 — nes StS See -_—— “ = — een» “e Se Re —— . - = SSS. fae — a. a pe ee COMICOOOKS»sE©