The Argosy — page 207: what you’re looking at

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

Igo The Village Blacksmith. q She seemed to have grown suddenly from a wilful child to a woman, brave, determined, capable of enduring, and resolved to suffer if need ~ be. Her beautiful face would have been hard but for the soft look which lightened her lovely eyes and told her father more eloquently than any words that her heart was already in someone else’s keeping. ‘‘Father, Captain Raleigh has told me you have refused your consent to our engagement, and that he has promised not to see or write to me without your consent till I am of age.” ‘Ves, my dear; Captain Raleigh has so far behaved very properly ; it is what he proposes to do when you are twenty-one — that I take exception to; no doubt though, then, if you do not now, ~ you will see there was no other course for me to pursue.” 1 ‘Papa, I never shall. I consider your decision most unjust ms ‘Vera, such language is most unbecoming a child to her parent,” _ interrupted Mr. Tempest, nervously. “TJ can’t help it; I must say it. My mother was a Catholic, and — I was baptised by Father Ambrose into the same church; so it is? unjust to separate us on religious grounds,” cried Vera, breathing quickly, her little white hands trembling with excitement. | ‘Vera, you amaze me; you are forgetting yourself strangely,” said Mr. Tempest, crossing his little legs and beating the devil’s , tattoo on the elbow of his chair. | “T don’t think Iam, but I must say it all the same. I hate 7 injustice. Here a bright blush mantled Vera’s cheek and she ~ dropped her eyes for a moment, but raised them and looked full — in her father’s face as she continued : “T love Captain Raleigh. I should not like to marry him in® f defiance of you, but you must not try me too far. If I do not) marry him I will never marry anyone else in this world.” Mr. Ryot Tempest sprang to his feet when his daughter thus i threw down the gauntlet, and, losing his temper, exclaimed irritably: a ‘‘ Leave the room, Vera.” " ‘Tam going, papa; I only wish you to understand that as I am | : still a minor I will obey you so far that I will neither see nor write’ to Captain Raaee until I am twenty-one. After that I will make) no promise.” if Having thus delivered herself, Miss Ryot Tempest left the study with much dignity, but on reaching the drawing-room, where Captain | Raleigh was awaiting her, her dignity forsook her, and she threw i herself sobbing wildly into her lover’s arms. There for the present we will leave her, feeling sure that neither [ she nor Captain Raleigh would object to the arrangement. Gomicsdooks.com