The Argosy — page 223: what you’re looking at

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

206 Featherston’s Story. | ‘He appeared to be standing there, and was quite visible to me. The expression on his face, which seemed to be looking straight into mine, was most malicious. I never saw such an expression upon it in reality.” Mary Cardiac laughed a little, saying she had never been troubled — with nervous fears herself; she was too practical for anything of the sort. ‘¢ And I have been practical hitherto,” returned Lavinia, ‘ When the first surprise of seeing him there, or fancying I saw him there, was over, I began to think, Mary, that he might be dead ; that it was his apparition which had stood there looking at me.” Mary Cardiac shook her head. ‘ Had anything of that kind hap. pened, Nancy would have telegraphed to you. Rely upon it, Lavinia it was pure fancy. You have been disagreeably exercised in minc lately, you know, about that man; hearing he was coming home, you brain was somewhat thrown off its balance.” | “Tt may be so. The dream followed on it; and I did not lik: the dream.” | “We all have bad dvGartié now and then. You say you do no remember much of this one.” | “TI think I did not know much of it when dreaming it,” quaint! spoke Lavinia. ‘‘I was in a sea of trouble; throughout which | seemed to be striving to escape some evil menaced me by Captai: Fennel, and could not do so. Whichever way I turned, there he wa at a distance, scowling at me with a threatening, evil countenanes Mary,” she added in impassioned tones, ‘I am sure some ill await me from that man.’ | ‘TJ am sure, were I you, I would put these foolish notions frond mé calmly spoke Madame Cardiac. “If Nancy set up a vocation ft seeing ghosts and dreaming dreams, one would not so much wondé at it. You have always been reasonable, Lavinia; be so now.” Miss Preen took out her watch and looked at it. “We may: well be walking towards the port, Mary,” she remarked. ‘It is x two. The boat ought to be in sight.” Not only in sight was the steamer, but rapidly nearing the por She had made a calm and quick passage. When at lensth she a in and about to swing round, and the two ladies were looking doy, at it, with a small crowd of other assembled spectators, the first pe sengers they saw on board were Nancy and Captain Fennel, wl began to wave their hands in greeting and to nod their heads. “ Anyway, Lavinia, it could not have been his ghost last nigh, | whispered Mary Cardiac. \ Far from presenting an evil countenance to Lavinia, as the dj passed on, Captain Fennel appeared to wish to please her, and was’ suavity. So at present nothing disturbed the peace of the pe Maison Rouge. co = a JOOKS.cCOmM