The Argosy — page 234: what you’re looking at

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

; y | - Featherston’s S tory. 217 | | by a gipsy woman when we were in Sir John Witney’s coppice with the two Peckham girls? She told you you would fall into a rich inheritance and marry a Frenchwoman.” “ Neither of which agreeable promises is yet fulfilled,” said little | M. Cardiac with his happy smile. M. Cardiac had heard the account | of Nancy’s “forecast” from his wife; he was not himself present, ) but taking a hand at whist in the card-room. | They sat down to around game—Spin. M. Henri Dupuis and his } pretty young wife had never played it before, but they soon learned _it and liked itmuch. Both of them spoke English well; she with the , prettiest accent imaginable. ‘Thus the evening passed, and no more | allusion was made to the fortune-telling at Miss Bosanquet’s. | That was Monday. On Tuesday, Miss Preen was dispensing the } coffee at breakfast in the little Maison Rouge to her sister and Mr. Fennel, when Flore came bustling in with a letter in her hand. ) “Tenez, madame,” she said, putting it beside Mrs. Fennel. ‘‘I laid ) it down in the kitchen when the facteur brought it, whilst I was pre- ) paring the déjeuner, and forgot it afterwards.” Before Nancy could touch the letter, her husband caught it up. i | He gazed at the address, at the postmark, and turned it about to look } 'at the seal. The letters of gentlefolk were generally fastened with t a seal in those days: this had one in transparent bronze wax. Mr. Fennel put the letter down with a remark peevishly uttered. be It is not from London: it is from Buttermead.” _ “And from your old friend, Jane Peckham, Nancy,” struck in Lavinia. ‘I recognise her handwriting.” “Tam glad,” exclaimed Nancy; “Ihave not heard from them for tages. Why now—is it not odd ?—that M. Cardiac should mention the Peckhams last night and I receive a letter from them this | morning ?” 7 |_ “I supposed it might be from London, with your remittance,” said : Mr. Fennel to his wife. ‘It is due, is it not ?” | “Oh, that came on Saturday, Edwin,” she said, as she opened her it fetter. ' “Came on Saturday!” echoed Captain Fennel, ungraciously, as if disputing the assertion. i | | “By the afternoon post. You were at Drecques, you know.” i | “The money came? Your money?” H | “Yes,” said Nancy, who had stepped to the window to read her i } fetter, for it was a dark day, and stood there with her back to the 9 ‘toom. | “And where is it?” demanded he. | “TI gave it to Lavinia. I always give it to her.” __ Captain Fennel glared at his wife for a moment, then smoothed | his face to its ordinary placidity, and turned to Lavinia. __ “Will you be good enough to hand over to me my wife’s money, Miss Preen? ” | as oe —- a 6 a _- a Ov = ‘ - 3 a at —_ - “2 Oa @& o ————_ - ~ © an comichooks.corm