The Argosy — page 286: what you’re looking at

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

The Village Blacksmith. 267 yielding to it. The power, the will, the opportunity all were there, but there was also ‘‘ Caritas Christi,” and that had hindered him. The passions of men are strong as ever in these latter days, but stronger than all passion, stronger than love, stronger than death itself is still that strange power which for nineteen centuries has ruled the noblest hearts : ‘‘ Caritas Christi.” Reuben went to his forge the next day full of anxiety about Janet, and Vera’s arrival, bringing with her a letter from Mrs. Canter, telling all we already know did not altogether allay his fears ; for if Mark had discovered in the village that Janet was living with her aunt, she was not safe from his persecution. Later in the morning, however, Mr. Tempest’s boy came to the smithy for some frost-nails, and having suffered from Mark’s temper that morning, he relieved his injuries by abusing his chief to Reuben. ‘He is in an awful temper to-day, and I know why, for Mary told me. It is about Miss Janet, Mr. Foreman.” “What do you mean?” *T mean he can’t find her, and don’t you let him either. He went to Marling yesterday to see if she was there, but she ain’t, and that is why he is so mad this morning. I hate him.” “Vou see that furnace—well, there is a place down below ten thousand times hotter than that, and that is where those that hate their brothers will go to,” said Reuben, solemnly. But Mark ain’t my brother,” said the boy, pocketing the frost- nails, and running off before Reuben had time to explain that all men are brothers in a certain sense. | The truth was, Mark Brown, though he remained in Marling till the last train, had elicited no information about Janet from the villagers, who, however prone they might be to gossip among them- selves, had no idea of taking a stranger, especially so unprepossessing a one as Mark, into their confidence. Moreover, Janet rarely went out, and was not personally known to any of the Marling people. So he returned from his excursion no wiser than he was before, and so far as he was concerned, Janet remained unmolested. Mrs. Canter duly paid a short visit to her brother, whom she thereby prevented from coming to visit his daughter, for he was a very hardworking } .man and rarely took a holiday : and as Norah represented, if he went | to Marling, Mark would be sure to hear of it, and would draw his own conclusions. During her visit, Mrs. Canter heard plenty of gossip about the Rector and Mrs. Jamieson, but nothing definite ; though as she remarked, ‘‘ the chimney don’t smoke when there is no fire in the grate.” It was not till the end of March that anything definite actually took | place. Till then matters were in statu quo. The friendship had gone as far as friendship can go, but it had not yet developed into anything more intimate, though Mrs. Jamieson had long been of opinion that _ it was time Mr, Ryot Tempest should be brought to the point. She GOMIGDOOkKSHEO