The Argosy — page 310: what you’re looking at

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

291 PEALAERSTION'S.. 5 FOR: -_—_-_—_— + —_— — * AT THE MAISON ROUGE. IKE many another active housewife, Madame Cardiac was always busy on Monday mornings. On the one about to be referred to, she had finished her household duties by eleven o'clock, and then sat down in her little salle-a-manger, which she also made her work-room, to mend some of M. Cardiac’s cotton socks. By her side, on the small work-table, lay a silver brooch which Miss Perry had inadvertently left behind her the previous evening. Mary Cardiac was considering at what hour she could most conveniently go out to leave it at Madame Deauville’s, when she heard Pauline answer a ring at the door bell, and Miss Preen came in. “Oh, Lavinia, I am glad to see you. You are an early visitor. Are you not well?” continued Madame Cardiac, noticing the pale, sad face. ‘Is anything the matter ?” “Tam in great trouble, Mary ; I cannot rest ; and I have come to talk to you about it,” said Lavinia, taking the sable boa from her neck and untying her bonnet strings. ‘‘If things were to continue yas they are now, I should die of it.” | Drawing a chair near to Mary Cardiac, Lavinia entered upon her jnarrative. She spoke first of general matters. The home discomfort, ithe trouble with Captain Fennel regarding Nancy’s money, and the (difficulty she had to keep up the indispensable payments to the itadespeople, expressing her firm belief that in future he would ‘nevitably seize upon Nancy’s portion when it came and confiscate it. jNext, she went on to tell the story of the past night—-Sunday: how rhe old terrible horror had come upon her of entering the house, of vhe fancied appearance of Edwin Fennel in the passage, and of the ream that followed. All this latter part was but a repetition of what she had told Madame Cardiac three or four months ago. Hear- ng it for the second time, it impressed Mary Cardiac’s imagination. 3ut she did not speak at once. | “TI never in my life saw anything plainer or that looked more life- jtke than Captain Fennel, as he stood and gazed at me from the end of + passage, with the evil look on his countenance,” resumed Lavinia. * And I hardly know why I tell you about it again, Mary, except jhat I have no one else to speak to. You rather laughed at me the ‘jtst ime, if you remember ; perhaps you will laugh again now.” ECORNICLOO@ eS (CO)