The Argosy — page 113: what you’re looking at

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98 The Village Blacksmith. ‘They must have been made for a giant like Reuben Foreman,” he continued, looking modestly down at the offending stockings. ‘‘VYou must put on a pair of mine, Ryot; there is nothing else to be done ; and do be quick or we shall be late for dinner. Vera, I wish you would run up to my room and get your father a pair out of my top drawer,” said Mrs. Ryot-Tempest, recovering herself. Vera complied; and having found the stockings, went into her father’s dressing-room with them, the Archdeacon having followed her upstairs. This was the first time Vera had been into either of these rooms since her father’s second marriage, and she glanced round the dressing-room, noticing a few changes that had been made, while the Archdeacon changed his stockings. “Why, this is something new, papa, what is it?” said Vera, touching a leather case, with silver lock and handle, on the top of a chest-of-drawers. | ‘It is Poppy’s jewel-case, my dear,” ‘What a strange place to keep it, I wonder she does not lock it up out of sight. Oh! and this is your new revolver, papa; I have not seen it before.” ** Don’t touch it Vera, pray; it is loaded,” interrupted the Arch- deacon, nervously glancing up from his legs now clad in his wife’s stockings at Vera, who was with difficulty obeying the injunction not to touch the revolver. ‘Well, when the burglars pay us a visit, papa, you must call me and I'll fire it off at them; but if those diamonds were mine I should send them to the bank as you suggested. Why, papa, those stock- ings are almost as tight as the others were too loose. I hope they won't split during the evening,” said Vera, following her father down- stairs, “I trust not, my dear; I trust not,” said the Archdeacon, hurrying into the carriage where his wife was already awaiting him. | Mark came up to the carriage-window before they drove off; ostensibly to ask if they would require coffee on their return; in reality to see if Mrs. Ryot-Tempest had on her diamonds ; and retired exultant at finding she had pink camellias in her hair and gold earrings in her ears, and gold bracelets on her arms. It was as he wished : the diamonds were safe upstairs in their case, and Mark con- sidered his fifty pounds was already as good as earned. CHAPTER XX ETT. THE ROBBERY. VERA sat gazing into the paling western sky: day was melting into — night, a glorious, laughing, April day fading into a lovely, smiling night ; all day the sunbeams had laughed and danced on the green- sward and the hillsides, now the laughter was hushed, but the stars Eomichbooks.com