The Argosy — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

100 The Village Blacksnuth. it were not for you, Miss Vera, I would not stay another day here, neither would cook; the place is quite different now to what it used to: be.” *‘T hope you will stay as long as I am here, Mary; but I must not keep Reuben waiting; ask him into the study,” said Vera, anxious to stop any confidences about her step-mother; for only the other day Mary had told her she had caught Mrs. Ryot-Tempest in Vera’s room when she was out, reading her letters. Reuben’s gigantic figure seemed to half-fill the Archdeacon’s study, though it was by no means a smallroom. He accepted Vera’s invita- tion to be seated, and plunged at once into the object of his visit. ‘‘T am sorry the Archdeacon is out, Miss Vera, for I. came to tell him to keep an eye on Mark Brown. He was seen on Sunday ina quarry with that man who took your watch, and I am as sure as I am sitting here, those two did not meet there for nothing. ‘There is something in the wind. My belief is they are after the plate.” “Or Mrs. Tempest’s diamonds, perhaps; they are far more valu- able than our plate. I do hope not, Reuben. I have warned my father, but it is no use; both he and Mrs. Tempest think Mark can’t do wrong. I wish you could have seen him; perhaps you might have convinced him. But why don’t the police arrest that man, since he will keep in the neighbourhood ?” “They would if they could catch him, but he is too clever for these country police. It was one of our deacons who saw Mark and him together on Sunday, and by chance he mentioned it to me just now; so I came in at once to tell the master.” _ Vera thanked the blacksmith, who, after a little more conversation, took his leave, having been in the study, perhaps, ten minutes. After he was gone Vera went and fed Lion, and then returned to the drawing-room, feeling very nervous, starting at every noise, and regretting she had allowed all the servants to go out. She could settle to nothing ; she could neither work nor read; and if she sang she could not hear any other sound which might break the deep silence reigning in the almost empty house. At last ten o’clock struck, and to her relief she heard the other servants come in, and soon after she went to bed. Her room was on the same landing as. her father’s dressing-room, and before she went to her bedroom she peeped into the dressing-room to see if the jewels were all right. Yes, there stood the jewel-case, and there, too, lay the loaded revolver, just as she had seen them a few hours ago; she saw that the window was barred, and then shutting the door she went to her own room and locked herself in, In about an hour’s time she was sound asleep. She never knew how long she slept, but she distinctly remembered having a most vivid dream soon after she lost consciousness. She dreamt she heard a noise in the dressing-room, like the opening of the window, and remembering the jewels about which she had been so anxiously books.cGo Goim (@) — ee Ee ee