The Argosy — page 118: what you’re looking at

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

‘ The Village Blacksmith. 103 give him twenty minutes’ grace; so he went downstairs to smoke another pipe. The pipe finished he crept upstairs again, by the front staircase this time and with a candle in his hand. He went into his master’s dressing-room and saw the jewel-case standing, as he knew it always stood, on the chest of drawers. He tried to force the lock but in vain. Had he done so, in all probability only half the contents would have reached his confederate. ‘Then he opened the window which gave on to the eastern side of the house, and leaning out, whispered : ** Are you there, Freeman?” ‘ All right. Hand them out. I hear wheels,” answered Freeman in a loud whisper. Mark listened intently for a few seconds and hearing the sound of approaching wheels, decided not a moment was to be lost. It must be now or never. So he stepped to the drawers, seized the jewel- case and dropped it out of the window. ‘Remember, fifty pounds in the hollow-tree or I’ll turn Queen’s evidence,” he whispered. “ Right you are,” said Freeman, deftly catching the case ; and run- ning noiselessly across the lawn, he disappeared in the shrubbery. As Mark withdrew his head from the window, the door opened, and Vera, candle in hand, walked into the room, she did not appear to see Mark who was partly hidden by the window curtains, but moved quickly to the chest of drawers where lay the revolver. Mark how- ever was quicker, and just as Vera laid her little white hand on it, Mark seized it. A brief struggle ensued, in which the revolver went off, and Mark fell to the ground with a bullet in his leftarm. The report woke Vera, who finding herself in her father’s dressing-room with Mark Brown lying groaning at her feet, and a revolver on the floor between them, stood for a few moments paralysed with fear. Then giving a loud cry of horror, she flew out of the room towards the stairs, her hair rippling down her back, her cheeks pale with terror, her great eyes dilating with fear. “ Norah! Norah! Norah!” cried Vera, who scarcely knew where she was or what she was doing; but, as a child, Norah had always come to her aid in all her troubles, and force of habit made her cry out for her now. The report of the revolver occurred just as Mr. Ryot-Tempest opened the hall door with his latch-key, and, recognising Vera’s voice, his paternal instinct got the better of his nervousness, and he rushed upstairs, leaving his wife to get out of the carriage as best she could. At the top of the stairs he met Vera, who fell fainting into his arms. Her screams had aroused the other servants, who, with candles in their hands and in various states of déshabillé, now clustered round their master and his beautiful daughter. GomiilGoaooks (SO) am