The Argosy — page 15: what you’re looking at

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

2 The Village Blacksmith. unction to lay to his soul that his absence had been as great a trial as his wife represented. It is so nice to be missed ; so delightful to persuade ourselves that no one else can supply our place. But oh! remember it is so seldomtrue. ‘There are, perhaps, two or three people in the world who would really miss us if we went over to the majority to-morrow ; two or three in the corner of whose hearts no one else could fit in quite so comfortably as we do; but don’t let us flatter ourselves there are more than two or three to whom our loss would be a life-long sorrow. ‘Time has wonderful healing powers— it is a universal balsam for all ills. Mr. Ryot-Tempest’s first inquiry, after he had given an account of his mission, and a few tender passages had taken place, was for his letters. ‘‘ There have been none,” was the reply of Mrs. Ryot-Tempest. ‘Dear me, how very strange. I am expecting one from George. I must make inquiries.” ‘¢ Surely there can be no need to do that ; the waiter would have brought it had it arrived,” objected Mrs. Ryot-Tempest. ‘ He might not; and it is a very important one.” ‘ T will go and ask them,” said Mrs. Ryot-Tempest, who knew more about the missing letter than she cared to acknowledge. Mr. Ryot-Tempest said no more when she returned to tell him no letter had arrived, but he sat down at once and wrote to his brother asking him if he had written to him to the effect stated by Captain Raleigh. He did this not because he doubted Captain Raleigh, but because he intended to sift the matter of the missing letter to the bottom ; it would afford him some occupation when sight-seeing palled. The next day he had a telegram from Captain Tempest, saying he had written five days ago to the present address, asking his consent to Vera’s immediate marriage. “It is very singular ; most irregular. I must go to the post-office at once, and institute inquiries,” said Mr. Ryot-Tempest, handing the telegram to his wife. | ‘What a fuss you make about that letter,” she exclaimed, irritably. “ Now I think of it, there was a letter from your brother. It came while you were away, so I opened it, and, finding it was some wild- goose scheme about allowing Vera to marry that flirting Romanist at once, I burnt it. I thought it would only distress and worry you. And you know, Ryot, darling, you must let your Poppy share your troubles now,” she added in her sweetest tone, as she rubbed her forehead caressingly against his waistcoat, taking care that none of the powder on her face was disturbed. Mr. Ryot-Tempest was very much annoyed, but he was too much afraid of his charmer to dare to show his annoyance. That anyone, even the wife of his bosom, should have presumed to open one of his letters was almost incredible, and he inwardly vowed that though marriage might entitle his Poppy to share his troubles, it should not Goi (@) JOOKSTEO