The Argosy — page 223: what you’re looking at

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

206 A Free-Will Offering. where he procured the sole amusement Bournemouth seemed to offer. Mrs. Drayton found her future son-in-law extremely uninteresting. She could not see what Nettie found in him to prefer to the manifest attentions of Mr. Cross, the senior curate of their parish church. The Major spent his days in reading novels and smoking—a life which no reasonable and responsible human being should permit himself to lead. She had tried to interest him in the Anglo-Israelites, to whose existence she had herself been but lately introduced by a lady- friend. She had lent him tracts and books upon the subject, and had most eloquently explained to him the reasonableness of her belief by a slight historical sketch of the chosen people, tracing them from the time of Moses to their subsequent settlement in the British Isles. ‘The Major had listened, and had seemed, if a little sleepy, to be impressed, until she wound up by triumphantly declaring that there was now proof positive, which she would not trouble him by giving, that he and she might with as much right call themselves Israelites as could the Rothschilds, or the pencil-man who had called the day before. At this point he had yawned outright, and exclaimed roughly that it was all nonsense, that he wasn’t a Jew, and didn’t mean to be one, and, evidently prejudiced by the remem- brance of some youthful folly, that for his part he thought the less one had to do with them the better. Mrs. Drayton never got over this. She said she could not like a man of such coarse feeling, and now openly sang opposition praises of Mr. Cross. Nettie, too, had been shocked, and to the Major’s relief the ladies had not since then invited him to accompany them to the meetings on this and similar subjects which they attended in the Town Hall. Major Brown was startled from his reverie by a hand being passed caressingly over his stubbly, reddish hair. He jumped up almost im- patiently, and turning, faced Nettie. She was standing at the back of the basket-chair, and his eyes rested meditatively for some moments on the small, trim figure, the thin, rather lined face, the pale hair, which had lost its sunny gold and lay back smoothly from an unclouded, expressionless forehead. She spoke in a high but sweet voice. ‘‘ Harry, dear, don’t you think it’s time to go and get ready? It is four o’clock, and we are expecting our friends every minute.” The Major stretched himself, yawning. ‘“ Are you, my love?” His tone was ludicrously unlike a lover’s, and more like that of a man who has been placidly married some twenty years. ‘‘ Then I suppose I ought to go. But,” with an attempt at jocularity to conceal his evident boredness, ‘‘what am I to do? Am I to put on dress — clothes ?”’ Miss Drayton laughed. ‘‘Silly boy!” ‘The Major winced. ‘No! But I suppose you will change your coat, won’t you? You do smell so horribly of tobacco, and some ladies, you know, object to it.” =) CONNIE COOL KSA(eo)