The Argosy — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

20 The Village Blacksmith, saw her father’s only chance of happiness was to ignore her and pay his wife all the attention she expected. And for his sake Vera was content to be ignored, and lived alone more than was good for her. The bright spot in her life was her frequent rides with Mr. Hastings, the new curate. Three or four times a week they rode together, accompanied by Lion; and never once did it occur to Vera that the curate, whom she teased mercilessly about his Ritualism, affecting to hold ultra-Protestant views herself, never did it occur to her that he regarded her as more than a friend. As for Mr. Hastings, the winter had flown for him. Those rides were the delight of his lifes He thought of them by day and dreamt of them by night. Every time they started for a ride he made up his mind to declare his love before they returned ; every day they returned without his having done so. He was desperately in love. It had been with him as with most men, love at first sight. He loved Vera the first time he met her at dinner at Mrs. Jamieson’ s, and his love grew stronger and deeper every day ; and the various battles he had fought with his conscience on account of this love only strengthened it. When he first met Vera, he thought it wrong for priests to marry. And as he was nothing in his own eyes if not a priest, the only con- clusion to be drawn from these premises was that it was wrong for him tomarry. But now he had succeeded in persuading himself that celibacy was only a counsel of perfection given to those who could accept it. And with many sighs and groans he confessed that he could not; that is, if Vera would accept him. Had he been left to himself he would hardly have dared to think this possible, for he had a very humble opinion of his own personal worth, in spite of his exalted ideas of his office. But Mrs. Ryot-Tempest took care to buoy him up with hope, and to assure him Vera was much too honourable to ride with him so often unless she meant to accept him. ‘IT don’t believe she thinks any more of me than she does of Lion or Firefly,” he would reply. But in spite of himself, Mrs. Ryot-Tem- pest’s subtle flattery did its work, and the poor young man was only too eager and glad to believe her. Nevertheless, he had not the courage to learn his fate. | When Lent came he resolved to mortify his flesh by declining to ride, but Vera would not hear of this; and as her slightest wish was more to him than canon law, he yielded, and found some other way of reducing his not too solid flesh. What that way was, probably only members of Mr. Hastings’ party could exactly tell; but if hollow cheeks and a sallow complexion were the ends desired, the way was eminently successful. Towards the end of Lent, the long expected Archdeaconry was offered to Mr. Ryot-Tempest, and, needless to say, was at once accepted. Had he wished, he would not have dared to refuse it, for CORNICE OOOMKSs€O)