The Argosy — page 94: what you’re looking at

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

Divided. SI to the advisability of adhering to the plan mapped out by his own and Denise’s parents. ‘Let Denise marry that country bumpkin at the very outset of what was going to be a career of unexampled success !” exclaimed Monsieur Lenard. ‘‘ Never! ‘The idea of letting a couple of babies like that marry. No. If Raoul wanted her, let him come and find her.” And, oddly enough, considering that he had never seemed to pay her any attention, Monsieur Raoul de Kériadec did want her. One day, quite by chance, he happened to read the theatrical news in one of the Parisian journals, in which Mademoiselle Lenard’s beauty and talent were extolled in terms of extravagant praise, and Monsieur Lenard’s theatre mentioned as the new fashionable resort of the gilded youth of Paris. As he read, Raoul’s blood was fired with unaccountable anger. Denise, the load-star of Parisian dandies, the newest rage, the observed of all observers, and her name bandied about with any other actress at the clubs and in the newspapers. ‘The idea was intolerable! He had never thought about marriage, or even of being in love. But, five minutes after he read that notice in the journal, he had made up his mind that he would marry Denise Lenard and rescue her from a malicious and insidious world. For Raoul was home-bred and country-bred ; to his simple mind any association with the stage must have a deadly effect on the morals; and if Denise was ever to be his wife it should be before the poison had so much as touched her. He went, bigger and stronger than ever—terribly out of place in Paris, where the fashionable young men made him look almost uncouthly powerful by contrast with them—but with a fearless honesty and strength of purpose in his every word, look and deed, that won its way straight to Madame Lenard’s heart. Denise was very charming and friendly, but a trifle scornful at what she considered his provincial manners; not yet being capable of discerning that what made him appear so rough and brusque was, in reality, only his uncompromising sincerity amongst a flattering and contemptible society. As for Raoul, he fell head over ears in love with Denise before the end of a week, and at the close of a fortnight proposed formally for her hand. Perhaps it would have been more diplomatic to woo her longer, with ‘“‘sweet observances” and lover-like advances. But Kaoul was too straightforward himself to understand the intricacies of a woman’s mind ; and since he loved her, went straight to the point and asked her to be his wife. Denise, slightly taken aback at such precipitancy, demurred, said she did not know him well enough, that she was fond of her pro- fession and had no wish to marry. Madame Lenard urgently pressed her to accept his suit; and even Monsieur Lenard smothered his own feelings enough to refrain from influencing her against the marriage ; which was a real act of self-denial, for he took the utmost CoOnniclooOolKSs (CO) im