The Argosy — page 116: what you’re looking at

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

The House of Halliwell. 99 to the window and got upon a chair to lean out of it, she quitted the table, pulled the child back, and said something in French, very fast, as it sounded to Hester, and the child replied equally fast. She could not understand their language, but it seemed to her that they were disputing. “Miss Halliwell will hold me then,” said the little girl in English, “‘for I zwz// look. I want to see Georgy get into the carriage. Please hold me by my frock, Miss Halliwell.” Hester laid hold of the child by the gathers of her buff gingham dress, and the governess began to talk to her. Hester laughed and shook her head. ‘‘ What does Mademoiselle say ?” she inquired of Lady Ellen. “Oh, it’s about a little girl she knew falling out of a window and breaking her vezws. It is all a conte, you know; she says it to frighten me. What do you call vezzs in English? There’s Georgy ; she has got on mamma’s Indian shawl.” Hester bent forward over the head of the child. The bright curls of Lady Georgina were just flitting into the carriage, and something yellow gleamed from her shoulders. It was the Indian shawl. The Earl stepped in after her, and, following him, in his black evening suit and white cravat, went George Archer. MHester’s heart stood still. ‘““T wish dear mamma was well enough to go out again,” sighed the little girl. ‘‘ Georgy has all the visiting now.” She remained looking after the carriage, and Hester remained holding her. ‘They saw it sweep round to gain the broad drive of the park. Lord Seaford was seated by the side of his daughter, and Ze opposite to her. CHAPTER V. THE LADY GEORGINA. AUTUMN and winter passed away, and it drew very close to the anniversary of the period when Mr. Archer first became curate. ‘There was no outward change in his position with regard to Hester ; to the few in the family confidence the Reverend George Archer was still the engaged lover of Miss Halliwell. But a change Aad come, and they both knew it. It seemed that a barrier had been gradually, and almost imper- ceptibly, growing up between them. He was cold and absent in manner when with Hester, and his visits to Mrs. Halliwell’s were not frequent. He appeared to be nising above his position, leaving Hester far beneath. Mr. Coomes was ailing, rarely accepted the dinner or evening invitations sent him, and since the Earl’s stay at the castle, much visiting had been going on. So the county gentlemen would say ‘‘ Then you will come and say grace for us, Archer,” and he always went. It would sometimes happen, when they were going a distance, as on the above day, that Lord Seaford COMIC oOoOlKS.EO© im