The Argosy — page 134: what you’re looking at

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

“ Fohn Snuth, Funor.” I7 Lisle only smothered a smile and gave utterance to a feeble remonstrance. ‘Oh, Edith— my dear /” “Wait and see—wait and see!” laughed that young lady. ‘‘I wish you joy of your taste, Frances. For my part, I don’t care quite so much about brains if they are covered with plenty of nice thick hair— dark, I think, and curly—and the head carried straight and steady, well up in the air. Why do so many literary men stoop ; 1s it because they are always poking their noses into ink-bottles ? ” But Frances had left the room without condescending to utter another word. “And now, Edith,” said Mrs. Lisle, ‘‘ having driven your sister away by your nonsense, you had better make haste and finish those invitations. You have not been quite kind to Frances, my dear.” ‘“Oh, mamma !—TI can’t bear to see her throwing herself away on that old prig! Do you think she really cares for him? She can’t, surely ?” “He is a good man, Edith, greatly respected ; and just now, you know, Frances thinks so much of intellect and cultivation, and all that kind of thing. You must stop these jokes, they are not in good taste. Your father and I ought to be very thankful to see the chance of such a safe and comfortable future offered to one of our girls. There are so many of you, Edith !” “Ah, yes ;—eight girls! But Francie ought to be able to choose - anywhere, mamma, with her face and figure !” “She has nothing else, my dear, and young men want so much now-a-days.” Later on, when Dr. Lisle had returned from his round, dined, and _ established himself in an easy chair with his c:gar, he said to his wife, who sat by him : “T can’t think what is the matter with Frances. She seems to -me to have come back from France quite another girl. I never thought a daughter of mine could be so foolish. She takes everyone’s measure, and then, if they don’t come quite up to her standard, there is no getting her to be civil. ‘This one is ‘not quite a lady,’ and the other ‘no gentleman ;’ another, ‘most uncultivated ;’ the next, ‘utterly commonplace,’ or ‘sadly lacking in refinement,’ or ‘ wanting in fine feeling.’ I hate such sentimental rubbish! You’ve got to take people as you find them and make the best of them—a doctor has, any way—and it’s hard then if you can’t find something good in most of them. Is it all owing to the Fitzhardy influence? I can’t think so, the man appears to me to be a decent fellow. I say, Milly, he called on me this morning ; did you know?” “No; Oh, William—was it about Francie ?” “Ves ; he asked me for her. Of course I told him she would not _ have anything ; he said he didn’t care, and he offered to make a very handsome settlement. He is a gentleman, Milly, but I wish—why, 129 he is double her age, or more GOmillGaoo ) ‘S im