The Argosy — page 196: what you’re looking at

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

etl: Eom 5 YY. MARCH, ISO. eee ee THE HOUSE OF HALLIWELL. BY MRS. HENRY WOOD, AUTHOR OF “ EAST LYNNE.” CHAPTER VI. THE INFIRMARY PUPIL. 6 is Reverend Mr. Elliot and his wife were seated one day in their home, a rural parsonage in one of the Midland counties, discussing plans and prospects for their numerous family. Mr. Elliot was the uncle of George Archer, who was his sister’s child; but that has nothing, just now, to do with the story. Though Mr. Elliot’s living was a good one, he had much difficulty in making both ends meet, for his family were growing up and his sons were expensive. ‘The present discussion concerned ‘Thomas, the eldest son. He had served an apprenticeship to the medical profession, and a plan was in agitation to place him for improvement under Mr. Dicks, an eminent surgeon attached to the infirmary at Nearford, the county town. Perhaps what had first given rise to the idea of placing him at Nearford was the fact that Mrs. Elliot had an aunt living there, who, they hoped, would give Tom a home for the period, which would be an economy: in Mr. Tom Elliot’s case, a very great economy, for he was of the fraternity denominated “fast.” Let it come from where it would, from somewhere or from nowhere, ‘Tom must spend. Mrs. Agatha Needham, a maiden lady, had lived in Nearford all her life, which was by no means a definite number of years, her own register saying forty-nine, and that of the church sixty-three. She possessed a very pretty property, had never shown herself backward in kindness and hospitality to her relations, and Mrs. Elliot had been encouraged to make the application as to Tom, intimating, what was really the truth, that should her aunt Agatha refuse her bold request they should be compelled to relinquish the placing Tom with Mr. Dicks, for the expense would be beyond their means. Mrs. Agatha’s reply had arrived, and Mr. and Mrs. Elliot were discussing it. She was very willing to receive Thomas, she wrote, provided he would undertake to observe certain conditions: that he would never VOL, XLIX. | M GomiilGaooks im