The Argosy — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

8 The House of Halliwell. “ Took at Hester!” exclaimed Alfred, who was making merry, like his father. She was standing in the same position, every vestige of colour having forsaken her face. Mrs. Halliwell indignantly re- proached her. Hester aroused herself. ‘‘ Mamma, I do not put faith in it; I don’t know what made me look as I did. It 1s only nonsense.” ‘Of course it is,” haughtily responded Mrs. Halliwell. ‘‘ Take the keys, Hester, and reach out the wine and the wedding-cake. Your aunt has not yet wished prosperity and happiness to Jane.” Hester took the keys, and departed on her errand. But her face | was white still. | ‘ Aunt Copp, where did you learn to tell fortunes?” demanded Lucy. ‘On my first voyage to India, Lucy: that is, coming home. We had an Indian woman on board, an ayah, as they are called, who was nursing a sick lady, and I learnt it of her.” “Ts it the way they do it in England ?” ‘Do what?” returned Mrs. Copp, sharply. “That they tell fortunes on the cards in England,” explained Lucy. “Certainly not,” indignantly replied Mrs. Copp. ‘As if I would trouble my head with such child’s play as that.” Lucy coloured and hesitated. ‘‘ Aunt Copp, does your way e/ways tell true ?” Aunt Copp, in her turn, hesitated: it was a home question, after what she had just promised the Major. ‘I do not know that it always tells true, Lucy; it does sometimes. It is very rarely that I can be persuaded into telling it. JI was foolish to have been so to- night. What a brave wedding-cake !” “Tt was when it was whole,” said Mrs. Halliwell. ‘‘ Jane took some of it with her to eat on the voyage.” ‘““Hat on the voyage!” echoed Aunt Copp. ‘“‘Ah! Jane is like a young bear, just now—all her sorrows to come: as she will find, when she is in the midst of sea-sickness. I know I wished the ship would go to the bottom and I, poor soul, with it, when I went my first voyage. Wedding-cake at sea!” ‘““T could eat wedding- dake even if I were sea-sick,” cried Side hoping her mamma was going to cut her a large piece then and there. ‘Could you, my dear?” significantly returned Aunt Copp. ‘‘ Major, how came you to let them sail at this season? ‘They will come in for all the equinoctial gales.” ‘* Pepper could not choose his time. He had to go when he was ordered.” ‘Poor Jane! a fine sick bear’s life she will have of it. Id rather stand a hurricane than the winds of the equinox.” And, what with talking, drinking healths, and the wedding-cake, the evening came to a close, and the young people retired. ECORMNIECLOOK<S,EOnA