The Argosy — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

14 The House of Halliwell. came running with the pocket-book. The Major snatched it from her. ~“ Thank you, Jane,” he said; *'I must run fer at” He started off, but Mrs. Copp flew after him. ‘“ Major! James! for goodness’ sake,” she said, ‘‘don’t go to-day ; everything is against you. I could tell you many similar instances. The Whirlpool is only one amongst és ‘““ Whirlpool be hanged!” interrupted the Major. “I am nota sailor, Becky. Let go my coat-tails, or you'll have a fracture.in them. The coach is waiting for me.” ‘A wilful man must have his way,” cried Aunt Copp, wrathfully. ‘Something will go wrong with him to-day, as sure as his name is James Halliwell. He will lose his pocket-book and all his money, or meet with some bad news in town, or make some fresh acquaintance that will lead to ill. It will be something. I know he ought not to have gone the journey. Come along, Hester; no good looking after him.” Aunt Copp returned towards the house as she spoke, and Hester slowly followed her. Presently, when they were seated at work, Alfred came running up the path, apparently in the height of enjoyment. | “You would have split your sides with laughing,” he cried, springing to the window, ‘‘1if you had seen the governor just now. When he got back, the coach was gone.” “Gone!” interrupted Aunt Copp. “Tt was gone, and round the corner, and out of sight. So the Major was in a fix, and began calling the coachman unorthodox names. ‘The butcher was standing at Gibbons’s with his light cart, and he proposed to the Major to get in and they’d gallop on and catch it; and up he climbed, and off they went, I hanging on behind to see the fun. You should have heard us all halloaing when we came in view of the Harkaway.” ‘¢ Did you catch it ?” “Tt pulled up when it heard the row behind, and stopped for us. Jones was full of apologies, saying he had understood when Major Halliwell went off home the second time that he declined his place for that day. Wasn’t the race fun!” added Alfred, swaying about with laughter. ‘I wish you had seen it.” “Then he is really gone.” | “Oh, yes, he is gone. Wells had possession of the box-seat, but he got out of it for the governor.” “Now I just ask you, Mrs. Halliwell, whether it does not seem that the Major was not to go?” demanded Aunt Copp, with em- phasis. ‘* Was not everything against it ?” “Tt does seem so,” said Hester, looking up from her work, with a grave face. But Mrs. Halliwell only smiled, and Alfred ran off, say- ing something that they only half caught, about the superstitions of salt water. CORNICE OOS (E(0) m