The Argosy — page 351: what you’re looking at

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

330 The Lovely Widow. hard or not!” but she flushed as the tall, fair-bearded man answered : “Oh, don’t they? that’s all you know about it! Ill convince you some day, when I’m not so hungry as I am now.” “Ts Archie down yet? No, I see he isn’t!” said Mrs. Lovell. ‘He can’t mean to ride this morning.” “T’m so sorry,” cried the curly-haired eldest boy, aged seven, ‘for I’m going—and Uncle Archie’s such fun.” | ‘¢ Never mind, Tommy!” said Kate, ‘‘ I’m going also.” ““Vou’re no good, Kate, because I mean to ride at everything.” ‘“ Bravo! Tommy, but will the Shetland do it ?” asked Major Dale. ‘Of course,” replied Tommy, contemptuously. Just as the hunting party prepared to start, Archie Melville sauntered in. “Going to ride?” asked his brother-in-law, hastily collecting some small articles in the way of flasks, etc., for his friends. ‘No. I shall stay at home and bother Jennie.” “Welcome,” said Mrs. Lovell, laughing. ‘Now, my friends, you ought to start. Do be careful, Tom,” in a whisper. ‘T will, dear—Tommy and I will keep together,” laughed her lord. By the time Captain Melville had finished breakfast, his sister was disengaged to follow him to a pretty morning-room, where he sank in a low wicker-work lounge and declared himself content with the world. He had, however, an evident purpose in view, as his sister, who knew him thoroughly, soon divined. After a few minutes’ chat on indifferent subjects, Archie said : “By the way, don’t you remember that pretty Madame de Cres- pigny ?” “Ves,” said Jennie; ‘she was a distant cousin of our mother’s, and married a Frenchman—what about her ?” ‘Nothing much about her, for she is dead and her husband too ; but they lost all their money, and their only daughter, named Florence—” ‘Mamma’s name,” interrupted Jennie, gently. “Ves, I thought of that,” responded Archie, with a look of soft remembrance towards his sister. ‘“‘ Well, this poor girl was sixteen when they died, and went as nursery governess to an English family. Three years after she married an English merchant, who died a year ago.” ‘ Poor thing !” said Jennie. “Well, he left her provided for—but she had no friends in England, and I met her in Paris, where she resides with an unlovely old maiden aunt, a sister of her father’s.” ‘Dear me! And was she nice, Archie?” asked Jennie, demurely. “Oh, fairly. But, Jennie, I was thinking it would be kind of you if you asked her on a little visit here.” ) Gomichbooks.co