The Argosy, Vol. 65

About this issue

This issue of The Argosy for June 1898 contains "Colonel Fane's Secret" by Sydney Hoppes, a Victorian domestic romance/mystery serial. In Chapter XIX, protagonist Vera is reluctant when invited to Seagrove Hall, fearing connection to relatives her late father warned against. At the gathering, Lord Seagrove is startled by Vera's striking resemblance to his deceased sister, who had loved an army officer named Fane—Vera's father. Meanwhile, the middle-aged scholar Bates struggles with unexpected romantic feelings toward the younger Vera during her stay at his coastal home, though he resolves against acting on them. Chapter XX details Bates's inner conflict and introduces an artist friend named Kean who will paint Bates's nephew Frank, establishing another subplot involving the painter's eccentric artistic habits.