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Produced by Suzanne Shell, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) AURIOL
OR
THE ELIXIR OF LIFE
... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
Having accomplished his object, the mysterious plunderer thrust his
spoil into a leathern bag with which he was provided, tied its mouth,
and was about to take his departure by means of a rope-ladder attached
to the battlements, when his retreat was suddenly cut off by the
gatekeeper, armed with a halberd, and bearing ... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
And so, in fact, it had
been. He had become little better than a pair of human bellows. In his
hand he held the halberd with which Auriol had been wounded. "So you have been playing the leech, Flapdragon, eh?" cried Baldred. "Ay, marry have I," replied the dwarf, with a wild grin, and displaying
a wolfish set of teeth.... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
I bethink me, the rabbi said
there was _one_ peril against which the elixir could not guard me--_one_
vulnerable point, by which, like the heel of Achilles, death might reach
me! What is it!--where can it lie?" And he relapsed into deep thought. "This uncertainty will poison all my happiness," he continued; "I shall
li... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
Like the snake, I shall cast
my slough, and come forth younger than I was at twenty." "Meantime, I beseech you to render me some assistance," groaned Auriol,
"or, while you are preparing for immortality, I shall expire before your
eyes." "Be not afraid," replied Darcy; "you shall take no harm. I will care for
you prese... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
Not a word passed between them; but keeping a vigilant look-out, they
trudged on with quick, shambling steps. A few sounds arose from the
banks of the river, and there was now and then a plash in the water, or
a distant cry, betokening some passing craft; but generally all was
profoundly still. The quaint, Dutch-lookin... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
His hat
was off, and his features, exposed to the full radiance of the moon,
looked deathly pale, and though handsome, had a strange sinister
expression. He was tall, slight, and well-proportioned; and the general
cut of his attire, the tightly-buttoned, single-breasted coat, together
with the moustache upon his lip, g... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
For years the evil was felt and complained
of, but no effort was made to remedy it, or to cleanse these worse than
Augean stables. As the place is now partially, if not altogether, swept
away, and a wide and airy street passes through the midst of its foul
recesses, a slight sketch may be given of its former appearance... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
The Tinker took a place beside him, and they waited in
silence the arrival of the liquor, which, when it came, was disposed of
at a couple of pulls; while Mr. Ginger, seeing they were engaged,
sauntered towards the card-table, attended by his four-footed
companions. "And now," said the Sandman, unable to control his cu... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
Vell, she lost it; and, somehow
or other, I found it. She vos in great trouble, and a friend o' mine
calls to say she can have the dog agin, but she must pay eight pound for
it. She thinks this dear, and a friend o' her own adwises her to wait,
sayin' better terms will be offered; so I sends vord by my friend that
if s... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
"He don't like to
talk of his age unless you can get him i' the humour; but he once told
me he didn't know why he lived so long, unless it were owin' to a potion
he'd swallowed, vich his master, who was a great conjurer in Queen
Bess's days, had brew'd." "Pshaw!" exclaimed Ginger. "I thought you too knowin' a cove, Tin... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
You should have seen the Strand then--a line of noblemen's
houses--and as to Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street, with their
wealthy goldsmiths' shops--but I don't like to think of 'em." "Vell, I'm content vith Lunnun as it is," replied the Tinker,
"'specially as there ain't much chance o' the ould city bein' rewived... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
Persuaded this must be the draught of immortality, I raised
it to my lips; but apprehension lest it might be poison stayed my hand. Reassured, however, by the thought of the young man's miraculous
recovery, I quaffed the potion. It was as if I had swallowed fire, and
at first I thought all was over with me. I shrieked ... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
Concurring in which sentiment, they all descended to the lower room. CHAPTER IV
THE IRON-MERCHANT'S DAUGHTER
A week had elapsed since Auriol Darcy was conveyed to the
iron-merchant's dwelling, after the attack made upon him by the ruffians
in the ruined house; and though almost recovered from the serious
injuries he... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
"If you must really go," said Ebba, looking up, after a long pause, "I
hope we shall see you again?" "Most assuredly," replied Auriol. "I owe your worthy father a deep debt
of gratitude--a debt which, I fear, I shall never be able to repay." "My father is more than repaid in saving your life," she replied. "I am
sure h... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
Without pausing for further investigation, he took firm hold of the
leathern wings of the dwarf, and with his disengaged hand propelled
himself towards the shore, dragging the other after him. The next
instant he reached the bank, clambered up the low brickwork, and placed
his burden in safety. The noise of the plunge ... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
"But you neglected to tell me
how to acknowledge the gift." "I could not give an address at the moment," said Auriol. "Well, I am glad to find you have got the use of your arm again,"
observed the iron-merchant; "but I can't say you look so well as when
you left us. You seem paler--eh? what do you think, Ebba?" "Mr. Da... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
"It's no gammon," said Ginger. "Look at them ears, miss--vy, they're as
long as your own ringlets--and them pads--an' I'm sure you von't say
she's dear at twenty pound." "She's a lovely little creature, indeed," returned Ebba, again patting
the animal's head. While this was passing, two men of very suspicious mien, ens... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
"He'll turn up somewhere--never fear," rejoined the Tinker. "But now,
sir, that ve fairly understands each other, are you agreeable to our
terms? You shall give us an order for the money, and ve'll undertake, on
our parts, not to mislest you more." "The pocket-book must be delivered up to me if I assent," said Auriol,
... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
On the block is a
judge's wig, which Mr. Trigge has just been dressing, and a little
farther, on a higher block, is that of a counsel. On either side of the
fireplace are portraits of Lord Eldon and Lord Lyndhurst. Some other
portraits of pretty actresses are likewise to be seen. Against the
counter rests a board, disp... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
"Sadly," replied Morse. "Well, then, follow me," said the gentleman, "and I'll see what can be
done for you." And they left the shop together. CHAPTER IX
THE MOON IN THE FIRST QUARTER
In spite of his resolution to the contrary, Auriol found it impossible
to resist the fascination of Ebba's society, and became a dail... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
[Illustration: Seizure of Ebba.] CHAPTER X
THE STATUE AT CHARING CROSS
One morning, two persons took their way along Parliament Street and
Whitehall, and, chatting as they walked, turned into the entrance of
Spring Gardens, for the purpose of looking at the statue at Charing
Cross. One of them was remarkable for his... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
ye're upsettin' me, an' all the fruits of my
industry," cried an applewoman, against whom the bricklayer had run his
barrow. "Divil seize you for a careless wagabone! Why don't you look
where ye're goin', and not dhrive into people in that way?" "Axes pardon, Molly," said the bricklayer; "but I was so inter_est_ed in
t... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
"As I said to you this mornin', Mr. Thorneycroft," pursued Ginger, "this
is a difficult and a dangerous bus'ness, and there's no knowin' wot may
come on it. But it's your only chance o' recoverin' your darter." "Yes, it's your only chance," echoed the Tinker. "Ve're about to risk our precious lives for you, sir," said ... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
In this lamp were
several burners, which cast a lurid light throughout the chamber. Over
it hung a cap equally fantastically fashioned. A dagger, with a richly
wrought hilt, was stuck into the table; and beside it lay a strangely
shaped mask, an open book, an antique inkstand, and a piece of
parchment, on which some ch... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
Nothing could be more dreary than the aspect
of the place. The richly-moulded ceiling was festooned with spiders'
webs, and in some places had fallen in heaps upon the floor; the glories
of the tapestry upon the walls were obliterated by damps; the squares of
black and white marble, with which the hall was paved, were ... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
Undeterred, however, by this warning,
Rougemont placed the point of the lever between the interstices of the
broken stone, and, exerting all his strength, speedily raised the
fragments, and laid open the grave. Within it, in the garb he wore in life, with his white beard streaming
to his waist, lay the uncoffined body ... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
Auriol complied, and as he scanned the writing he became transfixed with
fear and astonishment, while the pocket-book dropped from his grasp. After a while he looked up at Rougemont, who was leaning over his
shoulder, and whose features were wrinkled with a derisive smile. "Then you _are_ the Fiend?" he cried. "If you ... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
After some moments of irresolution, Auriol once more took up the
pocket-book, and deposited it in the writing-desk, in which he found, as
he had been led to expect, a deed conveying the house to him. He then
opened the note lying upon the table, and found its contents accorded
with what had just been told him. Placing ... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
said Auriol, after gazing at her for a few moments in silent
admiration. Edith murmured an affirmative, and blushed deeply. "He has fixed Wednesday next," pursued Auriol; "but I wish an earlier
day could have been named. I have a presentiment that if our marriage is
so long delayed, it will not take place at all." "You... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
He looked up and
beheld Rougemont, who, glancing over his shoulder, fixed his malignant
gaze upon him. Retreat was now impossible. "You thought to delude me," said Rougemont, in a deep whisper, audible
only to Auriol; "but you counted without your host. I am come to claim
my victim." "What is the matter with you, that ... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
Suddenly, Rougemont stopped, and turning over several leaves of the
book, which were covered with cabalistic characters, appeared in search
of some magic formula. Before he could find it, however, a startling
interruption occurred. An alarum-bell, fixed against the wall, began to
ring, and at the same moment the doors ... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
Your health, Mr.
Thorneycroft," he added, filling a goblet from one of the bottles. "My
service to you, gents. Famous tipple, by Jove!" drawing a long breath
after the draught, and smacking his lips with amazing satisfaction. "Never tasted sich a glass o' wine in all my born days," he continued,
replenishing the goblet... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
But the worst was to come. From the holes in the ceiling already alluded
to, descended three heavy bell-shaped helmets, fashioned like those worn
by divers at the bottom of the sea, and having round eyelet-holes of
glass. It was evident, from the manner of their descent, that these
helmets must drop on the heads of the... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
And at the words, the large black curtains at the farther end of the
room were suddenly withdrawn, and discovered the figure of Ebba
Thorneycroft standing at the foot of the marble staircase. Her features
were as pale as death; her limbs rigid and motionless; but her eyes
blazed with preternatural light. On beholding h... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
"She is lost for ever as it is," cried the iron-merchant despairingly. "No--she may yet be saved," rejoined the dwarf. "Come on--come on--they
are close behind us." And it was evident, from the increased clamour, that their pursuers were
upon them. Roused by the imminence of the danger, and by the hope of rescuing his
... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
Vy,
zounds, it's shut of itself and bolted itself on t'other side!" "Some one must have followed you," groaned Thorneycroft. "We're watched
on all sides." "Ay, and from above, too," cried the Sandman. "Look up there!" he added,
in accents of alarm. "What's the matter? What new danger is at hand?" inquired the
iron-merc... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
"Whether my crimes are real or imaginary--whether I snatched the cup of
immortality from my grandsire's dying lips--whether I signed a compact
with the Fiend, and delivered him a victim on each tenth year--I cannot
now know; but if it is so, I deeply, bitterly regret them, and would
expiate my offences by a life of pen... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
"Were you in your
reason, you would be aware that my master's name is the same as your
own--Darcy--Reginald Darcy. He assumes the name of Doctor Lamb to delude
the multitude. He told you as much yourself, sweet sir, if your poor
wits would enable you to recollect it." "Am I in a dream, good fellow, tell me that?" cried... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
THE OLD LONDON MERCHANT
_A SKETCH_
Flos Mercatorum.--_Epitaph on Whittington_
At that festive season, when the days are at the shortest, and the
nights at the longest, and when, consequently, it is the invariable
practice of all sensible people to turn night into day; when the state
of the odds between business and... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
I have
called it a dining-room, from its ordinary application to the purposes
of refection and festivity; but it had much more the air of a library,
or study. It was a small comfortable chamber, just large enough to
contain half-a-dozen people, though by management double that number had
been occasionally squeezed into... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
That they _did_ drink, however, was clear;
that they _had_ drunk was equally certain; and that they intended to
continue drinking seemed to come within the limits of probability. Sir Lionel Flamstead was a retired merchant--one of those high-souled,
high-principled traders, of whom our City was once so justly proud, an... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
Though a little removed from the Calabrian mountaineers, and reclining
against the marble walls of the church, he evidently belonged to the
same company; at least, so his attire seemed to indicate, though the
noble cast of his countenance was far superior to that of his comrades. He was an old man, with a face of the f... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
"No, no," returned the old man, in an altered voice; "not here, not
_here_, though 'twere but just retribution. But I will find other means
of vengeance. I will denounce him--I will betray all, though it cost me
my own life! He shall die by the hands of the common executioner;--there
is one shall testify for me!" And h... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
"Whom do I resemble? and what is the motive
of your inexplicable conduct?" "You shall hear," he replied, frowning gloomily. "Step aside, and let us
get within the shade of these arches, out of the reach of yonder
listeners. The tale I have to tell is for your ears alone." I obeyed him; and we stood beneath the shadow o... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
"Many months elapsed ere its accomplishment. Italian vengeance is slow,
but sure. To all outward appearance, he had forgotten his faithless
wife. He had even formed a friendship with her lover, which he did the
more effectually to blind his ultimate designs. Meanwhile, time rolled
on, and the marchesa gave birth to a c... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
"You
reproached me this morning with want of filial duty. Behold how a son
can avenge his father!" And he plunged his stiletto within the bosom of
the marchese. "_Your_ father is not yet avenged, young man!" cried Cristofano, in a
terrible tone. "You alone can avenge him!" Ere I could withdraw its point the old man had... | Ainsworth, William Harrison - Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life |
E-text prepared by Annie R. McGuire from page images generously made
available by Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org)
Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
file which includes the original illustration. See 38531-h.htm or 38531-h.zip:
(https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/38531... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
THE BECKONING HAND 1
LUCRETIA 33
THE THIRD TIME 53
THE GOLD WULFRIC 74
MY UNCLE'S WILL ... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
I made a bare pretence of watching the stage every five minutes, and
saying a few words now and again to Irene or her mother; but my real
attention was all the time furtively directed to the girl beside me. Not
that I was taken with her; quite the contrary; she distinctly repelled
me; but she seemed to exercise over me... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
Papa will be very much obliged to you for your
kind assistance." I drove round to the Lathams' after dropping Miss Vivian at her father's
door, to assure myself of Irene's safety, and to let them know of my own
return unhurt from my perilous adventure. Irene met me on the doorstep,
pale as death still. "Thank heaven," ... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
"Why Mademoiselle?" she asked quickly. Then, perceiving I misunderstood
her by the start I gave, she added with a blush, "I mean, why not 'Miss
Vivian' in plain English?" "Because you aren't English," I said confusedly. "You're Haitian, in
reality. Nobody could ever for a moment take you for a mere
Englishwoman." I mea... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
If you do, you'll make me hate
you and despise you. You must keep your word now, and marry Miss
Vivian." V.
The next six weeks seem to me still like a vague dream: everything
happened so hastily and strangely. I got a note next day from Irene. It
was very short. "Dearest Harry,--Mamma and I think, under the
circumstan... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
In a moment, the obvious truth, which I had always known in a vague sort
of fashion, but never thoroughly realized, flashed across my mind in its
full vividness, and I merely bowed my head in silence. It was natural
she should not wish me to see her meeting with her Haitian grandmother. She went alone through the stree... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
And if I'm not mistaken, it's the same thing that
made you cry the other evening when I spoke to you down yonder in the
cabin." The tears rose hastily once more into Cesarine's eyes, and she cried in
a low distressed voice, "Harry, Harry, don't talk to me so. You are too
good to me. You will kill me. You will kill me."... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
I saw in a flash of the torches
behind it was the black hag I had watched before at the Port-au-Prince
cottage. Beside her, whiter of skin, and faultless of figure, stood a younger
woman, beautiful to behold, imperious and haughty still, like a Greek
statue, unmoved before that surging horrid background of naked black ... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
In a flash of thought, I remembered the cup of coffee at Seymour
Crescent, the curious sherry at Port-au-Prince, the cigarette with the
manchineal she had given me on the mountains, and I saw forthwith that
Irene with her woman's quickness had divined rightly. It was more than
infatuation; it was intoxication with Afri... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
Was she really quite as simple-minded as she seemed, or
could she be the "designing woman" of the novels? Yes, I admitted to her
cautiously that I possessed a maternal parent, who was at that moment
safely drinking her tea in a terrace at South Kensington. "_I_ have none," she said, with an emphasis on the personal pro... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
But Lucretia walked and chatted on as unconcernedly as
if she had always been in the habit of traversing that lonely
tunnel-like bridge with a total stranger every evening of her life. I
confess I was surprised. I fancied a prim English girl in a similar
situation, and I began to wonder whether all this artlessness was... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
It was an awful play to read on such a night and in such a
place, with the wind howling round the corners and the snow gathering
deeply upon the window-panes. I was in a considerable state of fright
when I began it: I was in an agony of terror before I had got half-way
through. Now and then I heard footsteps on the sta... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
She was so absolutely transparent, and so accustomed to
her simple way of doing business, that I suppose she did not comprehend
my difficulty. "They ask _me_, of course, and I tell them what they owe. You owe us half-a-dollar." Half-a-dollar--two shillings sterling--for a night of romance and
terror, a bed and bedroom,... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
When she and her brother arrived in the early part of the
evening, Mrs. Pritchard had simply introduced them to me by saying, "I
think you know Tom and Lucretia already." Colonial manners are so
unceremonious. I joined the fatal group once more. "Do you know," I said, addressing
Lucretia with as little tremor in my voi... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
"Mr. Lewin's a very agreeable man," she answered quietly, without taking
the least notice of his angry tone. "I always like to have a chat with
him, Evan. He's been everywhere and knows all about everything--Paris
and Vienna, and I don't know where. So very different, of course, from
our Stoke young men, who've never b... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
She read
it hastily: "From Proprietor, Norton's Hotel, Jermyn Street, London, to
Mrs. Lewin, Peveril Court, Stoke Peveril, Herefordshire. Mr. Lewin
unfortunately detained in town by urgent business. He will not be able
to return before to-morrow." Edie laid down the telegram with a sinking heart. In itself there was
no... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
Evan Meredith noticed it too, and reproached himself bitterly more
than once that he should ever so unworthily have distrusted the man who
had been brought up in Paris and Vienna. One day, however, Harry had ridden from Stoke to Hereford, for the
exercise alone, and Edie expected him back to dinner. But at half-past
se... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
They had gone about a mile from the house, and had passed the Beehive,
where a group of half-tipsy fellows was loitering upon the road outside
the tavern, when a few hundred yards further Edie suddenly checked the
greys for no immediately apparent reason. "Got a stone in his hoof, ma'am?" the groom asked, looking down
... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
Loved him--ay, loved him even so. Loved him, and the more
she loved him, the more utterly loathed him. If it had been any lesser or lower man, she might have forgiven him. But
_him_--Harry--it was too unspeakable. Creeping along the passage to the library door, she paused and listened. Inside, there was a noise of foot... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
You can't
even come up to see me for a day, it seems, unless you've got some
matter of a coin as well to bring you to London. Moral: never get
engaged to a man with a fancy for collecting coins and medals." "Oh, but this is really such a beauty, Emily," I cried enthusiastically. "Just look at it, now. Isn't it lovely? ... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
I took it, trembling, out of my waistcoat pocket and handed it across to
him without a word. The superintendent gazed at it for a moment in
silence; then, in a tone of the profoundest commiseration, he said
slowly, "Mr. Tait, I grieve to be obliged to contradict you. This is our
own specimen of the gold Wulfric!" The w... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
My case was, happily, as
plain as a pikestaff. It was only momentarily that the weight of the
evidence seemed so perversely to go against me. Turning over all these various considerations in my mind with anxious
hesitancy, the ten minutes managed to pass away almost before I had
thoroughly realized the deep gravity of ... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
"They are some fragments of gold which I found in shaking the cocoa-nut
matting on the floor of gallery 27 the Saturday after the attempted
theft." I felt as if a mine had unexpectedly been sprung beneath me. How on
earth those fragments of soft gold could ever have got there I couldn't
imagine; but I saw the damaging ... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
He dwelt upon the
enormity of my crime in one so well connected and so far removed from
the dangers of mere vulgar temptations. He dwelt also upon the vandalism
of which I had been guilty--myself a collector--in clipping and defacing
a valuable and unique memorial of antiquity, the property of the nation. He did not wi... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
"1430," he said in a low voice, hardly moving his lips, for fear of
being overlooked, "what is your outside name?" I answered quietly, without turning to look at him, "Harold Tait." He gave a little involuntary start. "What!" he cried. "Not him that took
a coin from the British Museum?" I bridled up angrily. "I did not... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
But in another minute the
real meaning of the thing came clearer upon me, and I recoiled from the
bare sound of those horrid words, a free pardon. I didn't want to be
pardoned like a convicted felon: I wanted to have my innocence proved
before the eyes of all England. For my own sake, and still more for
Emily's sake, r... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
"There's only one way, Harold--only one way; and as things now stand you
mustn't think it strange of me to propose it. Harold, you must marry me
immediately, whether mamma will let us or not!" "Emily!" I cried, "my own darling! your confidence and trust in me makes
me I can't tell you how proud and happy. That you shou... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
"Why, my dear sir, I remembered the old coin perfectly, having been so
very particular in my drawing and measurement; and the moment I clapped
eyes on the other one yesterday, I said to my good friend Harbourne,
here: 'Harbourne,' said I, 'somebody's been changing your Wulfric in the
case over yonder for another specim... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
A fortnight later my wife and I were among the rocks
and woods at Ambleside; and when I returned to London, it was to take a
place in the department of coins at the British Museum, which the
superintendent begged of me to accept as some further proof in the eyes
of everybody that the suspicion he had formed in the matt... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
"But it's a confounded bore that one should have a condition
tacked on to it which will make one a laughing-stock for life to all the
buffoons and idiots of one's acquaintance." Blenkinsopp nodded in modified assent. "After all," he answered, "I
wouldn't mind taking it on the same terms myself." "Well," said I, "_che s... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
Quite simple and unaffected
Ruby seemed, though she had passed most of her lifetime in the
too-knowing atmosphere of Continental hotels, among that cosmopolitan
public which is so very sharp-sighted that it fancies it can see
entirely through such arrant humbug as honour in men and maidenly
reserve in women. Still, fro... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
Ruby usually accompanied us; and as the two old people
naturally occupied the seat of honour at the back of the carriage, why,
of course Ruby and I had to sit together with our backs to the horses--a
mode of progression which I had never before known to be so agreeable. Every evening, Ruby and I walked out on the terra... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
The
next-of-kin will be sharp enough in coming down upon the money." Ruby looked at me and laughed and clapped her hands again. "But what
would you say, Mr. Payne," she said with a smile that dried up all her
tears, "what would you say if you heard that the next-of-kin was--who do
you think?--why me, sir, me, Ruby Estc... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
So we put
the ribbons on the moment they were christened, and never took them both
off together for a second, even to bathe them, so as to prevent
accidents. Well, do you know, dear, from the time they were babies, they
were always alike in everything; but Ernest was always a fortnight
before Harold. He said "Mamma" on... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
You might just as well have a wax
rose from an artificial flower-maker while you are about it." Edie laughed and looked at Nellie. "See here," she said, taking up
Ernest's bunches from the little specimen vases where she had put them
to keep them fresh in water, "somebody else has thought of the flowers
already." Harol... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
And he turned away a little coldly to join
a group of loungers by the doorway. "This is not _our_ Lancers yet, Mr. Carnegie," Isabel said, as Harold
stalked up to her with her cousin by his side. "Ours is number seven." "I'm not the same Mr. Carnegie," Harold said, smiling, "though I see I
need no introduction now. I'm... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
But then, thought each,
there was the chance of Ernest's proposing to her, or of Harold's
proposing to her, before I do. That idea made precipitancy positively
imperative; and by the next morning each of the young men had fully made
up his mind to take the first opportunity of asking Isabella Walters to
be his wife. Br... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
We see one another once or twice under
exceptionally deceptive circumstances; we are struck at first sight with
something that attracts us on either side; we find the attraction is
mutual; we flounder at once into a declaration of undying attachment; we
get married, and on the whole we generally find we were right afte... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
But as Harold volunteered no further information, Mr. Carnegie,
who was a shrewd man of the world, held it good policy to ask him
nothing more about it for the present; and so they walked on the rest of
the way to the father's office in unbroken silence. At one o'clock, Harold shut up his desk at the office and ran dow... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
Yet, after all, though the letter came from
the other brother, Ernest, it was this particular brother, Harold, she
had been talking to and admiring all the day; it was this particular
brother, Harold, who had gained her consent, and whom she had promised
to love and to marry. And at that moment it would have been doing... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
Neither spoke a word; but after the shaking of hands
and farewells were over, both turned together to the railway station. The carriage was crowded, and so Ernest still held his tongue. At last, when they reached home and stood in the passage together,
Ernest looked at his brother with a look of withering scorn, and, l... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
Ernest
Carnegie, you can't look me straight in the face and tell me that you
wouldn't have acted exactly as I did." That terrible unspoken truth, long known, but never confessed, even to
himself, struck like a knife on Ernest's heart. He raised his hat
blindly, and walked with unsteady steps out of the sick-room. At th... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
Exquisitely polished in manners, and very handsome in face and bearing,
there was nothing of the Tartar anywhere visible about Baron Niaz. He
had been brought up in Paris, at a fashionable Lycee, and he spoke
French with perfect fluency, as well as with some native sparkle and
genuine cleverness. His taste in music was... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
Mademoiselle, my father and my grandfather came away
from their native wilds to seek a lady who would condescend to love
them, in the polite society of Tobolsk. I have gone farther afield: I
have sought in Paris, Berlin, Vienna, St. Petersburg. But I saw no lady
to whose heart my heart responded, till I came back once ... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
Week after week rolled away at the fort, and though Olga had absolutely
no one to whom she could speak except her own husband (for the Buriats
knew no Russian save the word of command), she didn't find time hang
heavily on her hands in the quaint, old-fashioned village. The walks and
rides about were really delightful;... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
She could find him nowhere. At last she mounted the staircase to the mouldering rampart. Generally
the Tartar guards kept watch there constantly, but to-night the whole
place seemed somehow utterly deserted. She groped her way along till she
reached the far corner by a patch of ground which Niaz had told her was
the Ta... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
The surgeon shook him off, with an oath; and two Cossacks, coming up
hastily, bound his hands behind his back, and tied his legs, quite
regardless of his wounded condition. Meanwhile, the Russian major had sought out Olga, "Madame la Baronne,"
he said respectfully, "I congratulate you upon your safety and your
recovere... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
It's only one, you
know, and the girls would be so delighted if you'd help entertain him,
for he speaks hardly any English, and their French, poor things, is
horribly insular and boarding-schooly." At last, with much reluctance, Olga consented, and on the Friday she
went up to the big house at eight punctually. Mrs. Da... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
He was only a clerk in the Colonial Office, was Cecil Mitford, on a
beggarly income of a hundred and eighty a year--how small it seemed now,
when John Cann's money was actually floating before his mind's eye; but
he had brains and industry and enterprise after a fitful adventurous
fashion of his own; and he had made up... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
But after a minute or two, he recovered his composure
sufficiently to begin deciphering the crabbed writing, which constant
practice and familiarity with the system enabled him to do immediately,
without even referring to the key. And this was what, with a few
minutes' inspection, Cecil Mitford slowly spelled out of th... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
No, that would be impossible, for though she
had heard all about John Cann over and over again, she had not faith
enough in the treasure--women are so unpractical--to hazard her little
scrap of money on it; of that he felt certain. She would go and ask old
Mr. Cartwright's opinion; and old Mr. Cartwright was one of tho... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
"Well now, Ethel," Cecil Mitford went on as gaily as he could, "that
brings me up to the second point. I want you to sell out these wretched
New Zealands, so as to take the money with me to invest on good
mortgages in Jamaica. My experience in West Indian matters--after three
years in the Department--will enable me to ... | Allen, Grant - The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories |
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