The Argosy, Vol. 26

This installment of Mrs. Henry Wood's serial "Pomeroy Abbey" depicts life at Berkeley Square in London's season. Lady Essington, now widowed, receives callers on Thursdays; among them is the beautiful young Annaline Hetley, serving as companion. Joan Pomeroy arrives for a social visit and tea. Lady Essington and her daughter Geraldine harbor resentment toward Annaline, claiming she manipulates the new Earl of Essington into unwanted attention, though Lady Lucy Blake defends the girl's genuine simplicity. Annaline confesses privately to Joan that she rejected the Earl's marriage proposal; she harbors secret affections for someone else and wishes to become a governess. The narrative then shifts to Pomeroy Abbey itself, describing how following Guy's death years prior, the mystery resolved and order restored. The Lady of Pomeroy reorganized the estate, renovated the previously haunted west wing into cheerful modern rooms, and blocked the subterranean passage that had enabled spectral deceptions.