The Guinea Stamp

A free download from http://www.dertz.in ----dertz ebooks publisher !----

The Guinea Stamp

The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Guinea Stamp, by Annie S. Swan
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: The Guinea Stamp A Tale of Modern Glasgow
Author: Annie S. Swan

Release Date: January 1, 2006 [eBook #17442]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GUINEA STAMP***
E-text prepared by Jonathan Ingram, Janet Blenkinship, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net/)

Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 17442-h.htm or 17442-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/1/7/4/4/17442/17442-h/17442-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/1/7/4/4/17442/17442-h.zip)

THE GUINEA STAMP
by
ANNIE S. SWAN

* * * * *

FIVE SHILLING SERIES.
_THE GATES OF EDEN._
A Story of Endeavour. By ANNIE S. SWAN. Large crown 8vo, cloth, with Portrait of the Authoress.
_BRIAR AND PALM._
A Study of Circumstance and Influence. By ANNIE S. SWAN. Large crown 8vo, cloth extra, Illustrated.
_ONE FALSE STEP._
By ANDREW STEWART. Large crown 8vo, cloth extra, Illustrated.
_NOEL CHETWYND'S FALL._
By Mrs. J. H. NEEDELL. Large crown 8vo, cloth extra, Illustrated.
_SIR JOHN'S WARD._
By JANE H. JAMIESON. Large crown 8vo, cloth extra, Frontispiece.
_ST. VEDA'S; or, The Pearl of Orr's Haven._
By ANNIE S. SWAN. Large crown 8vo, cloth extra, with Frontispiece by ROBERT M'GREGOR.
_KILGARVIE._
By ROBINA F. HARDY. With Frontispiece by ROBERT M'GREGOR, R. S. A. Large crown 8vo, cloth extra.
_MADELINE POWER._
By ARTHUR W. MARCHMONT. Large crown 8vo, cloth extra.
_AFTER TOUCH OF WEDDED HANDS._
By HANNAH B. MACKENZIE. Large crown 8vo, cloth extra.
_THE GUINEA STAMP._
A Tale of Modern Glasgow. By ANNIE S. SWAN. Large crown 8vo, cloth extra.
Edinburgh & London: Oliphant Anderson & Ferrier.

* * * * *

THE GUINEA STAMP
A Tale of Modern Glasgow
by
ANNIE S. SWAN (Mrs. Burnett-Smith)
Author of 'Aldersyde,' 'Across Her Path,' 'The Gates of Eden,' 'The Ayres of Studleigh,' 'Who Shall Serve?'

'_The rank is but the guinea stamp, The man's the gowd for a that._'

Edinburgh and London Oliphant Anderson & Ferrier 1892

Books By Annie S. Swan.
6s.
_Sheila._ With Frontispiece. _Maitland of Laurieston._
5s.
_The Gates of Eden._ With Portrait of the Authoress. _Briar and Palm._ With Six Chalk Drawings. _St. Veda's._ With Frontispiece by Robert M'Gregor. _The Guinea Stamp. A Tale of Modern Glasgow._
3s. 6d.
_Aldersyde._ With Six Original Illustrations by Tom Scott. _Carlowrie._ With Six Original Illustrations by Tom Scott. _Doris Cheyne._ With Illustrations of the English Lake District. _Who Shall Serve? A Story for the Times._
2s. 6d.
_Aldersyde._ _Carlowrie._ _Hazell & Sons._ Illustrated. _A Divided House._ Illustrated. _Ursula Vivian._ Illustrated. _The Ayres of Studleigh._ Illustrated.
2s. In Paper Boards.
_Aldersyde._ _Carlowrie._ _The Ayres of Studleigh._ Illustrated.
Cloth, 1s. 6d.; Paper Covers, 1s. Illustrated.
_Across Her Path._ _A Divided House._ Cheap Edition. _Sundered Hearts._ _Robert Martin's Lesson._ _Mistaken, and Marion Forsyth._ _Shadowed Lives._ _Ursula Vivian._ Cheap Edition. _Dorothea Kirke._ _Vita Vinctis._ By Robina F. Hardy, Annie S. Swan, and Jessie M. E. Saxby. _Wrongs Righted._ _The Secret Panel._ _Thomas Dryburgh's Dream, and Miss Baxter's Bequest._ _Twice Tried._ _A Vexed Inheritance._ _Hazell & Sons._ Cheap Edition. _A Bachelor in Search of a Wife._
Cloth, 9d.
_Mistaken._ _Marion Forsyth._ _Thomas Dryburgh's Dream._ _Miss Baxter's Bequest._
6d.
_Douglas Roy._ _Katie's Christmas Lesson._ _Tom's Memorable Christmas._ _Bess: The Story of a Waif._ _The Bonnie Jean._

Edinburgh and London OLIPHANT ANDERSON & FERRIER. MORRISON AND GIBB, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.

[Illustration]

CONTENTS.
CHAP. PAGE
I. FATHERLESS, 7
II. WHAT TO DO WITH HER, 16
III. THE NEW HOME, 26
IV. A RAY OF LIGHT, 34
V. LIZ, 43
VI. PICTURES OF LIFE, 51
VII. LIZ SPEAKS HER MIND, 60
VIII. EDGED TOOLS, 68
IX. AN IMPENDING CHANGE, 77
X. IN AYRSHIRE, 86
XI. DARKENING DAYS, 95
XII. SETTING HIS HOUSE IN ORDER, 104
XIII. THE LAST SUMMONS, 113
XIV. THOSE LEFT BEHIND, 122
XV. HER INHERITANCE, 131
XVI. FAREWELL, 139
XVII. THE WEST END, 148
XVIII. 'THE DAYS THAT ARE NOT,' 157
XIX. THE SWEETS OF LIFE, 166
XX. PLANS, 174
XXI. ACROSS THE CHANNEL, 182
XXII. A HELPING HAND, 190
XXIII. REAL AND IDEAL, 198
XXIV. THE UNEXPECTED, 206
XXV. THE FIRST WOOER, 214
XXVI. UNDER DISCUSSION, 222
XXVII. GLADYS AND WALTER, 229
XXVIII. A TROUBLED HEART, 236
XXIX. AN AWAKENING, 243
XXX. TOO LATE! 250
XXXI. 'WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN,' 259
XXXII. THE WANDERER, 266
XXXIII. A FAITHFUL FRIEND, 274
XXXIV. WHAT WILL SHE DO? 283
XXXV. A REVELATION, 291
XXXVI. TêTE-à-TêTE, 299
XXXVII. CHUMS, 307
XXXVIII. IN VAIN, 315
XXXIX. GONE, 323
XL. THE MATRONS ADVISE, 331
XLI. A GREAT RELIEF, 338
XLII. A DISCOVERY, 345
XLIII. A WOMAN'S HEART, 352
XLIV. THE MAGDALENE, 361
XLV. THE BOLT FALLS, 369
XLVI. THE WORLD WELL LOST, 377

[Illustration]
THE GUINEA STAMP
CHAPTER I.
FATHERLESS.
It was an artist's studio, a poor, shabby little place, with a latticed window facing the north. There was nothing in the furnishing or arrangement of the room to suggest successful work, or even artistic taste. A few tarnished gold frames leaned against the gaudily-papered wall, and the only picture stood on the dilapidated easel in the middle of the floor, a small canvas of a woman's head, a gentle Madonna face, with large supplicating eyes, and a sensitive, sad