The Argosy, Vol. 58

# The Grey Monk, by T. W. Speight

The Argos, November 1894, Volume LVIII presents Chapters XLIV-XLV of this serialized novel. In Chapter XLIV ("Back at St. Oswyth's"), protagonist Everard Lisle takes leave of his beloved Ethel to sail for America to locate a man named "John Alexander," planning to investigate Ethel's mysterious origins before departure. Before leaving, he visits the Thursby sisters at St. Oswyth's—Ethel's aunts—who reveal they have received a letter announcing Ethel's engagement to Lisle. Receiving their approval, he obtains an old address. Chapter XLV ("Come Back to Me") depicts Lisle's remarkable coincidence aboard the steamship Ardaces: his cabin-mate proves to be John Alexander himself. Alexander, given a letter from Lisle's employer Sir Gilbert Clare, abandons his passage and returns to Liverpool to meet with Lisle. The narrative then recounts Alexander's history—his survival of an explosion aboard the lake steamer Prairie Belle three months prior, rescue by a farmer family belonging to the Quietist sect, and recovery from severe injuries.