From the exhibition
The Argosy, Vol. 59
· February 1895

"When Leaves Were Green" by Sydney Hopkins
This February 1895 *Argos* installment continues Chapter V of a Victorian domestic novel. Glyn Beverley, an artist engaged to paint Miss Blanche Venables's portrait, discovers Miss Maitland reading in the beech grove and converses with her about art, novels, and provincial life. Breakfast introduces Captain D'Eyncourt, a handsome but morally questionable visitor whom Glyn envies for his familiarity with Blanche. Mrs. Courtenay Byng, a widow scheming for Glyn's attention, declines a riding invitation. Blanche instead invites Glyn to ride Saladin while she takes Polly. Interspersed narrative reveals Glyn's background: his father's death forced his mother into genteel poverty, which she endured through self-denial to fund his artistic training. The passage emphasizes landscape beauty and explores tensions of class, social maneuvering, and romantic rivalry.
Public domain (pre-1929), restored and presented by comicbooks.com public-domain