Richard Forrest, Bachelor — page 224: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A HOMILY ON MATRIMONY. 215 attention. He glanced out just in time to seea private han- som, drawn by a big gray, stop at the curb, deposit its sole occupant, and drive rapidly away again. | “Hello, here comes Arthur Eldridge,’’ said the speaker, lazily. ‘‘Got another new horse, I see. By Jove, that man has the very smartest traps in town, bar none.”’ ‘‘As far as I can make out,’’ put in another, with an equal amount of fashionable languor, ‘‘he has the very smartest everything in town, bar nothing.’’ ‘Why on earth shouldn’t he?’’ demanded a third, with some energy, ‘‘for if ever a fellow was born with a silver tea-set, tray and all, in his mouth, he was.”’’ This brilliant flash of wit proved so entertaining to the others that the bell was touched at once. Meanwhile the subject of their conversation had entered and was pulling off his gloves, when he espied the man with the paper in the corner. ‘‘Well, Dick, old man,’’ he said, jovially, as he ap- proached him, ‘‘a nice, tidy bit of weather we’re having, isn’t it? This is the third day of it, and no signs of clear- ing yet. Ugh! it’s enough to give one the ‘blue devils.’ Waiter, bring mea brandy and soda—anything to brace me up.’’ ) Dick, for it was the same Dick Forrest as ever, though three years had left their traces in the wavy mustache and turned one lock of the curling hair quite white, looked once more into the street. It was sleeting now, and the lights along the sidewalk cast quivering, elongated reflections in the puddles. “Tt will be a beastly night,’’ he observed. ‘‘I don’t think I shall stir from here.’’ ‘Yes, you will,’ declared his friend. ‘‘You will come CORNIELOOO KS, EC) im