The Argosy, August 1914 — page 119: what you’re looking at

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

A SMILING NEMESIS. stepped back. “It is getting rather chilly out here, and my friend is scantily clothed. Take him into your house at once, seat him at your table, introduce him to everybody — espe- cially to Lord Lastermere, and ’’— here his glance became stony in its menace—‘ see that you treat him as if he were the welcomest of all your guests. Do you understand?” Silence fell on the strange group. For a moment Grelthorpe made no movement. Then, raising his eyes, he caught those of the young man. Straightening himself up, he motioned to the tramp. “Come in, sir,” he said. The tramp bowed in mockery. “ Good night, mah deah boy,” he said to the young man. “I’m going into society, mah deah boy.” Then, with a ridiculous little jigging step, he followed Grelthorpe into the mansion. The servant, utterly beyond the power of speech and almost of motion, closed the door behind the pair. CHAPTER III. AN ELITE FUNCTION. TOGETHER the two men—one well groomed and faultlessly attired in eve- ning garb; the other frowsy, unkempt, and tattered—traversed the hall of Grelthorpe’s residence and- made for the door of his dining-room. From within came the chatter of the dinner- party. ‘Oh, now, really, Mrs. Grelthorpe; really, you oughtn’t to say that of me, my dear Mrs. Grelthorpe—really, you oughtn’t, you know,’ mere was protesting to his hostess, leaning toward her with what he in- tended to be a fascinating smile. Suddenly as he did so he noticed that her eyes, fastened on him but the moment before with utter absorption in his fatuities, had strayed toward the door and fallen a prey to amaze- ment. Mechanically the young man’s ”. Lord Laster- - _ and learned man. 109 glance followed hers to rest upon David Grelthorpe, his lower jaw thrust forward as if in grim determi- nation to see something through to the bitter finish, and behind him, em- bracing the select party in a ridicu- lously satisfied grin, his unshaven and ragged companion. The eyes of all had turned with those of the horrified hostess; all rest- ed with hers and Lord Lastermere’s on this extraordinary apparition; forks and knives dropped from the fingers of the guests; all was forgotten in the stupefaction that spread through the room. It communicated itself to the servants, who stood as if struck to stone wherever the apparition had caught them. The ragged one advanced, bowing absurdly to right and left, muttering to himself as if greatly elated. Host- ess and guests sat rigid. With teeth clenched tightly together, David Grel- thorpe traversed the room to his seat; his uncouth companion broke into a- jig behind him. * Another chair, William,” gravely to the butler. With a violent effort, the latter, who had been looking at the ragged indi- vidual with every trace of his usual aloofness and frigidity scattered to the four winds, wrenched himself back to earth and hurriedly placed a chair to the left of Grelthorpe’s, and next to that of the sprightly Mrs. Annandale. The newcomer dropped into it with a sigh of contentment. “Ho, ho! I sit among the elect,” he chuckled. ‘ Eureka! I swell with pride. I am in society. I buzz with delight.” “ This,’ announced David Grel- thorpe, sweeping the party with a glance that commanded silence and attention, “is my old friend, Pro- fessor Copernicus, a mutch - traveled He has just arrived in town; not knowing that I was giv- ing this dinner to-night, he came here he said to pay his respects to me. I have in- sisted that he join us.” comichbooks (C@)