The Argosy — page 106: what you’re looking at

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

94 Lady Grace. it, Baumgarten,” he said. ‘If you did choose to go out to enjoy yourself, instead of passing the evening with a sick chum, there’s no “reason why you should not admit it.” “ Admit what?” asked Charles. ‘Only you might have dropped me half a word by Joe. Who was ‘the lady? Come, Charley : confession’s good for the conscience.” ‘Tell me what you want me to confess, and perhaps I may do it. Tm all in the dark.” ‘Oh, of course,” mockingly returned Peter Chester. ‘But a truce to jesting, old fellow,” he added in a different tone. ‘‘ Why need you keep it so quiet? Who was the lady ?” ‘What lady?” ‘That you escorted last night to the Haymarket. Grand tier ; first row.” ‘*T was not at the Haymarket last night,” returned Charles. ‘Oh, but you were,” answered Peter Chester, with an emphasis that unmistakably pronounced his own belief in it. ‘‘Hear me a minute, Chester,” quietly returned Charles. ‘I have this evening been pretty nearly persuaded out of my own identity, and I don’t care to enter upon another discussion of a similar nature. I have told you that Tomkins was with me last night until eleven o'clock, and I told you truth. I did not stir out of my chambers, and by a quarter past eleven I was in bed.” When we assert a thing in good faith, it is somewhat annoying to find the assertion received doubtfully. Peter Chester stared at Charles. He knew him to be truthful ; but he did not believe him now—and Charles saw he didn’t. “Tt was in this way,” narrated Peter. ‘Satchel looked in this morning on his way to Court, just to ask how my throat got on. ‘Hope you enjoyed waiting for Baumgarten last night, Chester,’ said he—for he had offered to stop the evening with me, and I told him I didn’t want him; I should have Baumgarten ; ‘ hope you were jolly : he was.’ ‘Why ?? said I, ‘how do you know? Baumgarten never came.’ ‘No,’ returned Satchel; ‘he was at the Haymarket, rather close to a lady all the night : saw a good deal more of her face than he did of the stage.’—TI say, though, Charley, you were a bold fellow : sup- pose Mary Dynevor had come up from Brighton and been there ?” “I wonder Satchel did not say it was Mary Dynevor—or you,” retorted Charles Baumgarten. “You would not like it if we did,” returned Peter Chester. “This looked like quite another style of damsel. Satchel thinks you had been punishing the wine, for he never saw you so gay and sparkling before: quite an improvement on the usual staid quietness of Charles Baumgarten. He told you so.” “Told me so!” repeated Charles, in astonishment. ‘ Does Satchel say he spoke to me? At the theatre!? ” Peter Chester nodded. ‘He spoke to you in the throng coming comicbooks.com