The Argosy — page 138: what you’re looking at

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

124 A Crists in his Life. ‘‘Gaiton and Richardson buy her things also, Bill.” ‘““They don’t know how to spend their money fast enough. I wouldn’t: I know that.” Tod and Gaiton came in together soon after I got in. Gaiton just looked in to say good-night, and proposed that we should breakfast with him on the morrow, saying he'd ask Whitney also: and then he went up to his own rooms. Tod fell into one of his thinking fits. He had work to do, but he sat staring at the fire, his legs stretched out. With all his carelessness he had a conscience and some forethought. I told him Bill Whitney had had a lecture from home, touching Sophie Chalk, and I conclude he heard. But he made no sign. “T wish to goodness you'd not keep up that tinkling, Johnny,” he said by-and-by, in a tone of irritation. The “ tinkling ” was a bit of quiet harmony. However, I shut down the piano, and went and sat by the fire, opposite to him. His brow looked troubled ; he was running his hands through his hair. “I wonder whether I could raise some money, Johnny,” he began, after a bit. How much money pe” ‘A hundred, or so.” “You'd have to pay a hundred and fifty for doing it.” “* Confound it, yes! And besides——” “ Besides what ? ” ‘* Nothing.” “ Look here, Tod : we should have gone on as straightly and steadily as.need be but for Aer. As it is, you are wasting your time and getting out of the way of work. What's going to be the end of it?” “Don't know myself, Johnny.” : “Do you ever ask yourself ? ” ‘‘‘Where’s the use of asking?” he returned, after a pause. “If I ask it of myself at night, I forget it by the morning.” ‘ Pull up at once, Tod. You'd be in time.” ‘Yes, now: don’t know that I shall be much longer,” said Tod candidly. He was ina soft mood that night; an unusual thing with him. “Some awful complication may come of it: a few writs or some- thing.” ‘‘ Sophie Chalk can’t do you any good, Tod.” ‘She has not done me any harm.” “Yes she has. She has unsettled you from the work that you came to Oxford to do; and the play in her rooms has caused you to run into debt that you don’t know how to get out of: it’s nearly as much harm as she can do you.” . “Ts ite” ‘As much as she can do any honest fellow. Tod, if you were to OOKMS (CO) mn —_)