The Argosy — page 202: what you’re looking at

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

190 RUPERT’S CHOICE. ‘¢ T T can’t be done, mother!” exclaimed Rupert Loraine, startling both his mother and myself by impatiently flinging down on the breakfast-table the new Bradshaw which the butler had brought in to him a few moments before. ‘Those brutes of directors have been squabbling again, and have carefully re-arranged the trains on both lines so that none of them fit each other.” ‘‘Dinner can be as much later as you like,” said Mrs. Loraine, looking up from her letters. ‘Not a bit of good, mother, if you dined at midnight!” replied Rupert. “ As it has stood all the summer, I could have done it beau- tifully. It was—Clevelands 5.50—Whitfield Junction 6.15—Newbury 6.55—-and an hour to drive home and dress for dinner at eight ; but now I can’t get home to-night unless I leave Clevelands at three o’clock—which is impossible—and wait two hours at Whitfield.” ‘‘There must be a later train!” I said. ‘Yes !”? answered Rupert. “ There is one at 6.10 from Clevelands, reaching Whitfield at 6.45: precisely a quarter of an hour after the last train leaves Whitfield for Newbury!” Mrs. Loraine listened in evident consternation. “ But, Rupert, what can you do? Miss Herries comes this afternoon.” “T know she does, mother, or it, wouldn’t matter a bit—but you must tell her I could not help it, and I will be here by breakfast-time to-morrow.” ‘“‘ How dreadfully provoking !” said Mrs, Loraine. “ There will be the whole evening without you !” Rupert laughed. ‘ Well, mother, I’m not so conceited as to think that she can’t get through an evening without me! Anyhow it can’t be helped, and when I come back to-morrow morning I shall expect to find that you have been getting on like a house on fire!” ‘I will do my best, but it will be so different for her without you,” said Mrs. Loraine. “1’m half inclined to think it a piece of luck,” exclaimed Rupert, who was always rather an optimist. ‘You will be thrown more on each other at first and forced to break the ice and make a sudden plunge. Indeed, mother, Mona will suit you exactly, Iam sure! She is good to read German poetry by the yard, and to play Beethoven by the hour, if you wish it; and she is great at schools and hymns and dirty children, and knows all about ferns—you like all the same things, I assure you |” ® ecomniclooolkks _ (CO)