The Argosy — page 319: what you’re looking at

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

302 Between Iwo Stools. employed the interval since his last meeting with Alice in heroic but ineffectual efforts to impress the attorneys of his acquaintance with a favourable idea of his forensic abilities, received the following note : ‘“‘ Wimpole Street, Monday. ‘* DEAR Mr. LASCELLES,—Could you possibly oblige me with a call early to-morrow morning? I wish to consult you on a little matter of business.—Sincerely yours, ‘“* EMILY MANGOE.” ‘‘ What can this mean?” he thought. ‘‘ Why should she apply to me of all people in the world—unless, indeed,” as an idea struck him, ‘she wants to pump me about Dolly! I had better look him up at any rate, and ascertain how the land lies before I go; for if she des intend to marry him—which I don’t believe—I shall be in the witness-box again for a certainty!” Late on the same afternoon he found his friend, as he had anticipated, in the smoking-room of the club, highly elated at the steady advance in the betting of Brother to Merrylégs, who, his backer exultingly declared, was now nearly as good a favourite as anything in the race. When Lascelles informed him of his summons to Wimpole Street, Sharpset emphatically affirmed that nothing could be more satisfactorily conclusive. ‘‘ Don’t you see her drift?” he argued; ‘‘she can’t say ‘yes’ before she’s asked, so she lets me know in a roundabout way that the sooner I do ask her the better. I’ll look in there to-morrow before the telegrams come, and strike while the iron’s hot. I tell you candidly, old fellow, I shouldn’t be in the least surprised if I landed the double event.” ‘‘ 7 should,” thought Frank, as the friends separated. Soon after eleven on the following morning the young lawyer was ushered into the widow’s boudoir ; she was alone, and received him with her usual cordiality, but with a gravity of manner by no means habitual to her. ‘‘I was anxious to see you, Mr. Lascelles,” she began, “‘ for I have to ask your opinion on a subject which, if I do not mistake, interests us both. Sit down here,” she added, pointing to a chair beside her, ‘‘and let me tell my story my own. way, as clearly and as briefly as I can.” Frank bowed and obeyed her, wondering what was coming next. ‘Since my arrival in England from India,” she continued, “ an old friend, to whom my husband from motives of gratitude was sincerely attached, died in Calcutta, partly from grief at the loss of his wife, partly from a sudden reverse of fortune, which had reduced him from a state of affluence to absolute poverty. He left one daughter, who had been for some years, on account of delicate health, under the charge of an aunt in Devonshire, the widow of an officer, and in receipt of a small annual pension. She also died a COMME MIOOKSEEC) mn