The Argosy — page 275: what you’re looking at

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

250 Court Netherleigh. ‘Fifteen guineas, madame: and the handkerchief nine.” “Sleeves, collar, and handkerchief of Venice point, twenty-four guineas,” read Mrs. Cooper. ‘She must be rich, this Mrs. Dal- rymple.” “Comme ¢a, for that,” quoth madame. ‘She has had far more than a thousand pounds in the last six weeks. I suppose you are sure of her, madame? She Is a new cus- tomer this season.” ‘‘T wish I was as sure of getting to Paris next year,” responded madame. ‘“ Her husband has not long ago come into the Dalreemp estate. And the English estates are fine, you know. ‘These young brides will dress and have their fling, and they must pay for it. They come to me: I do not goto them. ‘The Dalreemps are friends of the Cliv-lands, and of those rich people in Grosvenor Square, the Grubbs, which is quite sufficient passe-port. You can go on now to Madame Cliv-land, Mrs. Cooper: one black mantle, silk and lace, three pounds ten shillings, and one fancy straw bonnet, blue trim- mings, three guineas.” ‘Ts that all there is for Mrs. Cleveland ?” Madame shrugged her shoulders. ‘‘That’s all. I would not give thank you for the custom of Madame Cliv-land in itself; but they are well connected, and she is a gentle, good woman. I thought she looked ill to-day.” ‘There was Mrs. Dalrymple’s wreath,” interrupted Miss Atkinson, referring to a pencil list in her hand. “Tiens, I forgot,” answered madame. ‘‘ What were those wreaths invoiced to us at, Miss Wells? ‘This 1s the first of them sold.” ‘Twenty-nine and sixpence each, madame.” ‘Peach-and-white crystallised wreath, Mrs. Cooper, if you please. Forty-nine shillings.” “Forty-nine shillings,” concluded Mrs. Cooper, making the entry. “That is all, then, for Mrs. Dalrymple.” And a pretty good “all,” for one day, it was, considering Mr, Dalrymple’s income. C HA NE 5-2. 151, A LECTURE. A SMALL, friendly dinner-table, Mr. Grubb and Lady Adela pre- siding. A thin, sharp-featured, insignificant little man, whose evening clothes looked the worse for wear, and who wore a black watered ribbon across his waistcoat in lieu of a gold chain, sat at Lady Adela’s right hand. It was Colonel Hope. To look at him and his attire, you would have said he did not know where to turn fora shilling: yet he was the possessor of great wealth, and had seen hard service in India. Beside Mr. Grubb sat the Colonel’s wife, Lady Sarah; a tall, portly woman, whose face bore much resemblance to her mother’s, Lady EOPMIELIOO KS.) im