The Argosy — page 107: what you’re looking at

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

94 Court Netherleigh. “T couldn’t go there and be back for the dinner,” cried he. For they were engaged that evening to a state dinner at a duke’s. ‘Bother dinner!” irascibly retorted Lady Acorn. ‘‘If this affair can’t be stopped, Adela will have to be smuggled over to the Continent, and stay in hiding there. If it is z0f stopped, and her name has to ap- pear, we shall never be able to show our faces at a dinner-table again.” Lord Acorn passed his hand over his perplexed brow. Look at the affair in what way they would, it seemed to present nothing but difficulty. Once Charles Cleveland was committed for trial, what would be the end of it? He could not be allowed to stand his trial —and what might not that involve for Adela ?P Lord Acorn, hating personal trouble of all kinds, esnectally trouble so disagreeable as this, betook himself—not to Blackheath, as enjoined by his wife, but to the City. He would see Mr. Howard first, and hear what his opinion was. Jumping out of the cab which had conveyed him to Leadenhall Street, he jumped against Serjeant Mowham. “No good your going up,” cried the Serjeant. ‘Howard has left, and Grubb seems to be nowhere to-day.” ‘Have you heard about poor Charley?” asked Lord Acorn. ‘Of course I have; that has brought me here. Primerly came to my chambers on other business, and told me what had happened. I came down here at once to catch one of the partners—or both of them—and see if there’s anything to be done.” ‘What can be done?” returned Lord Acorn. ‘“ Be shot if I know,” said the Serjeant. ‘It will bea serious thing for Charley, mind you, if he does get committed for trial—as Sir Turtle Kite has promised.” ‘What an ill-conditioned, revengeful man that Sir Turtle Kite must be !” “There you are wrong, my lord. He 1s just the contrary: one of the sunniest-natured little men you can picture, and about as able upon the bench as my old wig would be if you stuck it there. The newspapers have been going in to him lately for his leniency, so I suppose he thinks he must make an example of somebody. One of the papers had a bantering article this morning, suggesting that Sir Turtle should open a luncheon room at the court, and treat the de- linquents who appeared before him to bottled stout and oysters. That — article, I suspect, is the cause of his turning crusty to-day. Look here,” added the Serjeant, lowering his voice and catching hold of the other’s button-hole, ‘‘ what 1s there at the bottom of all this matter ? Who was it that Charley made himself the scapegoat for? Do you know ?” | As it chanced, they were jostled just then by some one of the many passers-by in the busy street—nearly pushed off the causeway. Lord Acorn, forgetting his usual superlative equanimity, allowed him- self to be put out by it, and so evaded an answer. ECOLPMICLIOO KS COL