The Argosy — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

Why Did Charlie Hardup Go to Ascot? a] companion. While Charlie, undecided whether to advance or retreat, paused irresolute, Blanche looked up, and their eyes met. Acknowledging his salutation with the coolest possible nod, she turned her head away, and, taking the young man’s arm, strolled leisurely towards the stand, leaving our hero utterly dumbfoundered by this unexpected rebuff. He was still, like Sir Christopher in the “Critic,” in amazement lost, when he heard himself addressed by his name, and, glancing round, recognised in the speaker that most indefatigable of all tittle-tattle mongers, Tommy Partington. ‘A decided case of spoons,” said that worthy, pointing to the retreating couple with a significant grin. ‘‘ Well, she has landed her fish this time, and played her cards to some purpose at last. It isn’t every day that a girl in her third—no, fourth season, by Jove !— manages to give the young ones the go-by so cleverly. There’s the advantage of a waiting game, you see.” ‘“What do you mean?” inquired Hardup, rather bewildered than enlightened by the other’s loquacity. ‘‘Of whom are you talking?” “Of whom?” echoed Tommy, in a tone of unaffected astonish- ment ; “of our love birds yonder, of course. Is it possible you don’t know that he proposed to her two days ago, and that she will be Lady Plinlimmon before Goodwood ?” ‘She! Blanche Anstruther?” | ‘Ah, you may well look surprised,” continued the little man. “I was, I can tell you, when I heard it. Thirty thousand a-year, the house in Grosvenor Square, and Snowdon Castle; not a bad ex- change from the General’s poky hole in Mayfair, where the dining- room is hardly as big as a full-sized billiard table! Now, my opinion is that when people give dinners—why, what on earth is the fellow up to?” exclaimed Tommy, interrupting himself, and staring with all his might at his quondam listener, who, brushing cavalierly by old Lady A., at that moment absorbed in the intricate mysteries of her betting- book, was in the act of passing through the gate opening on the course. ‘‘ Ah, I remember now; he was always dangling after her, and the news has upset him. What idiots some men are, to be sure!” Having thus relieved his mind by this consolatory reflection, Mr. Partington turned his thoughts to business, and proceeded, though not without a certain inward misgiving (for he was a cautious speculator), to invest a modest “pony” on the redoubtable Prince Georgie. Meanwhile, the object of this friendly criticism, regardless that the horses engaged in the next race were commencing their preparatory canter, strode unconcernedly across the course, and had _ nearly reached the opposite side, when he caught sight of an old gentleman a few paces in advance of him, who in another instant would have been inevitably capsized by a headstrong chestnut, whose jockey appeared utterly unable to hold him. With one bound forward, Charlie, in his day a “‘’Varsity” athlete, and as muscular as Geoffrey COMIC OOO SS) (CO)