The Argosy — page 289: what you’re looking at

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

268 My Saturdays. “Oh, I think there always is danger on the river,” said Mrs. Minton. ‘One never knows what may happen; and under the circumstances, of course, it would have been so very sad if anything had happened.” ‘‘Under any circumstances it would be very dull if nothing ever. happened,” he replied, contemplating sadly his empty coffee-cup, with a conviction that Mrs. Minton’s arrival had lessened the chances of its replenishment. “Oh, but I mean, you know, just now particularly. Why, suppos- ing you had let Miss Moville get drowned, or catch a bad cold—why you would never have been able to hold up your head again,” said that lady, laughing with great enjoyment of an invisible joke. “And you would have been afraid to meet Lord Sandgate, or perhaps he would have killed you in a duel,” added Lucilla, giggling chorus. Archie looked at her, and said absolutely nothing. ‘Pray, what has Lord Sandgate to do with the matter?” I inquired. Mrs. Minton turned to me with relief at finding a free channel opened to her news. “Oh, why, didn’t you know that she is engaged to him? I mean, Miss Moville is engaged to Lord Sandgate. He is the eldest son of the Earl of Heaton, a very wealthy man, you know. It’s a great match for her, for though her father was a viscount, everybody knows that he left them as poor as church mice. But then Lord Anderton ~ is going to settle 45,000 on her on the wedding-day, and leave her all his property.” “T think that is all a mistake,” I said. ‘“‘Of course you are surprised not to have heard it ; and indeed, as you are so intimate with Lady Jacobs, I wonder she didn’t tell you. But the news is only just out, and I suppose she hadn’t authority. When I saw Miss Moville go off in that way with Mr. Rintoul, I must own that I did not know how to believe my eyes; it was such a very marked thing to do, you know: but then when I heard this news, I said to Lucilla, that gzzte explains it. When a girl is engaged, she can do things that she couldn’t before, and naturally she likes to use her liberty while it lasts. I don’t think any the worse of her for it.” ‘““T am sure Miss Moville would be obliged to you for your kind indulgence,” I remarked, unable to keep an edge off my tongue; “but { am sure too that she will not be at all obliged to you if you spread this story. From something that passed yesterday evening, I am con- vinced that there is no truth whatever in it.” ‘“T hope I am not in the habit of spreading stories that have no truth whatever in them,” said Mrs. Minton, rising slowly, with insulted dignity. ‘*No one hates gossip more than I do; but when a girl does things which are not comme il faut, I think it is only &zz@ to mention the excuses that there are for her. ‘That was all I meant to do; and as for the engagement, every one knows of it in London, You will ECOPMICLOO; KS, Eo)