The Argosy — page 291: what you’re looking at

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

270 My Saturdays. see what comes of this Sandgate affair, and avoid compromising her again.” ‘“So the days of romance are over!” I cried. ‘Why, what do you want me to do?” ‘Just to ignore all this gossip, and come down next Saturday, and behave as if you had never heard it. ‘Take up matters where you left them last night, and all will be well.” ‘Well, Pll come down at any rate, and if the story is really true, of course she won’t come here again—or else I shall know it at once by her manner.” ‘The story is not true,” I said, positively. ‘‘ Mind you don’t spend the week in brooding over it, and come down on Saturday ready primed for a misunderstanding.” ‘ Allright, auntie, I'll try to be as hopeful as you are.” ‘Try to have faith in Imogen,” I replied. ‘‘That will be more to the purpose. I have only seen her twice, and I trust her more than you do, already.” He made no answer, but went off to his nightly pipe, and next morning returned to London, where I fear he forgot to attend to Mrs. Minton’s parcel. On Wednesday I had a note from him. ‘The engagement of which we heard on Sunday is announced in the Ola Podrida with all particulars. Of course such paragraphs are » often lies, but in this case the confirmation is significant. Under the circumstances, I think I had better return to my first intentions, and I have arranged to go down into Kent for Sunday. If you hear anything, let me know.” I tore the note into bits, I was so angry. To give up his love on the strength of a paragraph in a Society paper! ‘To be sure, even he would scarcely have done so if it had not come as a confirmation of the Mintons’ story; but then, what did the Mintons know about it? Why, they took the Oa Podrida. And it came out on Saturday! Now it was all clear. They had opened it when they went home that evening, and found this delicious tit-bit of gossip to console them for the vexations of the afternoon. So their part of the business went for nothing. I dashed off a hasty reply. ‘‘D EAR ARCHIE,—There is no confirmation at all. The Mintons take the Olla Podrida, and evidently got their story from it. You ought to know what its authority is worth better than I do. At any rate, you promised me to come down on Saturday, and I hold you to your promise. If you break it, you will vex and offend ‘Your affectionate aunt, ‘““ VERA SINGLETON.” “There!” I said to myself as I directed it. “I am nearly worn out with the boy’s pride and nonsense and self-tormenting ways. I COMMICIOOLK<S.COm