The Argosy — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

George Considine. iy ‘“ He got up and rang for hot water. 1 knew, blundering fool that I was, that I had overshot my mark. One more effort I made. ‘¢¢T think you owe me an apology for that speech, Considine ; but I don’t want to quarrel. I have only spoken because we are friends, and I’m sorry you can’t take my warning as I meant it.’ «‘¢Don’t say any more: we shall understand each other better in future, I hope.’ “¢T hope so, I said, and took my departure. ‘My wounded feelings would have induced me to act upon his suggestion and go straight back to town, but for the memory of that voyage home, and the almost womanly tenderness with which he had nursed a confoundedly irritable invalid. After that evening, I began to have a suspicion that he had gone too far to retreat, and that he couldn’t have broken with St. Just if he would; but why it was that he refused me his confidence, I do not know. I’m afraid I was too calmly superior and self-righteous in my well-meant warnings. Ah! among the sins and follies of youth a man has to repent of, the memory of his beggarly little virtues is sometimes the bitterest. . ‘Our little difference seemed to have been forgotten next day, and Considine spoke to me in his usual manner. I did not see much of him though, and it went on for several days. But I will not trouble you with the details. I don’t know if Considine lost much more money. I fancy not; but he never went to bed sober; and of all the wild, reckless set gathered in the smoking-room at Walford every night, he was the wildest and most reckless. ‘‘The hunting season began. St. Just offered to mount us both, and we stayed on. I was more determined than ever not to go with- out Considine, and though very well aware that my host had had enough of my company, I ignored the fact, and received his cool courtesies with the best grace I could. ‘You know the sort of hunting country it is down in Meadshire —small fields, high hedges, very little grassland, and covers all close ’ together—not the best place in the world for a forty minutes’ run; and yet the South Meadshire hounds always came out first at the end of a season, and St. Just declared he would not change his quarters for anything. He himself rode well ; a bit recklessly, perhaps, but I never want to see a better man across country. His stud was, taking it altogether, the best lot of horses I ever saw in any meet ing stables; and Considine and [I were well mounted. ‘A good, bold horseman George always was, but his wild daring of those days made some of the hardest riders in the field hold their breath and shout a warning that was lost in the gallant rush of the little Irish hunter he rode to his fence. Two horses he com- pletely knocked up in as many days, and even St. Just remon- strated. Considine pulled in a little, and I began to hope that after all we might escape without further mischief worked; but he so persistently avoided having anything to say to me in private, I GOnnlGaooks (GO mn