The Argosy — page 51: what you’re looking at

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

38 The Ebony Box. “Well, I found you in their room, having tea with them, and—-—” “Tt was quite an accident; an exceptional thing,” interrupted Sam. ‘ Well,” repeated Austin, ‘you need not put your back up, old fellow ; a friendly warning does no harm. ‘Talking of gold, Dene, I’ve done my best to get up the twenty pounds you wanted to borrow of me, and [ can’t do it. Id let you have it with all my heart if I could; but I find I am harder up than I thought for.” Which was all true. Chance was as good-natured a young man as ever lived, but at this early stage of his life he made more debts than he could pay. ‘Badger has just been here, whining and covertly threatening,” said Sam. ‘I am to pay up ina week, or he’ll make me pay—and tell my uncle, he says, to begin with.” ‘ Hypocritical old skinflint!” ejaculated Chance, himself some- times in the hands of Mr. Badger—a worthy gentleman who did a little benevolent usury in a small and quiet way, and took his delight in accommodating safe young men. A story was whispered that young M., desperately hard-up, borrowed two pounds from him one Saturday night, undertaking to repay it, with two pounds added on for interest, that day month; and when the day came and M. had not got the money, or was at all likely to get it, he carried off a lot of his mother’s plate under his coat to the pawnbroker’s. ‘‘And there’s more besides Badger’s that is pressing,” went on Dene, “TI must get money from somewhere, or it will play the very deuce with me. I wonder whether Charley Hill could lend me any ?” “Don’t much think so. You might ask him. Money seems scarce with Hill always. Has a good many ways for it, I fancy.” ‘Talking of money, Chance, a lot has been found at Cockermuth’'s to-day. <A boxful of guineas that has been lost for years.” Austin Chance stared. ‘‘ You don't mean that box of guineas that mysteriously disappeared in Philtp’s time ?” “Well, they say so. It is a small, round box of carved ebony, and it is stuffed to the brim with old guineas. Sixty of them, T hear.* ‘“T can’t believe it’s true; that ¢/a?/’s found.” ‘‘Not believe it’s true, Chance! Why I saw it. Saw the box found, and touched the guineas with my fingers. It has been hidden in an old bureau all the time,” added Sam, and he related the particulars of the discovery. ‘What an extraordinary thing!” exclaimed young Chance: “the queerest start I ever heard of.” And he fell to musing. The ‘‘ queer start,” as Mr. Austin Chance was pleased to designate the resuscitation of the box, did not prove to bea lucky one. But the strange complications it entailed and the disastrous troubles that followed, must be told of next month. JOHNNY LUDLOW. CORnnicloookx<s,conn