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

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

Lhe Eve of St. Pariridge. 75 the young widow, and yet there was not one among all that shooting party but felt intuitively that there was some magnetic power that linked these two together. In no one was the instinct more fully developed than in Mimi; she knew nothing of their antecedent acquaintance, yet she could not help suspecting that Arthur’s cool mndifference had a good deal to do with Julia’s warmth of manner to Captain Merrick. ‘It is quite interesting,” quoth Mimi to herself, “almost as good as having a love affair of one’s own, But I don’t mean Algy Merrick to win his wager if I can help it.” So she started forth in search of Julia, and proceeded to pat her, metaphorically, on the back. ‘““Go on, dear; go on as you have begun. Arthur won’t be able to stand it very long. He is frightfully in love I am sure. He will be at your feet before long and Captain Merrick will lose his wager. ’ “Mimi, what do you mean? What do you know about Arthur. I have not seen him till yesterday—since—since I married Mr. Bulmer ; and ——” “Very likely,” returned Mimi. “For all that, you are as much in love with him, as he is with you.” “You are mistaken, Mimi, indeed you are. There is nothing be- tween Mr. ArthurSeymourand me. In fact I think I should be rather fascinated by that good-looking Captain Merrick if I could get over the impertinence of the wager.” “ Oh Julia, it isn’t true?” and Mimi’s laughing face clouded over very perceptibly, and she made up her mind that she would try the effect of a few of her dashing remarks on Arthur. She had known him, more or less, all her life, and was not afraid of his grave, silent ways. Two days passed, however, and Arthur gave her no opportunity to converse with him, but kept very much aloof from everyone, announc- ing it as his intention to leave Fotherington Manor on the 4th and go on to another country house about fifteen miles off. __ Twice had the whole house-party met for luncheon at Vidal’s Bar, and the flirtation between Algy Merrick and the widow was progressing so rapidly that everyone looked on the affair as settled ; Major Ricketts’ grimness of countenance only being second to that of Arthur whenever he thought of his lost fifty pounds. Still Algy Merrick had not proposed. Good breeding told him that the time which had elapsed since his introduction to the widow was rather short; and besides there was something in Arthur Seymour’s manner which affected his spirits without his exactly knowing why. “ He would wait,” he thought, “till this kill-joy Arthur had removed himself, which he would do on the morrow, and then the coast being absolutely clear, there would be no farther difficulty about the matter, since he felt quite sure of the lady.” Events, however, were not going to turn out quite as propitiously as Algy expected. | ECOnnicloooks (CO)