The Argosy — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

Winifred Power. | 13 girl thus appealed to could do no less than lay her hand inhis. But she shook her fair head, and answered gently : ‘That is always your attitude, Richard: a cynical indifference to everything and everybody. I am sure you have just as many friends as other people, only you don’t recognise them when you see them.” She looked up in his face with her sunny smile, and was surprised, pained even, at the new earnestness of Dick’s glance. “At any rate, I recognise your goodness,” he answered, in a low voice—so low that she barely caught the words. Gertrude did not hear them at all. ‘Tt would be much better for you to recognise goodness in the abstract,” Winifred answered, lightly. ‘‘ But, there! we will talk no more about ourselves.” Lady Hatherley rose. ‘‘It is getting late, and we must go. Will you come out with me to-morrow, Winifred? I want to go to some shops. Yes? At three, then. Good night, and forget my melo- drama. I believe 1t was your austere eyes provoked it—partly. You looked like Minerva.” , So saying, with a laugh, Gertrude kissed her friend on both cheeks, French fashion, and darted into the ante-chamber. Winifred lighted them downstairs, and took care to avoid Dick’s eyes. But she smiled to herself afterwards, with a sensation of relief; for she /e/¢ that he had not looked at her. The next day, when Gertrude came to fetch Winifred she had resumed quite her old insouciant, slightly-mocking air. She made no further allusion to Sir John than this: ‘I have received orders to get myself one or two handsome dresses, he likes me to look well ; so perhaps I shall be able to squeeze out money for some little present for Georgie. I did not bring her with me, because she would have wanted too much.” They went to the Louvre, and made several purchases there. ‘I have only fifty francs left after all,” said Gerty, finally; ‘‘ but it will be enough to get Georgie a porte-bonheur that I saw this morning in the Rue de la Paix, and that is sure to please her. They set off at a brisk walk under the arcade, laughing occa- sionally at some memory of their first girlhood, recalled by the scenes around them; and commenting on the new aspect of things, so changed since the delusive brilliancy of the Empire. Suddenly Gertrude uttered an exclamation, and stopped short. Equally arrested in his progress had been an extremely rakish, fashionable, yet somewhat dilapidated-looking personage, who took a cigar from his mouth, and said, ‘“‘ Hallo!” very coolly. Winifred stared at him in profound astonishment ; this attracting his attention, he had the grace to lift his hat to her. Gertrude, who seemed annoyed but not the least embarrassed, walked with him out of Winifred’s hearing, and began a rapid, low-toned conversation. This lasted several minutes: Winifred’s curiosity the while being Coniiclooolkks (GO