The Argosy — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

36 Roger Bevere. The girl flushed scarlet, and looked at her companion, who looked back again. It was a curious sort of look, as much—I thought—as to say, what are we to do? ‘Then they both looked atme. But neither spoke. ‘“‘T am told that Mr. Bevere often comes here, and that you can give me his address.” ‘Well, sir—I don’t think we can,” said the younger one, and her speech was quite proper and modest. ‘‘ We don’t know it, do we, Miss Panken ?” ‘‘ Perhaps you'll first of all tell me who it was that said we could give it you,” cried Miss Panken, in a tone as strong-minded as herself, and as though she were by a very long way my superior in the world. ‘‘Tt was one of his fellow-students at the hospital.” ‘‘ Oh—well—I suppose we can give it you,” she concluded. ‘“ Here, I'll write it down. Lend me your pencil, Mabel: mine has disap- peared.—‘‘ There,” handing me the paper, ‘‘if he is not there, we can’t tell you where he 1s.” ‘‘ Roger Bevary, 22, New Crescent,” was what she wrote. I thanked her and went out, encountering two or three young men who rushed in from another train and called individually for refreshment. New Crescent was soon found, but not Bevere. The elderly woman-servant who answered me said Mr. Bevere formerly lived with them, but left about eighteen months back. He had not left the neighbourhood, she thought, as she sometimes met him in it. She saw him only the past Saturday night when she was out on an errand. ‘What, this past Saturday!” I exclaimed. ‘ Are you certain?” ‘To be sure I am, sir. He was smoking a pipe and looking in at the shop windows. He saw me and said, Good-night, Ann: he was always very pleasant. I thought he looked ill.” Back I went to the refreshment-room. Those girls knew his address, well enough, but for some reason would not give it—perhaps by Bevere’s orders. Two young men were there now, sipping their beer, or whatever it was, and exchanging compliments with Miss Panken. I spoke to her civilly. ‘‘Mr. Bevere does not live at New Crescent: he left it eighteen months ago. Did you not know that? I think you can give me his address if you will.” She did not answer me at all, It may be bar-room politeness, Regarding me for a full minute superciliously from my head to my boots, she slowly turned her shoulders the other way, and resumed her talk with the customers. I spoke then to the other, who was wiping glasses. ‘It is in Mr. Bevere’s own interest that I wish to find him ; I wish it very particu- larly indeed. He lives in this neighbourhood ; I have heard that: if you can tell me where, I shall be very much obliged to you.” The girl’s face looked confused, timid, full of indecision, as if she knew the address but did not know whether to answer or not. By this Gomichbooks.co