The Argosy — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

Roger Bevere. 39 “T say nonsense to that,” rejoined Scott. ‘‘ Who’s Pitt ?—he won’t hurt you. No good to think you can shut yourself up in a nutshell—with such an arm as this, and—and—’ he glanced at me, as if he would say, ‘‘and now Ludlow has found you out.” ‘You can do as much for the arm as Pitt can,” said Bevere fractiously. Perhaps I could: but I don’t mean to try. I tell you, Bevere, I do not like the look of it,” repeated Scott. ‘*‘ What’s more, I, not being a qualified practitioner yet, would not take the responsibility.” “Well, I will go to Pitt to-morrow if I’m no better and can get my coat on,” conceded Bevere. — ‘‘ Lizzie, where’s the other bandage ? ” “Oh, I left it in my room,” said Lizzie ; and she ran up the stairs in search of it. | So she lived there! Was it her home, I wondered; or Bevere’s ; or their home conjointly ? The two might have vowed eternal friend- ship and set up housekeeping together on a platonic footing. Curious problems do come into fashion in the great cities of this go-ahead age ; perhaps that one had. Scott finished dressing the arm, giving the patient sundry cautions meanwhile ; and I got up to leave. Lizzie had stepped outside and was leaning over the little wooden entrance gate, chanting a song to herself and gazing up and down the quiet road. ‘““What am I to say to your mother?” I said to Bevere in a low tone. ‘“ You knew I had to write to her.” “Oh, say I am all right,” he answered. ‘I have written to her myself now, and had two letters from her.” “How do the letters come to you P—Here?”’ “Scott gets them from Mrs. Long’s. Johnny ”—with a sharp pressure of the hand, and a beseeching look from his troubled blue eyes—“ be a good fellow and don’t talk. Anywhere.” Giving his hand a reassuring shake, and lifting my hat to the lady at the gate as I passed her, I went away, thinking of this complication and of that. Ina minute, Scott overtook me. *T think you knew where he was, all along,” Isaid to him; “ that your ignorance was put on.” ‘Of course it was,” answered Scott, as coolly as you please. ‘* What would you ?>—When a fellow-chum entrusts confidential matters to you and puts you upon your honour, you can’t betray him.”’ ‘“* Oh, well, I suppose not. * That damsel over there, Scott—is she his sister, or his cousin, or his aunt ?” “You can call her which you like,” replied Scott, affably. ‘* Are you very busy this afternoon, Ludlow ?” **T am not busy at all.” “Then I wish you would goto Pitt. Ican’tsparethetime. I’vea heap of work on my shoulders to-day: it was only the pressing note I got from Bevere about his arm that brought me out of it. Heis getting Gomichbooks.com