The Argosy — page 188: what you’re looking at

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

a ——- — = Lady Valeria. I7I “ T’ll just tell you how it was ”—here Hester lost the sense—‘ like any Duchess; only she paid ready money. I wasn’t serving, so I went and gave a look ”—“ open carriage and pair, and in the corner Elsie Paramount as plain as I see you—she kept her sunshade down, you know ”—“only her old shabby black straw hat on”—‘ Addie Ridge says she hasn’t been home for a day or two.” Hester began to feel languidly curious, and would have asked for more particulars, when the boatman stopped pulling. ‘‘ Someone hailing us, miss. Can you hear?” Hester heard an eldritch screech from the bank above, and per- ceived a small rook-boy making vigorous signs as he burst through a low fence and shrieked some words which were drowned by the sound of the band in the barge which was following them. ‘He wants Mr. Stannard,” said Hester. ‘‘ He is in one of the first boats. He started long before us.” The boatman shouted to the boat in advance to “Pass it on!” and after some little time, for they had been coming fast down with the stream, Eustace met them returning, having disposed of his boat- load. They had shot out from between the high banks to the lower level of the water-meadows, and between the rows of mop-headed poplars could see the fields beyond, across which a horseman was rapidly approaching, waving something yellow. “It’s my father!” Eustace called to Hester in some alarm. ‘* What can be the matter?” Lord Altcar reined in his smoking horse, patting its neck. ““A brisk ten minutes that, old boy! I believe I’m hotter than you, though !” Eustace scrambied to shore through the sedges and took the tele- sram. “Tt came a quarter of an hour ago. Just as Brickbat came round, as luck would have it. In another five minutes I should have been off. I knew if I could catch you here there would be a mile of road saved, besides the chance of missing you altogether once you got into the park. What’s it all about?” tossing a shilling to the rook-boy, who grinned, ducked and disappeared. Lord Altcar, in his days of Parliamentary work, had had a private wire laid to the Court ; and for the convenience of the neighbourhood, which was not large enough to have an office of its own, still kept it up, though not without many a grumble at the useless expense. “’Who’s Meynell, and what does he want you for?” HKustace was asking himself the same question, wondering. It was addressed to him from the nearest telegraph office to St. Fridolin’s, and ran— ‘““Come to me at once. I am in great trouble. The worst has hap- pened. [I shall await your reply here.” “You see he has been to St. Fridolin’s in searchof me. I ought to go to him at once, but when is there a train P” COMICAOO SS Go im