The Argosy — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

6 Lady Valeria. all the place seemed alive with sauntering, chattering figures and their jet-black shadows. The windows of the houses facing the sea were mostly open, the gas inside looking faint and dim in the strong white brilliance. ‘The distant sound of the music rose and fell like the surge of the sea, hardly more audible through the voices of the throng. Edric leant against the railings idly watching, wondering whether it was anything in the full white light that fed the disquiet in his blood, whether a hard walk to Dover, a swim in the early grey dawn, and a tramp home in time for the start to the ranges mightn’t be the surest sedative. A tall lady in old-fashioned, clinging skirts and huge, full sleeves, with a stupendous hat bowed under the weight of a forest of nodding plumes had stopped just in front of him. A pair of glasses glinted weirdly in the moonbeams from under the shadow of her hat brim. She looked up and down and around him, and at last got the glasses levelled full at him, and then advanced with a precipitous rush. “You are Mr. Poynter from the Camp, aren’t your? You don’t know me, I think. I’m Lady Charles Brant, and I want to know if you will mind coming to see mamma for a few moments. She recognised you just now and sent me.” ‘With pleasure.” Edric raised himself and lifted his hat. ‘Do I know your mother ? ” “YT don’t know, I’m sure. I suppose so. She is Lady Valeria Meyneil.” CHAPTER XXV. ‘““FOR NE’ER WAS DREAM SO LIKE A WAKING.” “TI pon’t think she does know you, either,” Lady Charles went on, peering up at him, ‘‘ for she asked me your name when we saw you pass this afternoon. Of course / ought to have known it, but then I couldn’t tell it was you, or anybody else at that distance. It was confusing, wasn’t it? She recognised you without knowing you, and I knew you and didn’t recognise you, and we had to ask the landlord at last.” Edric had succeeded in recalling the occasion of his meeting Lady Charles. ‘‘ You were at Mrs. Damien’s, I think.” “The evening we did the septett! Of course. Would you believe it, we have never been able to get that up again !” “What a pity!” (devoutly hoping she might not enquire if he knew “ the septett” again when he heard it). ‘I have one of the performers in my company now, young Paramount. He enlisted the week after.” ‘What a sinful shame! Or no, perhaps it’s lucky. You can send him down here now and then to practise. Won’t you please order CORMICLOOOKS. E© m