The Argosy — page 207: what you’re looking at

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

Igo JOHN DAVIDSON. By THE AUTHOR OF “ Aponals, Q.C.” I ISS Victoria Egerton sat in a secluded corner of a ball-room, somewhat discontentedly scanning the faces of the dancers just now pacing and circling, to the music of a string band, through the figures of the Lancers. Suddenly she raised herself a little and looked steadily over to the door, her expression slowly brightening into interest. It was a large ball for a private one, and there were plenty of pretty faces to be seen at it; but there was certainly not one other so pretty or so full of subtle fascination as Miss Egerton’s, The ball was being held at the house of Mrs. Hattley, an elder sister of Miss Egerton’s, in the suburbs of a large manufacturing town. This elder of the two sisters, although of course an Egerton like Victoria—granddaughter of an Earl and second cousin to some of the oldest families in England—had, on receiving an offer of marriage from Mr. Hattley, the famous millionaire cotton-spinner, some few years ago, gladly accepted it. Victoria had first been horrified, and then had tried to laugh her sister out of her resolution. The two girls were at the time living on the bounty of a maiden aunt in London. It was not nice, living on any aunt’s bounty, the elder sister argued very sensibly. And then she was distinctly plain. Victoria had considered indignantly that any Egerton could do better than this. Soa storm had raged between them for a little while, the aunt unexpectedly supporting Victoria; but it all ended in Sophia Egerton accepting the offer. Mr. Hattley, a plain-mannered, middle-aged man, had, to tell the truth, waited very complacently for his answer, of course, knowing nothing of the storm. To do Victoria justice, it was more on account of the man’s being so decidedly middle-aged and of such distinctly plain manners, than for anything else, that she had objected. Sophia was not pretty, but she was a sparkling, spirited girl of twenty. The Egerton women were always spirited. However, in spite of this opposition, the marriage had taken place, and then Mr. Hattley and Sophia had gone to settle down in Bremingly, and Victoria, with the maiden aunt, had started for a town in Germany. After two years in the German town and another year travelling hither and thither, Victoria had come on a long visit to Bremingly to her sister’s. In the carriage on the way from the railway station, Mrs. Hattley had promised her young sister some pleasant society. ‘Tt isn’t a nice town,” laughed the girl, glancing out at the smoky atmosphere, ‘ but I’m glad it contains nice people.” ECORNIC OOOKS (E(0) m