The Argosy — page 334: what you’re looking at

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

Bidding by Proxy. 313 club acquaintance, Massingham by name: one of those pillars of the turf who, when race meetings are slack, occasionally turn up in London. “ Hullo!” shouted that worthy: “ haven’t seen you for an age. Still at the old place, eh? I must look you up one of these days.” “Do,” said Septimus, profiting by the occasion to introduce his favourite hobby. ‘‘ Come and lunch, and I'll show you a gem of a picture I have just added to my collection.” “All right. I’m no great judge of that sort of thing, though I ought to be, if tastes followed suit. My father had a fancy that way, and when he died, as paintings are not exactly in my line, I sent the whole lot to the rooms last month, and realised a tidy sum. The best of it was, I regularly floored old Moss.” “Moss ?” said Mr. Palecourt, inquiringly. _ "Why, I thought everybody knew Moss, the bill discounter : lives in a little street off Holborn. ‘The fact is, a year or two ago I had been hard hit on the Cesarewitch, and was a couple of hundred short when settling day came. So I went to Moss, and managed to get half an cash, and the remainder in a case of the most villainous champagne you ever tasted, and a daub of a picture he called a cattle piece, not worth a fiver, but which he swore (those fellows will swear anything, you know) was painted by some famous Dutchman.” ‘““Not Cuyp,” faltered Septimus, beginning to feel uncomfortable. “That’s the name,” said Massingham. ‘Three cows and two chaps smoking their pipes and leaning against a tree. Well, I made up the money somehow, and kept the thing until the other day, when { sent it in with the rest: and what do you think ? Two idiots ran it up over a hundred, and I wish the one who got it joy of his bargain. When I told Moss, he was furious. Bye bye, old man; I'll see you before I leave town, and have a look at your ‘ gem.’” ‘ll take very good care you don’t,” said Mr. Palecourt to himself, as he walked moodily homewards. Next day, the apocryphal “‘Cuyp” was degraded from its high estate, and unceremoniously consigned to the lumber-room ; and it is currently reported that our friend Septimus is still in quest of a more authentic work of art to fit into the empty frame. CHARLES HERVEY. VOL. XLIITI. COM ) NOOKS (SO)