The Argosy — page 379: what you’re looking at

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

356 A Love Story. Just as I was leaving them, I said to the servant: ‘‘ Mind you don’t bolt the door to-night, for I shall be very late.” Tt will be all right, sir,” she replied; ‘‘ the young ladies upstairs will be late also.” ‘ But I may not be back till five in the morning.” The young ladies won’t be back till six, sir.” “ Good gracious!” said I. ‘* Where on earth are they going ?” “ Going to a ball at Woolwich, sir.” Hulloa,” thought I to myself, ‘‘ [’Il try and get introduced to them and have some fun out of this. Besides which, I may, perhaps, in- duce them to give me a lift back in their carriage: it will be more comfortable than the workmen’s train.” So off I set in high glee. But when the time came, it was clear that the matter would not be quite so simple as I had anticipated. There were over eleven hundred people at the ball, which made it difficult to fall in with a single person one knew at any given moment ; and, in order to carry out my project, it was necessary that I should first find someone who knew these particular girls, then find the girls themselves, and then contrive to get these several personages together at a time when they were not dancing. How I must have bored my partners that night! Of each and al} I enquired whether they knew these damsels, and, if they did, I took them here, there, and everywhere in quest of them. But it was all to no purpose. Never could I get within ten yards of these sirens. Only two or three times, indeed, did I see them at all, and then I had no sooner manceuvred a mutual friend in their direction than, like Will-o’-the-Wisps, they flitted off. At last I gave up the chase in despair, and as it was getting late, determined to see about departing, when that fickle goddess Fortune suddenly befriended me. It was just before the last dance but one, and as I was winding my way to the door, I found myself alongside a man I knew who was at that moment talking to the fair one I had so long sought in vain. To pluck at his sleeve and whisper in his ear the words ‘‘ Introduce me,” was the work of a moment ; and in a few seconds I was gliding over the polished floor with my right arm round the waist of the best rider and the best dancer in England, and my right shoulder within an inch of the sunniest hair and the bluest eyes you ever saw, old fellow. But what did it matter to me! She was engaged to that Guardsman—-I felt sure of that—and I had a big case to attend to in a few hours. However, I was introduced to the mother, who offered me the spare seat in the carriage, and it ended as I had wished. On the way home I learned that they were all going back to their country place the next day, where no doubt that confounded guards- man would follow them. Still I had had my fun and secured my drive home. But those blue eyes were very sweet. And that is what one of these golden balls is in memory of. ECONNIECLOO KS, (EC) m