The Argosy — page 277: what you’re looking at

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

258 A Lady’s Privilege. ‘is why the old woman should have asked me. I hardly know her; and beyond a waltz or two with Ethel———isn’t that her name P” “ You’re on the wrong tack, old man,” interrupted his friend. ‘“ Old mother Pemberton would never have troubled herself about you and I if Sybil Courtenay hadn’t insisted on it. She told me she would.” “Sybil Courtenay!” exclaimed ‘Trevor with unusual animation. "tts she!there °°’ ‘Of course, or we shouldn’t be where we are. She is the Admiral’s niece, you know, and he likes to have her with him. The old lady cut up rather rough about it at first, lest she might interfere with Miss Ethel, who has been out three seasons, and has as much chance of marrying as a cab horse has of winning the Derby. But Pemberton put his foot down, and Mrs. P. collapsed at once. Sybil’s a charming girl, and an heiress in a small way, a thousand or twelve hundred a-year, and a very independent young party to boot. Do you know, Jack, it has often struck me that she and you would go uncommonly well in harness together.” ‘Perhaps Miss Courtenay mightn’t be of the same opinion,” re- marked Jack in a constrained tone. ‘‘ Il might as well ask why you have never tried your luck ?” “T?” replied Long Odds with a stare of astonishment. ‘“‘ Bless you, I’m out of the running altogether. No woman in her senses would ever dream of marrying me, and it wouldn’t suit my book at all if she did. No indeed, not if I knowit. As things are, I’m looked upon as a safe man, both by mothers and daughters—a very enviable position, I assure you, which will keep me out of harm’s way until either the governor’s mortgages are paid off, or———-Why, Jack, you’re not listening! Hang me if the fellow isn’t asleep! Improving con- versation 1s positively thrown away on him.” After delivering himself of this profound remark, the speaker, having ascertained by a glance at his watch that they had barely accomplished one-half of their journey, followed his companion’s ex- ample, and was soon in the land of dreams, from which neither of them awoke until the train steamed slowly into Leicester station. We may as well profit by their slumber to touch briefly on the social position of one of the travellers of whom little has hitherto been said. Jack Trevor, who had lost both his parents at an early age, had been consigned by them to the care of an uncle, at that time in possession of a considerable fortune, which, however, was subsequently reduced to a moderate competence by the failure of a bank. Up to the period of this financial disaster he had made Jack a liberal allowance, and at his death bequeathed to him the small residue of his property, which, together with the supplementary emoluments derived from an occasional brief, and from his contribu- tions to the JZetrofolis and other periodicals, secured to the young barrister an income amply sufficient for his wants of about five hundred a-year. He and the Honourable Walter had been chums Eomichbooks.co