The Argosy — page 318: what you’re looking at

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

“ Glittering Gold.” 297 a slower and quieter voice. ‘“‘ We must of course stand to our bargain the mistake is ours, and we have no right to inconvenience a stranger by our own stupidity.” Though wholly unaccustomed to the society of ladies, Robert Etheridge was a true gentleman at heart. He came forward at once, bowing with more of chivalrous respect than of easy grace. “There has been a little mistake, I fear,” he said courteously. “Please do not let me be in your way fora moment. I shall follow my original intention and walk to Grindelwald.” He turned to enter the house, but found the doorway completely blocked by the portly form of their host. Poor Herr Waldstein looked quite discomposed by the failure of his neatly-arranged programme. “Ach, meine Damen!” he exclaimed in pathetic tones. ‘‘ Why goes it so ill? Why think you such evil at me? The Herr Eng- lander is so comme il faut !—so respectable !—so o/d /” It was not in human nature to resist the pathos of that climax. For a minute everybody made a brave attempt at dignified uncon- sciousness, but it was a complete failure ; first on one face, then on another a smile flickered, till from the lips of the younger girl there rang out a little musical peal of undisguised laughter. Of course that laugh decided the matter, and five minutes later the Einspanner was on its way to Grindelwald with three occupants not reckoning the merry old driver. When Mr. Etheridge at last found courage to look at his new companions, he knew that the Fates had shown themselves decidedly favourable to him. Both the ladies were prettily dressed in soft white gowns, here and there relieved with skilful touches of blue, and they wore shady hats of Swiss manufacture with ‘ garniture ” quite Parisian in its elegant simplicity. Both were young, slender, and refined in appearance. Here, however, the resemblance ended. The elder of the two was an unmistakable beauty—a tall and, stately girl, with finely-modelled features, a perfect complexion, soft, radiant blue eyes, and a wealth of golden-brown waving hair. The expression of her face was calm, not to say cold, and a grave dignity characterised her words and actions. The younger girl was also fair in complexion, but her features were insignificant, her complexion pale and freckled, and her hair of a dull reddish hue which looked like a caricature of the other’s sunlit tresses. Yet, notwithstanding all these defects, the face was not without a certain attractiveness of its own. ‘The eyes were bright and speaking, and the piquant vivacity of the countenance served to distract attention from its shortcomings in other respects. Her voice, too, was exceedingly pleasant, and her lively chatter and comical comments on each new object of interest soon set their chance companion more at his ease. She laughed at the jJodelling boys with their monster horns. She laughed at the ragged urchins wno wok. XLIX. t COnnicloookks (S©) am