The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-10
'hrapston, not when 1 was getting old,

"Well, what did he say2' asked Victor
"He said what you never had the sense
to see, my boy; but expect Mr.. Merceron
won't be obliged to me for repeating it."
81 should like to hear it, said Charlie,
with necessary politeness.
"Wen, it's not me, it's old Thrapston;
and if you say it's wrong I'll believe YOU
Old Thrapston-hang it, Victor, that old
man ought to be hanged! Why, only the
other day | saw him.
''All right. Well he said, Il lay
guinea there was - and he winked his
sinful old eye, you know, for all the world
like what-a-you-may'im in cathedral
one OF those hldeous-I say, what is the
word, Victor? l saw 'em when Agatha
took me-beg pardon, Mr.. Merceronl
Was the world full of Agathas? If so, it
| would be we'll not to start whenever one
was mentioned. Charlie recovered him
self.
~ think you must mean a gargoyle,"
he said, wondering who this Agatha might
"Of course, do. Fancy forgetting that
Gargoyle, OF course. Well, old Thrapston
said, 'I'll lay guinea there was woman
in that dashed summer house, Calder, my
| boy"
Victor sutton's eyes lighted with a
CLEAN.
"Wel, I'll be hanged if I ever thought
of that! Charlie, you held US allp'
"Bosh!" said Charlie Merceron. "There
was no one there
''All right. But there ought to have
been, you know-to give interest to the
! position"
''Honor bright, Charlie2" asked Victor
| Sutton.
''Shut up, Sutton" interposed Calder
| stHe's not in the divorce court. Let's
change the subject"
Charlie was in difficulty, but the better
course seemed to De to allow the subject
to be changed, in spite of the wink that
accompanied Calder's suggestion.
"Ail right" said Victor. GLOW is Miss
| Glyn, Wentworth? ''
ooh, she's all right. She's been in the
country for bit, but she's back now"
"And when is the happy event to be? 2"
| Calder laid down his knife and fork and
remarked deliberately:
81 haven't, my dear boy, the least idea"
81 should hurry her up" laughed Sutton.
"I'd Just like--now 1 should just like to
put you in my shoes for half an hour, and
see you hurry up Agatha"
"She couldn't eat me-
"Eat you? No, but she'd fatten you out
| SO that you'd go under that door and leave
room for the jolly draught there is all the
same"
Sutton laughed complacently.
well, you're patient man." he OBJ
SCI GU LII pdlb Inc q I411llS W US
off or on
1t came to Charlie Merceron almost as a
surprise to find that Victor's impudence-
he could call it by no other name-was not
reserved for his juniors or for young men
from the country; but Calder took it quite
spontaneously, contenting himself with
observing:
"WelI, it was very soon off in your case,
WASH I it, old fellow?"
Sutton flushed.
"I've told you before that that's not
true, -" he said, angrily.
Calder laughed.
'All right, all right. We used to think,
that old Victor here was a bit smitten him
self; but he hasn't drugged my champagne
yet, so, OF course, as he says, it was all
mistake"
After dinner the party separated. Vic
tor had to go to a party. Calder Went
worth proposed to Charlie that they should
take a stroll together, with view to seeing
whether, when they came opposite to the
door of a music hall, they would feel like"
dropping in to see part of the entertain
ment. Charlie agreed, and, having lit
their cigars, they set out. He found his
new friend amusing, and Calder, for his
part, took a liking to Charlie, largely on
account of his good looks. Like many
plain people, he was extremely sensitive
to the influence of beauty in women and
men alike.
Il say, old fellow" he said, pressing
Charles arm, as if he had known him all
his life, "there was somebody in that sum-
mer-house, eh?"
Charlie turned with smile and a blush.
He felt confidential.
Eyes, there was, only Victor"
'Oh, [ know. l nearly break his head
whenever he mentions any girl like
"You know what he'd have thought
and it wasn't anything like that, really"
"Who was she, then?"
al don't know"
"Oh, don't mean her name, OF course.
But what was she2'
81 don't know"
'Where did she come from2'
London, believe"
ooh, L thought say, that's a queer go,
Merceron."
81 don't know what to think about it.
She's simply vanished" said poor Charlie.
! and no one should wonder if his voice fall
tered little. Calder Wentworth laughed
at many things but he did not laugh now
at Charlie Merceron. Indeed, he looked
unusually grave.
81 should drop it," he remarked. at
| don't -well-healthy."
"Ah, you've never seen her." said
! Charlie.
''No, and l tell you what-it won't be a
bad thing if you don't see her again"
| "Why?"
Because you're just in the state of mind
to marry her"
| "And why shouldn't l ?"
| Mr. Wentworth made no answer, and
they walked on till they reached Picca-
| dilly Circus. Then Charlie suddenly
darted forward.
"Hullo, what's up?" cried Calder, fol-
lowing him.
Charlie was talking eagerly to a very
smart young lady who had just got down
! from an omnibus.
'By Jove he can't have found her!"
thought Calder.
1t was not the unknown, but her friend,
| Nettie Wallace, whom Charles quick eye
had discerned; and the next moment
Willie Prime made his appearance. Charlie
received them both almost with enthu-
siasm, and the news from Lang Marsh was
asked and given. Calder drew near, and
Charlie presented his friends to one an
other, with the intent that he might get a
word with Nettie while Calder engrossed
| her fiances attention
Have - have you heard from Miss
Brown lately?" he was just beginning,
when Calder, who had been looking stead
lily at Nettie, burst out:
"Hullo, l say, Miss Wallace, we've met
before, haven't we? You know me, don't