Produced by David Clarke, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) THE GAY ADVENTURE A ROMANCE By RICHARD BIRD _Author of_ THE FORWARD IN LOVE WITH FRONTISPIECE BY F. VAUX WILSON INDIANAPOLIS THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY PUBLISHERS COPYRIGHT 1914 THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY PRESS OF BRAUNWORTH & CO. BOOKBINDERS AND PRINTERS BROOKLYN, N. Y. _TO BETTY_ _My book the Critics may abhor--_ _The Public, too. But, all the same,_ _This Page at least is Golden, for_ _It bears the imprint of your name._ [Illustration: It was Beatrice at last!] CONTENTS I THE IMPOVERISHED HERO AND THE SURPASSING DAMSEL II BEHIND THE SCENES III CONFIDENCES IV BREAKERS AHEAD! V THE PLOT THICKENS VI THE HISTORY OF HENRY BROWN VII MR. HEDDERWICK'S FIRST ADVENTURE VIII A TALE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES IX ENTER TONY WILD X HOW TO DRESS ON NOTHING A YEAR XI AT THE HAPPY HEART XII CROSSED ORBITS XIII RATHER STAGY XIV A RISE IN THE WORLD XV A CHANGE OF LODGING XVI A LETTER AND SOME REFLECTIONS XVII OFF WITH THE OLD LOVE XVIII TONY AT WORK AND PLAY XIX THE PLOT AGAIN THICKENS XX THRILL UPON THRILL XXI THE THORNY PATH XXII A TELEGRAM AND SUNDRIES XXIII STILL RUNNING XXIV CERTAINTY--AHA! XXV THE GOD OF THE MACHINE XXVI THE USUAL THING THE GAY ADVENTURE CHAPTER I THE IMPOVERISHED HERO AND THE SURPASSING DAMSEL Mr. Lionel Mortimer was a young gentleman of few intentions and no private means. Good-humored, by no means ill-looking, and with engaging manners, he was the type of man of whom one would have prophesied great things. His natural gaiety and address were more than enough to carry him over the early stages of acquaintanceship, but subsequent meetings were doomed to end in disillusion. His cheerful outlook on life would be as much to your taste as ever; but the want of a definite aim and an obvious inability to convert his talents into cash made you shake your head doubtfully. A charming fellow, of course, but unpractical ... the kind of man who is popular with all but match-making mothers. He lived in two rooms in an obscure street off the Strand, and at the time when we make his acquaintance he has just finished a meal that stamps the lower middle classes and the impecunious--to wit, high tea. For the benefit of gastronomers it may be stated that it included herrings, a loaf of bread, some butter of repellent aspect, and strawberry jam. Lionel has lighted his pipe and seated himself at the window to enjoy as much of a June evening as can be enjoyable in a London back street. He has not emitted three puffs of smoke before a tap at the door heralds the entrance of his landlady.