Chapter I: Front Matter

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A GIRTON GIRL

BY

ANNIE EDWARDES

AUTHOR OF ‘ARCHIE LOVELL,’ ‘OUGHT WE TO VISIT HER?’ ETC.

O Women, Women! O our frail frail sex!
No wonder tragedies are made from us.
Always the same: nothing but loves and cradles’
_The Revolt of the Women_ (ARISTOPHANES)

A NEW EDITION

LONDON

RICHARD BENTLEY & SON, NEW BURLINGTON STREET

Publishers in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen

1886

_All rights reserved_

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
I. TRIANGULAR FRIENDSHIP 1

II. POKER TALK 11

III. HAS HE A WIFE? 32

IV. A TRINITY BALL 43

V. MARJORIE 58

VI. TWO IN ARCADIA 71

VII. ON THE BRINK OF A FLIRTATION 82

VIII. CROSS-STITCH 89

IX. HALF WAY TOWARDS LITTLE GO 99

X. ‘THEY SAY----’ 108

XI. ‘DODO’S DESPAIR’ 115

XII. YELLOW-BACKED NOVELS 123

XIII. THROUGH SMOKE-COLOURED SPECTACLES 135

XIV. BROUGHT UP BY THE JESUITS 143

XV. A LOVE-LETTER 158

XVI. A RASH RESOLVE 166

XVII. THE FIRST CRUMPLED ROSE-LEAF 172

XVIII. HOW DINAH SAID ‘YES’ 178

XIX. GASTON ARBUTHNOT’S PHILOSOPHY 194

XX. ‘JAMES LEE’S WIFE’ 204

XXI. ‘IS MY VIRGIL PASSABLE?’ 212

XXII. LINDA AS AN ART CRITIC 218

XXIII. A SWAGGER AND A SWORD 227

XXIV. REX BASIRE’S HUMOUR 238

XXV. YOU--AND I! 244

XXVI. CUT AND THRUST 252

XXVII. GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY 261

XXVIII. FOR AULD LANG SYNE 275

XXIX. MISSING 282

XXX. LINDA WARMS TO HER PART 290

XXXI. WIFE AND HUSBAND 300

XXXII. ROSE-WATER SOCIALISM 312

XXXIII. CLOSE TO PORT 320

XXXIV. DEAD ROSE PETALS 325

XXXV. A TRAITRESS 334

XXXVI. THE LAST OF ARCADIA 341

XXXVII. A STONE FOR BREAD 347

XXXVIII. TEMPTATION 362

XXXIX. THAT LITTLE DIVINITY 379

XL. AT THE BUNGALOW 389

XLI. ONE WORD 399

XLII. EMANCIPATION 407

XLIII. GEOFFREY CALLS TO BE PAID 416

XLIV. KISMET 428

XLV. LABELLED AND CORDED 438

XLVI. A BYE-TERM MAN 444

XLVII. BESIDE THE CRADLE 454

XLVIII. HAPPINESS 464

XLIX. FROM DINAH’S HAND 475

A GIRTON GIRL