The Argosy, Vol. XXIX

The Mysteries of Heron Dyke

This serialized novel (Chapter X), published in The Argosy April 1880, follows Philip Cleeve, a young gentleman employed by Mr. Tiplady. Hung over after an evening at The Lilacs—home to the alluring widow Margaret Ducie—Philip confesses to his mother that he has gambled away twenty pounds. She not only forgives him but reveals she has saved twelve hundred pounds for his twenty-second birthday (Tuesday), hinting Mr. Tiplady might take him as a partner. Buoyed by this fortune, Philip purchases two floral bouquets: one for Maria Kettle, the vicar's daughter (whose birthday it is), and another for Mrs. Ducie, whom he visits at the cottage. Mrs. Ducie drives him back to town, where he encounters Maria—causing him evident shame and confusion. Freed from office duties, Philip spends the afternoon with friend Freddy Bootle at the Rose and Crown, where they dine with Lord Camberley and Captain Lennox, who inquires about Bootle's lost watch.