From thence he drove to his club, and
there found a number of young fellows, including Mr Barty Jarper,
all going to the Princess Theatre to see 'The Mikado'. Barty rushed
forward when Vandeloup appeared and noisily insisted he should come
with them. The men had been dining, and were exhilarated with wine,
so Vandeloup, not caring to appear at the theatre with such a noisy
lot, excused himself. Barty and his friends, therefore, went off by
themselves, and left Vandeloup alone. He picked up the evening paper
and glanced over it with a yawn, when a name caught his eye which he
had frequently noticed before.
'I say,' he said to a tall, fair young fellow who had just entered,
'who is this Meddlechip the paper is full of?'
'Don't you know?' said the other, in surprise; 'he's one of our
richest men, and very generous with his money.'
'Oh, I see! buys popularity,' replied Vandeloup, coolly; 'how is it
I've never met him?'
'He's been to China or Chile--or--something commencing with a C,'
returned the young man, vaguely; 'he only came back to Melbourne
last week; you are sure to meet him sooner or later.'
'Thanks, I'm not very anxious,' replied Vandeloup, with a yawn;
'money in my eyes does not compensate for being bored; where are you
going to-night?'
'"Mikado",' answered the other, whose name was Bellthorp; 'Jarper
asked me to go up there; he's got a box.
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