The Argosy — page 208: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

194 How it Happened. “If Ican. The pretty one could help much with her voice. Is she not beautiful ?” “T never saw anyone half so lovely before,” he replied, and I thought the arm upon which my hand rested trembled as he spoke. “ And Fenella,” I inquired, “do you like her? She and you seemed to be old friends.” “I used to meet her, sometimes, when I was living at Weston,” he said, absently. ‘“She is gay and merry; but when she plays she has no soul.” We had reached the College then, and he was turning away. ‘Has Frances no soul in her voice?” I asked. I thought he had not heard my question; but after a short pause a very energetic reply came wafted to me through the gloom made by the overshadowing houses : “Plenty of soul, but much need of study.” IL. It had become a settled thing that the Perrin girls were to spend every Saturday afternoon with me. We had all three taken to each other, and I did not quite: know whether I liked Frances or Fenella most. The latter I soon discovered to be an arrant coquette and flirt. She was, moreover, intolerably vain. Both the girls had already many admirers in Redchester. Much to my surprise, Fenella was more thought of and talked about than Frances. Whenever the former escaped from the Academy she was always on the qui vive, looking out for a meeting with any male being, were it even but a juvenile collegian, with whom she could get up a little flirtation. It was quite a trial to her, I am sure, that there was seldom a youth to be seen with us when she arrived ; for as Saturday was a half holiday at the College as well as at the Academy, all the scholars generally dined very early, and set out at once after dinner upon some country expedition. I took the two girls to the choir practice at six every Saturday evening, and thence accompanied them back to the school. The organist had made it his custom to escort us from the church on this latter walk. I saw very plainly that he was fast losing his heart to one of my young friends, but, I confess, I found it impossible to decide positively as to which of them was proving the attraction ; and I believe that I was not the only person who considered over this question. Fenella always spoke of Louis by the title of her “ particular friend ;” and she was continually quoting speeches to us, from his lips, which certainly, as she delivered them, appeared to have been said with a tender meaning. But then we both knew she was apt to see things as she wished them to be, rather than as they were exactly. Nevertheless, comicbooks.com