The Argosy — page 128: what you’re looking at

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

116 Gwen. the succeeding days, till he could almost fancy that her bright home- coming and that too-delightful téte-A-téte tea-drinking had been but a wonderful dream. Her mother even noticed her reserve towards her former friend, and expostulated with her. “T don’t think you are quite kind to Mr. Dallas, Gwen,” she said on the day before the school broke up. ‘ We could not expect a man of his abilities always to remain with us as an under master, and he is evidently depressed about leaving us. I believe it was partly out of consideration for your father that he has remained on so long, and I for one, feel grateful to him.” ‘Oh! yes, of course, we all know he is a paragon of unselfishness,” exclaimed Gwen, petulantly. ‘But do you know, mother, I am afraid I am beginning to hate paragons. Don’t look so shocked, dear ; Idon’t quite hate Mr. Dallas; but I don’t feel like talking amiably about him just now.” Then, without awaiting a reply, Gwen hurried off, and snatching her garden-hat from a peg in the hall, fled to her favourite resort, a certain shrubbery walk skirting the cricket-field. Swiftly she hurried on till a rustic seat was gained, screened by a rough trellis work, over which the boys had trained a luxuriant sweet-briar bush. Here Gwen sat down in a very forlorn state of mind. Life looked very blank to her just now, in spite of the blue sky, the sweet scents, the dainty beauty of the briar blossoms, and the shouts and laughter of the boys in the field close at hand. Everybody seemed happy but herself. “The place will be deserted in a few hours, and what do they care?” said Gwen to herself, leaning back in her corner, and trying indignantly to keep back the tears that would rise in her eyes. Perhaps the said tears prevented her seeing some one approach, for as she almost angrily wiped them away, she was startled to find Mr. Dallas himself standing in the pathway in front of her retreat. “Gwen,” he exclaimed, anxiously, “what is the matter? Has anything vexed you? No clouds should cross such a sunny sky as yours. We older ones are more used to them, and can bear our burdens better.” ““My sky is anything but sunny,” replied Gwen, lifting her eyes reproachfully to his. ‘“ How can it be, when everyone is so heartless and indifferent ; going away and leaving us deserted, without any regret? Just listen to the boys’ voices, how full of triumph they are at the thought of to-morrow. I call it a horrid, ungrateful world.” And Gwen threw a glance of defiance at her tutor as she spoke. ““You can’t expect boys to be miserable at the thought of going home. Were you miserable when you came back a week ago?” asked Mr. Dallas, seating himself by Gwen’s side. “No,” replied the girl, turning away her face and plucking a piece of sweet-briar by her side ; “everything seemed bright and delightfu comicbooks.com