The Argosy — page 151: what you’re looking at

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

Madge's Sacrtfice. 141 and Tom together generally set going. And the two girls, I think, if the truth must be told, each felt a certain amount of depression at the defection of their respective cavaliers. For poor Kit had been too out of heart with himself this Christmas-tide to venture much into Mary’s presence ; looking upon her, as he did, as a superior being to himself ; one whom it was almost profanation for such a good-for-nothing spendthnift to dare to approach. Tom Helston, on the other hand, had nursed his wrath against Madge for the mercenary disposal of her hair. And though sore at heart over his broken idol, had yet been barely civil to her when they " unavoidably met. Now Madge felt this much more than she could have believed possible. She had always felt a great interest in Tom, and in his successes at school and college. But she had fancied this a simular sisterly interest to that which she had taken in Kit’s triumphs at cricket and foot-ball. Nor did she guess till deprived of it how precious his friendship was to her; nor how much of her own mental growth she owed to the long holiday letters with the clever, well-read Oxonian ; nor how much the tedium of school-work was cheered by the thought of how Tom Helston would expect her to be well up in this, or to cultivate her taste for that. She knew now that she had dis- appointed him, and felt depressed with the consciousness. The twilight was creeping on, and the spiritless workers were sitting listlessly on the chimney settees, when, with a merry peal of laughter, Kit burst into the room, laden with a great branch of glistening holly thickly besprinkled with berries, and followed more quietly by Tom with a gigantic mistletoe-bough. ‘Hallo! little ones,” cried Kit, throwing down his holly, “set to work and strip off all these sprigs, while Tom and I hoist this fine fellow to the ceiling. By your leave, Miss Mary,” stooping to kiss the blushing girl, as she stood admiring the pretty white berries of the bough he had suspended. Kit was himself again, and no mistake, as full of fun and frolic as the most frolicsome could wish. And pretty Mary brightened up, and the children grew uproarious. But Madge, though happy in the changed aspect of things, felt shy and ill at ease, and uncomfortably conscious of her cropped head. While Tom, generally so full of quiet humour, and so ready to respond to Kit’s jokes, looked unwontedly grave for him, with a new expression on his kind, clever face, that Madge could not interpret. At last the mistletoe was hung, and all arrangements completed, half an hour before the time for the arrival of the guests, when Kit exclaimed : ‘¢ Now for a coze round the fire, and see who can tell the most horrible stories !”’ CORNICE OOS (GO)