The Argosy — page 102: what you’re looking at

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

The White Witch. 89 of her insipid society very well. And after dinner, although he was really fond of music, in more than the accepted sense of the term, he listened to a maddening ‘“‘ Mazourke de Salon” and to a brilliant March, with no outward show of irritation. Then she played, in wrong time, a Spanish Bolero, with a tinkling effect on the upper notes of the piano in imitation of castanets, which took old Mr. Mayne’s fancy. And there followed a talk about Spanish dances and Spanish beauties in which the elder gentleman upheld the cause of English loveliness warmly. “‘ Dark-eyed fiddlesticks !” said he, cutting short an expostulation from hisson, ‘‘ Just because you young fellows have seen pictures of women with high combs in their hair and lace shawls round their heads and fans in their hands, called ‘An Andalusian Lady,’ and _ because you have heard a lot about ‘ The Rose of Castile’ and ‘ Jua- nita,’ you think Spanish women must be handsomer than your own countrywomen. But it is all nonsense. The beauty lies in the lace and the fan: take those away, and you have a brown-skinned, thick- lipped woman not fit to compare with one of our everyday pretty English girls.” But Godfrey, who had never been to Spain, was hot in defence of brunette loveliness, and got quite eloquent in his praises of the grace and charm of Southern women. While they were in discussion, Mrs. Mayne quietly rang the bell for her maid, and gave some directions to her. She reappeared in a few minutes with a black lace shawl and some other things. Mrs. Mayne took them; and, beckoning Elspeth to the end of the room, she proceeded to fasten the lace most becomingly round her fair head with gold-headed pins; and then placing a big, black fan in the girl’s obedient hand, with one corner held coquettishly before the mouth, she led her forward and turned her blushing little face towards the gentlemen. Elspeth, fair as a blush-rose, smiling and shy, looked bewitching. Mr. Mayne, enraptured at this illustration of the truth of his argument, gazed at her in admiration and triumph. Godfrey stroked his fair moustache and looked at her sideways, without triumph, but with perhaps more admiration still. Mrs. Mayne glanced at him curiously and furtively. But at that moment he did not notice her. He was thinking of something else. Then Elspeth, a little confused by the attention she was exciting, put her hand up to her head to take out the pins; but Mr. Mayne would not let her take the lace off. “Come for a walk in the garden, and I will gather you a rose to complete the picture,” said he. ‘Spanish ladies are always repre- sented with a rose in their hair.” But his wife gave him a meaning look, which he understood. “Or stay,” said he, ‘“‘I am getting old for a cavalier, and I am rather afraid of the damp. Godfrey shall take my place, and pluck you the handsomest rose in the garden.” Gomicboo (E(@) m