The Argosy — page 123: what you’re looking at

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IIo The White Witch. occurred to him, in her mother’s presence. She seemed quite to ignore him ; and he went back to the waggonette and his duty, feeling vaguely dissatisfied with himself and everybody else. Late in the afternoon he was sent to tell her that they were ready to return home. “Thank you, Mr. Godfrey,” said she, ‘‘ but the waggonette was so > dreadfully crowded in coming, owing to my unfortunate presence— you know you said so yourself—that I think I shall accept the very kind offer I have just had from ——” “You will not be cramped up this time,” he interrupted. ‘‘ My father goes back inside, Barth will be sent home, and you shall sit in front with me.” Godfrey spoke coldly: he was pulling his moustache and looking disagreeable enough to make the prospect of a téte-a-téte with him anything but inviting. ‘“‘If you fancied you heard me regret your coming, you misunderstood me; I was only sorry for the inconvenience you suffered.” ** Miss Dixon, I beg your pardon, let me speak to you for a minute,” broke in Ernest eagerly from the other side. Godfrey, with some great defects, had abundant small ones: one was a sharp sense of hearing for anything people wished to keep from him. In the lad’s excited whisper he plainly heard the words “‘ sulky brute: drives awfully badly.” The last reproach was unfortunately true, in so far as that Godfrey was a careless driver. Miss Dixon turned to him with a far sweeter smile than she had ever before given him, and said that she had accepted a seat in the dog-cart—to relieve the waggonette—with Mrs, Underwood’s approval. Godfrey hardly had the decency to wait till the end of her sentence before he raised his hat and went off, without another word, boiling and seething with rage. And the fast pace at which he rattled his party home was remarkable. A cigar in the garden, where he lounged about on his return, glancing from time to time at the road, failed to restore him to good temper. At last the dog-cart came in sight, rolling merrily along, its two occupants in front laughing, and evidently on the best of terms. When it stopped he was out of sight. But he saw Ernest drive off, looking very well satisfied with himself. ‘Conceited ape!” thought Godfrey, as he threw his cigar away. He strolled towards the window of the drawing-room, without any object ; as he drew near he heard the voice of Miss Dixon, speaking to her mother. ‘And he is only a boy; younger by a year or two than myself, and I must talk to somebody. I cannot always live shut up like a nun.” ‘Be quiet, Mary,” broke in her mother imperiously, but yet with an undisguised dread in her tones. ‘‘ You have no heart; you are a stone; your hardness frightens me. You can enjoy yourself, and flirt and dance, as if we were not in danger, pursued by : Eomichbooks.co