The Argosy — page 193: what you’re looking at

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

178 The White Witch. to protect the guilty from punishment, which had manifested itself in curlous ways, and drawn down upon her so much banter and even serlous remonstrance ; it must be the reason, too, for her fruitless endeavours to keep the girl away from Croxham, for her wish that the girl’s wayward nature should be brought under the stern control of a “sisterhood.” She must have impressed her daughter with the necessity for keeping a strong check upon herself in this quiet, orderly household ; and here was the explanation of the puzzling timidity of the girl’s manner for the first few weeks of her stay. Some secret connected with her past, Mary Dixon undoubtedly had: she saw that he was beginning to suspect it, and was now doing her best to lead him off the scent. But she should have been a little more cautious, have changed front a little more gradually. She should have understood, by this time, that a pair of brown eyes however handsome, and a low voice however sweet, do not cloud a man’s reason, in a single téte-a-téte, to the point of making him forget four weeks of indifference or dislike. She had been a little too clever, and she had charmed him a little too much. Dying of heart-disease, indeed! The moonlight was by this time shining on the panes of the Abbey windows, and he could no longer see whether there was a light in the school-room. He started as he suddenly saw a white hand draw aside the blind, and Miss Dixon’s face, on which the candle shone, appear at one of the windows. If this was not another piece of acting, she had been crying, and unbecomingly. Her eyes were red and swollen. She did not look beautiful at all; but so very, very miserable, so utterly dejected and languishing that Godfrey, in the face of his suspicions, after all his fierce indignation at her treachery, felt his heart suddenly melt as he looked at her. Pshaw! She knew he was there. Perhaps if he had been nearer to the window he might have seen what means she used to produce that effect! But as he thought this, the tears began again to fall fast down her cheeks, and Godfrey turned away, fidgeting with his moustache and half-inclined, on this poor evidence, to retract his condemning sentence on her. His attention was next attracted by a low ‘‘St—t—t”; and, turning, he saw a man’s head over the wall. It was Dick Wilding, who was looking up at the window, and who stopped her as she was retreating by a hoarse whisper : “It’s me, it’s Dick; don’t be frightened, Miss Dixon. And don’t cry; the devil’s down there, among the trees, and it'll make him happy if youcry. Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.” “Very well, Dick, I will not. I have a headache and it made me cry a little. But you should not be watching in this way ; you should not get up there at this hour. Go down. It is time for everybody to be in bed. Good-night, Dick.” She drew the blind before the window. Dick was _ heard scrambling down: and Godfrey went indoors, ‘The last vent his Eomichooks. co m