The Argosy — page 197: what you’re looking at

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

182 The White Witch. ‘Elspeth !” he exclaimed, with more contempt than he knew in his tone. ‘I should never tell her anything that I would not tell you.” This was the first time he had betrayed in words what Mrs. Penteith had been guessing. She had seldom visited the Abbey even during her sister’s lifetime, and she did not at all remember the Vicar’s daughters. Godfrey had told her of his engagement, and spoken in slight, vague terms of Elspeth’s pretty looks and gentle manners ; but she did not even know whether the girl was dark or fair. She thought she had discovered the cause of his trouble, and set a little trap for him later in the day, into which he fell blindly. He was dutifully walking by the side of Mrs. Penteith’s Bath-chair that afternoon when she noticed a pretty, fair-haired girl among the passers-by, and asked Godfrey if he did not admire her. “Ves. Not bad-looking ; rather washed out,” said he, indifferently. She presently drew his attention to the most admired girl in the place. ‘Too massive,” said Godfrey. Then she tried him on a fair-haired girl, with a bright colour. ‘“ Looks like a dairy-maid,” pronounced he. ‘You are difficult to please, Godfrey. What do you admire?” ‘Well, for one thing, I like a girl to move gracefully, and you haven’t pointed out one who does. One has a clumsy figure, another a stupid face. Above all, I can’t admire a woman who has not some soul in her eyes, something to make them more interesting to look into than a pair of prettily coloured beads. Rich, yet soft dark eyes are what I like.” ‘‘T think that girl down there in the white dress, the one I pointed out to you first, has lovely eyes.” ‘‘T am not sure that light eyes are ever lovely.” ‘Ah, then Elspeth has dark eyes?” Godfrey pulled himself up suddenly, and saw that he had been caught. He answered rather stiffly : “Elspeth has blue eyes, neither light nor dark.” Then, with a happy inspiration: ‘‘One chooses one’s wife for something more important than the colour of her eyes, Aunt Margaret.” “Does one?” said Mrs, Penteith drily. ‘Then one has improved a good deal since my time.” “ Aunt Madge, why are you catechising me to-day?” asked he | presently, when both had been silently watching what they could see | of the distant sea, which at Southport is generally out of sight. ‘‘ Elspeth has the prettiest blue eyes that ever were seen. I wish you could see her,” he continued, pumping up his raptures. ‘She has a dear little mouth, and dimples in her cheeks when she smiles, and . ‘‘What made you propose to her, Godfrey?” asked his aunt, not magisterially but with warm interest. “Propose! Why, what makes any man propose? I fell in love Eomichooks.¢co