The Argosy — page 204: what you’re looking at

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

The White Witch. 189 Godfrey soon cooled down in his own room. A little reflection made him feel ashamed of his rudeness. ‘“ I’m a greater fool than Dick!” was the pleasant conclusion which came to console him. Before long, he heard voices in the garden, and saw his father and step-mother, prudently hatted and shawled, taking a Darby and Joan stroll along the paths. The weather was unusually warm for September, and the absence of mist that evening had tempted them out. Mary Dixon was no doubt in the drawing-room; he would go and apologise to her. Whatever she might be, he owed her that. A faint idea had been floating in his mind that he might possibly find out from herself what her past life had been, and what the secret of it was: either by frank questioning, if he could see his way to it, or by crafty observation if he could not. The lamp stood on the table when he entered, but it had not been turned up, and Miss Dixon was sitting in the twilight by one of the windows. She just turned her head to see who had come in, and then turned it back again. He went up and halted just in front of her, handling the ornaments on the top of a small cabinet. “‘ Miss Dixon,” he began, swinging on his finger a little Dresden cup, “I don’t know what to say about the rude way in which I left the dining-room this evening. You see, your first opinion of me, that I was a bear, was perfectly well-founded. I was tired with my journey and vexed at—at other things, and lost my temper. I feel very much ashamed of myself, I assure you.” “Quite unnecessarily, Mr. Godfrey. I had no business to interfere, by so much as a look, still less an exclamation, in a matter which did not concern me. I can only excuse myself by saying that poor Dick has taken a liking for me just as unreasonable as his dislike of you ” “ Oh, no, not at all,” interrupted Godfrey, politely. ‘So that I could not bear the thought of his being sent away, and of losing the society of my friend, the idiot—the fool, you know,” she added, with a rather malicious smile. “That is ungenerous,” returned Godfrey, leaning his elbow on the cabinet, close toa Venetian glass goblet. ‘‘ You have had the discrim- ination to withhold your friendship from the worst fool about the place at any rate.” She looked at him as if she did not understand. ‘You have never made friends with me.” “I don’t think I have been intentionally frigid,” said she, with a pretty air of rather coquettish indifference. “Then it must be, that we have both played at cross-purposes with each other,” said Godfrey, forgetting animosity altogether as he watched her beautiful face looking out into the twilight. ‘Don’t you think your greeting this afternoon on my return after three weeks’ absence was rather cold, considering fs “ Considering the object of your absence ?” retorted she, with most EONNIE OOOKS (EO) m