The Argosy — page 352: what you’re looking at

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

mmr ARGOSY. MAY, 1884. mae WHITE WICH. ee pm CHAPTER XIII. AT SIR WILLIAM HUNT'S. ATTERS of more kinds than one were making havoc of the mind of Godfrey Mayne, puzzling him nearly out of his reason. What could it have been that so terrified Mary Dixon in the parlour at the Abbey Farm ?—and in what lay the mystery con- nected with Sir William Hunt? Strolling about the garden in meditative soliloquy the day after Mary’s fright had occurred, he gave the reins to his thoughts. Had Mary’s nervous fears overcome her, had she even fancied that she saw the ghost of the dead monk—for it is well-known what absurd tricks the nerves are ready to play us at certain times and seasons—she would certainly have rushed from the room, reasoned Godfrey ; she would have cried out to himself and Nancy for pro- tection—they were not beyond hearing. Instead of that, she seemed to be herself afraid of being seen; to be hiding herself from some- body’s sight. Had she been seized with fright at suddenly seeing Dick Wilding ?—who confessed to have looked in at the window. But in that case, as with regard to the monk, she would surely have run out of the room, not have taken refuge under the cover of the side-table. The more Godfrey thought of it, the less could he make of it: and what he also deemed very strange indeed was, that Miss Dixon did not attempt to give any explanation of the source of the alarm when they were walking home together. The affair touching Sir William Hunt did not puzzle him as much. It was not impossible that Mrs. and Miss Dixon might have been acquainted with Sir William in the past, that from some cause or other they were not now friendly, and that Mrs. Mayne wished to avoid meeting him again. It was also possible—Godfrey men- tally confessed it—that his own suspicions had arisen without due VOL. XXXVII. Y Gomichoo CS (EO) m