The Argosy — page 365: what you’re looking at

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342 The White Witch. ‘Stand here and take it, then. And won’t you please answer me while you do so P” She hesitated. Her sense of fatigue was vanishing before a momentarily increasing anxiety to know what it was he had found out or suspected ; and she turned in acquiescence. They stood together at the window, looking out on the fair night scene, Godfrey with his arms folded, his head drawn up, the moon- light playing upon his fair, bright hair. Mary in her pale pink frock looked little more than a girl: a small gold locket was suspended from her neck by a thin chain, and bore her initials, M. D., in diamonds that flashed in the moonlight. She stood with her pale face bent. ‘Was it a very small thing which kept you away from Goule Park this evening ?” reiterated Godfrey. ‘A very small thing, I am afraid, to be the cause of offending so many people, and of bringing this most undeserved penance upon the head of a poor girl who had nothing to do with it,” answered she. ‘* Nothing to do with it?” ‘Why, no. How could I have? Surely you don’t think of making me responsible for mamma’s fancies about the thunderstorm ? ” ‘But I do not understand why the fancies should have come. There was really no appearance of thunder.” * Do you think not?” ‘Miss Dixon,” said he, playing a bold stroke, ‘‘ why did you avoid going to Goule Park this evening ?” . “ Avoid going! You are talking at random,” she retorted. ‘‘ What reason could I have had for not wishing to go there P” ‘ T_-don’t—know. Iwant to know. I would give my right hand to know.” He was clearly in earnest; in such terrible earnest that it was difficult to stand there beside him and face the searching gaze of his eyes, fixed keenly upon her. “ Then I think you had better ask someone more able to inform you than I am.” She made another movement to turn ; but Godfrey spoke again. “ Are you wise in treating me like this, Miss Dixon?” Her face, as it confronted his, looked rigid as stone. ‘‘ What do you mean, sir?” “ IT mean that your secret, the secret you confess to holding and to hiding, is connected with someone you would have met at Goule this evening. Unless I am greatly mistaken.” ‘Indeed! This is quite the most curious accusation I ever heard. But let us suppose, for a moment, it were true. You have not the least idea what my secret is ——” “ Are you sure?” “Quite sure. Nor does a secret necessarily imply a crime,” she Eomichbooks.co m