The Argosy — page 376: what you’re looking at

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

The White Witch. 353 “Yes, I should,” said Godfrey ; who, too proud to disturb Miss Dixon and Ernest Underwood, had nothing to do with his time just then. ‘Tell it me.” The tale that Nancy told was this: That morning her mother sent her into the best parlour, to ask for the Cheston Chronicle, which had been lent to their lodger the previous day. He was sitting at the table painting a face, apparently sketched off then quickly and roughly. So Nancy thought, as she, not being troubled with any superfluous reticence, looked over his shoulder in passing. “ What a good likeness!” she exclaimed. “To you?” lightly replied Mr. Cattermole. ‘To me, no. To Miss Dixon.” ** Who is Miss Dixon ?” “The young lady at the Abbey.” “Oh, ah! I remember now. I’ve seen her at a distance: a quiet-looking, pale girl.” ‘You must have seen her near also,” retorted Nancy, laughing, “‘ to take that sketch of her—and to catch the bright shade on her dark hair, and the pretty colour of her brown eyes.” | “You are very clever, Miss Nancy; but I give you my word of honour this is not meant for any Miss Dixon,” returned the artist. ‘It is the likeness of a young lady I met abroad and afterwards lost sight of. I have done it from memory.” Tt zs like Miss Dixon, anyway, and wonderfully like,” concluded Nancy, as she turned away to look for the newspaper amidst Mr. Cattermole’s untidy pile of journals scattered on the side tables. After finding it, which took a few minutes, she was leaving the room, when he, who had been working quickly, spoke. ‘Is it like her now?” “Oh!” screamed out Nancy; as she looked at the sketch again. ** What a shame !”’ He had made the hair and eyebrows red, put lines to the fore- head and wrinkles to the mouth; it was a middle-aged face now, and not at all like Miss Dixon’s. “What a shame!” repeated Nancy: and the artist laughed in merriment. . This little occurrence she now repeated to Godfrey : adding that she believed he must have caught Miss Dixon’s likeness surreptitiously, but did not like to confess it. “Like his impudence !” ejaculated Godfrey, drawing himself up. Wishing Nancy good morning, and supposing young Underwood must have gone by this time, he passed through the plantation to the garden. ‘There he saw Miss Dixon and Ernest with their backs towards him, walking very slowly and talking more earnestly than ever. He approached them across the grass; and, quite uninten- tionally, heard something that Mary was saying. “That may be. But he is mean enough to have played the spy. I cannot and will not trust him.” EONNIE DOO KS (E() m