The Argosy — page 101: what you’re looking at

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84 The White Witch. ‘Where have you been ? ” said she, falteringly. “Oh, I've been making a night of it,” answered Godfrey ocr ‘T look as if I had been enjoying myself, don’t 1?” But there was anxiety in her eyes—not for him. ‘“ You ran away very suddenly from me at mamma’s dressing-room door last night, Mr. Godfrey. As if—as if you had seen a ghost too.” “So I did. Just step with me to the school-room and I will show you what the ghost has done.” She followed him into the school-room, without a word. ‘ Did you catch him ?” she asked, turning to him suddenly, after they had both looked for a few moments at the shattered window. At that moment the housemaid came in with a broom and duster. It was Friday, the day she generally cleaned the school-room. ‘‘Why, Master Godfrey!” she cried in astonishment. Then the broken window caught her eye. ‘‘ Oh, my!” she exclaimed, lifting her hands in dismay. ‘The consternation of the past night’s doings had spread to the entire household through Lydia ; and the girl stared at the ruins with the others until light came into her face. ‘Then that’s how he did it, miss!” she said. ‘“ Who? What do you mean?” returned Mary. ‘Dick Wilding, miss. We guessed it was he who had got in and caused the alarm ; just now he passed the kitchen window with his head bound up. My! what a crash he must have made!” ‘Listen, Emily,” interposed Miss Dixon: “None of you must tease the poor lad about it: he is not as you are, remember. He frightened us, but he has done more harm to himself than to anybody. Mr. Godfrey ”’—turning to him—‘I must beg of you also not to punish poor Dick.” “Don’t be alarmed. I shall certainly not try to punish—poor Dick,” replied Godftey looking at her intently. He left the room as he spoke and went back to his own. ““T do believe Mr. Godfrey’s going off his head,” observed Emily to Lydia in the course of the morning. “I’ve thought him rather queer several times lately, and the fright last night must have finished him, I found a pair of boots, all over mud, in the back-stair closet, poked behind the brooms and brushes ; first I thought they were master’s, but he said no, so then I took them to Mr. Godfrey. He angrily said they were not his, they must belong to one of the gardeners: but when I said where I found them, he clutched at ’em like mad, and told me to leave them with him,” “ He wants to confront that stupid Dick with ’em,” remarked Lydia. Godfrey went round to the farm when breakfast was over. Nancy met him at the door, looking troubled and ashamed. ‘‘Oh, Master Godfrey! I don’t know how to face you, sir,” said she, almost with tears in her eyes. ‘I told you Dick had been breaking away from me lately; but I never thought he would iene these lengths ; I did not indeed.” Eomicbooks.co