The Argosy — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

4 The White Witch. playful one. ‘She would begin to worry about me; and she has enough little worries of her own—poor mamma !” Godfrey was delighted that he had had the power to win the girl back to happy lightness. But she soon made use, perhaps uncon- sciously, of her recovered spirits to wound him. He was trying to hinder her in her work; it was an antimacassar in crewels, of the usual kind. “You must let me finish this; I’ve promised it to Ernest fora birthday present.” “Indeed ! Does he mean to cover his pillow with it? Or the back of his seat in the dog-cart ? ” “He did not tell me which,” replied Mary demurely. “I was doing it for Mrs. Underwood, but he saw it, and said he should like it for himself. As his birthday was so near, I thought I would indulge bim.” Young Mr. Underwood was coming of age on the following day, and there was to be a ball at the Grange in celebration of it. Gad. frey’s face clouded. ‘“‘ He considers himself a man now, I suppose.” *‘So he is. He is the nicest man I know.” “He will be getting married next, perhaps.” A pause. “I should be sorry for the woman who trusted her happiness to such a weather- cock.” ‘‘He is not that, I assure you,” said Mary steadily, with her eyes upon her work. ‘‘I don’t say he has any deep resources of feeling or passion, or any disconcerting and uncomfortable qualities of that kind.” Godfrey winced. ‘“ But as far as I know he is not fickle. I think if he were once engaged to a girl, he is too manly and loyal not to stick to her without one faithless look, or word, or thought.” Godfrey knelt with one knee upon a chair, fidgeting with the blind. ** So you think passion and feeling clsconcerting qualities, do you, Miss Dixon?” “Yes; very.” “You have had an unfortunate experience of them, perhaps ? ” He spoke at the moment without any more settled purpose than that of entering upon a topic always fascinating when discussed with a beautiful woman. But her sensitive face contracted at once with a spasm of acute pain which was gone almost immediately. *‘' Yes, my experience has been rather unfortunate,” she said. ‘What do you think of—of love?” asked he, rather shyly, catching up a wooden knitting-pin. *‘I think it is an awful, terrible madness, to be avoided like a disease,” said she in a low voice, ‘“‘Oh,” cried he, taken aback. ‘Don’t you think people ought to fall in love at all, then ?” m Eomichbooks co