The Argosy — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

6 ! The White Witch. “Miss Wilding would be glad to speak to you for a minute, Master Godfrey, if you are disengaged.” Godfrey went into the library, where he found Nancy with a small packet in her hand. ‘‘ Miss Dixon must have dropped a bracelet in our sitting-room the other evening, Master Godfrey. I don’t know how it is I didn't find it myself when dusting the room: but Mr. Cattermole picked it up to-day, and he has sent it back.” ‘And Mr. Cattermole takes the opportunity of enclosing a billet- doux to Miss Dixon, I see!” remarked Godfrey. ‘Oh, the note is to apologise for its having been trodden on: or Mr. Cattermole would never have taken the liberty to write.” ‘‘Did I understand your people to say Mr. Cattermole was a gentleman, Nancy ?” said he, with a sudden, unaccountable impulse of jealousy. ‘He can be if he likes, so I reckon he must have been brought up one; but he has fallen down considerably from it,” replied Nancy, with a smile in her eyes, for she was sharp enough to understand in a degree the question. “Why, of course he has. I remember the tobacco and the dirty newspapers. All right, Nancy, Dll give it to Miss Dixon.” ‘And if you please, I want just to speak to you about Dick,” she went on, as Godfrey was moving to the door. ‘‘I know you’ve had to complain of him before; and the other evening, when he ——’” “Oh, you must not think any more of that,” said Godfrey. ‘ And as to his having taken this wonderful fancy to Miss Dixon, I am rather glad of it. Dick thought he was defending a lady against a ruffan, or against the dead ——_” ‘But he thinks so still, I believe, Master Godfrey, and I’m begin- ning to be afraid of his doing someone a mischief,” she interrupted. ‘‘ He is not so quiet as he used to be, and these last few days I’ve had trouble with him ; and he has taken to rambling about at nights, and may frighten people. He does not mean any harm, as you know, sir: but when a notion gets into his poor head, nobody can get it out. And he has picked up a fancy since that evening when he saw her all pale and frightened and trembling, that Miss Dixon is in danger from someone; and—he takes such prejudices ———” Nancy hesitated to continue. Godfrey understood her, and laughed. ‘“ Dick thinks that ‘ some- one’ is myself, I suppose? Never mind, Nancy; the lad won’t do me any harm; I shall not be angry with him.” ‘Thank you, Master Godfrey. You're very kind; I was afraid, after his rudeness the other night, you would perhaps want him sent away again. You see, Miss Dixon has been kind to him and he worships her. Our spare room is next to your schoolroom, you know, sir; and before Mr. Cattermole came, Dick had only to get out on to the wall between the Abbey garden and the farm-yard and GEomichbooks.co