The Argosy — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

12 The White Watch. of an invalid, was not going, and Mary was to be under the particular care of Mrs. Underwood, as Mr. Mayne intended to return early. Elspeth and Matilda Thornhill were in white, and wore roses ; but it was white that just wanted the softening tint of cream, and the flowers in their hair were placed just a little too high on the one head, and a little too low on the other. In Godfrey’s eyes, the only girl whose appearance was perfect was Mary Dixon; and by some subtle instinct, the other and less fastidious men in the room seemed to think so too. She was the beauty of the evening. God- frey, who devoted assiduous and indiscriminating attention that night to all his other partners, including Elspeth, concerning whom he had certain twinges of remorse as she reproached him for not calling more frequently, was silent and stupid when his first dance with Mary came. He had not boasted without reason of his waltzing, and when they had been round the room a few times, and were resting, she looked up at him, smiling with surprise and pleasure. ‘ You waltz better than any man in the room.” “You have thought I was a muff at everything, have you not,” said he, in a low voice. But he was in a state of inward delight. He was not jealous that night of even Ernest, who of course felt him- self justified in absorbing a great deal of Miss Dixon’s attention. For whatever share of her confidence young Underwood might have, he had more. However much that boy might get of her talk and laughter, it was he, Godfrey, whose hand would help her in difficulty or dan- ger. He had plenty to say to her, but unfortunately nothing that he might say ; so when the waltz was over he led her out into the wide hall, where the lights were kept low, and flowers and leafy plants were piled up in the corners, and sat down beside her on a low soft velvet couch, and stroked his moustache and said nothing. And she did not repress him by a flow of small talk, but let him feel that he had her confidence by quietly fanning herself, without taking the trouble to entertain him. When another came to claim her hand for the next dance, Godfrey remained lounging in the hall, unwilling to break the spell that waltz had cast upon him by plodding through a dull quadrille with some wretched girl, who would expect him to talk. He could afford to be magnanimously sorry that the fellow Mary was dancing with was evidently boring her to death, as he glanced into the ball-room to catch a furtive glimpse of her. Asthe music ceased and the sets broke up, he turned back again to the hall, just as she and her partner passed out and crossed to the morning-room for an ice. Then there was a sound of wheels at the door, and a late arrival. Godfrey turned to see who it was. It was Sir William Hunt. Sir William shook hands with Godfrey as he passed him; regret- ting that Mrs. Mayne, for whom he enquired, had not been well enough to come. ‘ But I shall have the pleasure of seeing Miss Dixon at last, at any rate,” he observed, as he moved away to meet Gomilecbooks:co