The Argosy — page 277: what you’re looking at

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

252 The White Witch. as she was herself, persuaded Godfrey to get into his comfortable bed and sat watching him and telling him rather tartly to go to sleep, as if he were a boy of five sent to bed for being naughty. The doctor came and saw Godfrey alone, and spoke with Mrs. Penteith before his departure. She went into the bed-room afterwards, and stood silently by Godfrey. “Tm all right now, Aunt Madge. I’ve been ill lately, and the long journey knocked me up. I shall be off again to-morrow,” added he, with an assumed sprightliness ; which, from the mouth of that helpless figure, with wan face and hollow eyes, was as cheering as the ghastly smile of a skeleton. As she passed her loving fingers through his hair and looked down upon him, he read in the kind grave face that she knew the truth about his condition, and that it was not favourable. He rolled his head uneasily on the pillow. “That old man has been frightening you. I shall be all right to- morrow, aunt. You don’t think I would have landed myself upon you if I had been seriously ill.” He meant to take himself off somehow, before she got up the next morning, and to go he did not yet know where. To some hotel perhaps. ** My poor boy,” she whispered gently. ‘‘ Someone has been treat- ing you badly, I fear. You never doubted my love before.” His features contracted, and then relaxed, as with a sob of terrible pain, which seemed to thrill through his whole frame, he raised his hands to her compassionate, well-loved face, and smiled up at her. ‘No no, I don’t doubt it—heaven help meif I did! Oh Aunt Margaret, my very soul seems on fire. I think the sight of your dear old face has saved me from a fit of madness. Saved me! It— it was je, you know.” His hands fell, his eyes were glittering with fever. Mrs. Penteith | saw how it was—that the trouble which beset him, of whatsoever 3 nature it might be, had been too much for his brain. His reason was temporarily gone; his speech wandered incoherently. She tried . to soothe him, but he did not know her. The only influence that had any power over him in his delirium, was that of the sour-faced Dunning, who took the high ground of Christian indignation at his impious outbursts, and held him down with strong skinny arms, while she lectured and scolded him in a | loud harsh voice, which perhaps, unconscious though he was, im- | pressed him with the feeling that he was in the reverend hands of | some energetic and muscular dignitary of the Church. At any rate, | she succeeded in quelling his tendency to violence. ‘A pretty thing to talk about in the hearing of two respectable women, and one of them your own aunt!” rebuked Dunning, upon hearing him mutter that something was as hot as a certain place. “I wonder you're not afraid of the floor opening and swallowing you up! Eomicbooks.co