The Argosy — page 279: what you’re looking at

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

254 The White Witch. nod, and “ That’s just my case, isn’t it ?” when she read any sentence with special emphasis, ‘Tt isn’t right to laugh at her, because she is in earnest, Godfrey,” said she gently, one day when they were alone, ‘“What does it matter as long as I don’t let her know I’m laughing, Aunt Margaret ? I wouldn't hurt the good old thing’s feelings for the world; she’s working me a book-marker with a text about the lusts of the flesh on it, which I’m to put in every novel I read. There isn’t much in the world I can laugh at now, aunt: let her preach at me, it won’t do me any harm.” He searched the newspapers through as soon as he was able; but there was never a word upon the subject he feared tofind. The past tragedy connected with Sir William Hunt’s son found no mention in them. Mrs. Penteith had of course written to Mr. Mayne: who had sent back a long, confused account of the trouble things were in: his wife was ill in bed; his step-daughter had gone suddenly away, in defiance of his wishes, to join a Sisterhood in London; while the whole household had been thrown into a state of disorganisation and commotion through a search made by the police for some criminal who was supposed to have taken refuge in the Abbey ; fortunately, before they had proceeded far in it, they discovered their mistake, and that it was another place which ought to have been searched. Mr. Mayne continued, in a deeply injured and complaining strain, to speak of Godfrey’s inexplicable freak of taking himself off so unexpectedly and leaving no word behind him. He was of course sorry, he said, to hear of his illness, but if he would travel up to London or elsewhere before he was well, he must expect to suffer for it. Why his son should have gone, he was unable to understand ; it was thought that the visit of the police must have scared him, his mind being weakened by ill- ness and, consequently, his fears ready to be acted upon. Mr. Mayne concluded by asking, with cutting sarcasm, whether Godfrey had expected to be robbed or murdered, and that at twenty-five a boy ought to have got over being frightened by a few policemen. Mrs. Penteith felt rather indignant at this letter and its aspersions on her nephew. Godfrey had given her no explanation of his sud- den journey, but she had found out a great deal from his ravings while he was delirious. She did not press his confidence, she did not dare. He was now able to leave his room and breakfast with her in the boudoir on the same floor. She watched him one morning as he took up and opened a letter which was waiting for him on the table, directed in Elspeth’s handwriting. But his face betrayed nothing but indifference, and when he had read it he tossed it carelessly down ; then noticing his aunt’s look of interest, he passed it to her. It was from Mrs, Thornhill. “ My Dear GopFrrey,—We have just heard, by a letter from Mrs, Underwood, of the accident which happened to you the very day we Gomicbooks cor