The Argosy — page 28: what you’re looking at

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

The White Witch. 13 Colonel Underwood, and tell him he had felt so moped at home that evening, he thought he would come out for an hour. Godfrey crossed the hall and entered the conservatory. Mary was sitting with her late partner, enjoying the scent of the flowers and the comparatively cool air. As Godfrey, on fire with this new anxiety, which all his efforts could scarcely hide, came up, he fancied he saw in the darkness, outside, a man’s face appear and disappear, but he was in too feverish a state to be sure of his own eyesight. Mary saw by his looks that something was wrong. As an excuse to get her away, he told her that Mr. Mayne was looking for her, wanting to know whether she was ready to go home. ‘Why no, not yet,” said she, surprised. ‘‘If he wants to go early, as he said, I am to go back with you, you know.” ‘“‘T thought perhaps you might be tired.” Then, as her late partner bowed and left them together, he threw himself into the seat beside her and said below his breath, ‘‘Sir William Hunt is here.” She turned pale, but did not move. He had just begun: ‘Let me take you home now—if you would like to go,” when voices at the door made him look up, and he saw Colonel Underwood enter with Sir William. Mary glanced at them but gave no sign; Sir William looked from Godfrey to her and evidently asked his host some question, but the young man caught the answer, which was: “Pretty ! I should think so; she is the belle of the room.” And they came forward to the window. ‘‘ That is Sir William Hunt,” said Godfrey to her in a low voice, bewildered by this apparent want of recognition, and then the colour rushed to the girl’s face. In another moment the introduction was over, and Godfrey felt sure from the baronet’s manner, more easily read than Miss Dixon’s, that he had never seen her before; and as far as he could judge he decided that she had neverseen him. He left them talking together, the old gentleman evidently much impressed by her beauty. Bewildered by this strange discovery, mad with the joyful relief it brought, Godfrey sauntered out into the garden, away from the music and the lights and the crowd, to puzzle himself afresh. Were they only very clever actors, both of them, he wondered, as he drew instinctively near to the window of the room where he had left them. He was strolling over the grass by the side of the house, among the trimly-cut yew trees with which this part of the lawn was dotted. A few yards from the window he stopped short, for among the tall rhododendrons in the bed close to the house there was some- thing moving, faintly stirring the branches. He remembered the fancy he had had when he first approached Mary and her partner in the window-seat ; and now, with little doubt that it would prove to be an unwarrantable intruder, he stepped behind a yew tree to watch. The night was dark, warm, and still, but there came a stream of light from the window of the room; and the spy, whoever it might be, EONNIE OOOKS (E©) m