The Argosy — page 355: what you’re looking at

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326 The White Witch. abroad, at her earnest request, to obtain it. It was there we fell in with Mrs. Lang.” Lady Davenant paused. Godfrey remained silent. “She—that woman—obtained an influence over Mary that I can never understand. The girl’s love for her amounted to infatuation, her reverence for her almost to idolatry. I once reproached Mary with seeming to look upon her as an angel: she answered me that Mrs. Lang was an angel—as much of one as could exist on earth. The woman took up the cause of Mary’s public singing, urging it warmly, and inciting the girl to restlessness ; she even went so far as to go to the master who was training Mary, and informed him that the young lady would embrace a public career. All this angered me, and I strove to put a stop to Mary’s intimacy with Mrs, Lang. But she threw off all the restraints I would have imposed upon her, and preferred the companionship to my legitimate care. The woman encouraged her for her own selfish ends, wiling and caressing Mary to herruin. I then bade Mary choose between us; she did so, and chose fer.” ‘‘And this Mrs. Lang is—is the present Mrs. Mayne?” asked Godfrey. “EY e557 ** She has sweet, kindly manners,” he.observed, ‘‘ just the manners likely to attract a girl.” Especially one used to your society, he thought to himself. “Very possibly. I warned Mary against those manners; I told her they were specious and delusive. It availed not. She abandoned her home, my home, for Mrs. Lang’s: she preferred to cast in her lot with those wretched adventurers rather than remain with me; and she reaped her reward.” “In trouble, do you mean ?” ‘In trouble and shame. ‘The blow fell almost immediately.” ‘Will you not impart to me its nature?” again urged Godfrey, in a low voice full of passionate entreaty, which moved Lady Davenant as the wave does the rock. ‘‘ My father has married Mrs. Lang: surely, therefore, you may give me credit for a better motive than curiosity.” ‘‘T give you credit for the highest motives, Mr. Godfrey Mayne. But as Mary Davenant did not see fit to take you into her confidence, I consider myself bound to follow the example of her reticence.” ‘“‘T believe her to be in danger.” ‘‘She has the means of freeing herself from the danger if she chooses to use them,” said Lady Davenant, coldly ; ‘‘ but she will not : were she willing, I expect your step-mother would take care she did not. And under the circumstances, I must allow that Mary ts right.” ‘‘Why does she call herself Dixon ?” questioned Godfrey. ‘‘ Why did Mrs. Lang, if that was her true name, call herself Dixon before she married my father ?” GEomicbooks.co