The Argosy — page 368: what you’re looking at

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

The White Witc'. 339 of being the son of her favourite friend. She wished to marry neither, and she gave scant encouragement either to their love or their rivalry. Unfortunately, there was another woman at work for each ofthem. Lady Davenant, who had made Mr. Hunt’s acquaint- ance, encouraged his attentions to her step-daughter, partly because he was of good family and fortune, partly because he might put the Norfolk doctor’s son out of the girl’s head. Mrs. Lang, on the other hand, was working harder still in the cause of her own son. Young Hunt ridiculed the very idea of a nameless fellow like Lang aspiring to Miss Davenant: the young lady was far above him in all ways, he said: she was, moreover, very beautiful, and her singing was divine. Mary laughed and talked with him, and sang to him, but she was as truly indifferent to him as she was to Lang. This indifference had no effect in calming the infatuation of the younger man, or in killing the self-interest of the other. The former was hasty and headstrong, the latter stubborn and savage- tempered. Miss Davenant was made a bone of contention between them, scowls and sharp words being exchanged in cafés and other places where they met. One evening during the carnival they met at Mrs. Lang’s. Mary was there and sang to them, song after song. It may be said, sang to William Hunt especially, for it was at his request, and he hung over her enraptured. After Mary went home, things came to a climax. Words brought on blows; the young men struck one another, and went out of the house quarrelling. Growling and grumbling they proceeded along, and in one of the streets, which was an obscure one, they fell in with some noisy masks. William Hunt chose that moment to taunt Lang with his inferiority to Miss Dave- nant—a fellow, he said, whom Lady Davenant did not feel justified in admitting to her house. “Hold your false tongue,” hissed Lang. ‘‘ Miss Davenant is to be my wife.” “It is false,” said William Hunt. ** Prove that it is false,” retorted the other “I can do that at once. And I will.” “ How will you do it ?” . By going to Lady Davenant’s and asking them. It is not too ate. “Stop where you are; you shall not go,” cried Lang, savagely, between his teeth, For all answer, William Hunt turned away in the direction of Lady Davenant’s. The other put his left hand with a sinewy grip on the lad’s shoulder. ‘Let me go,” shouted Hunt, raising his voice for the first time. Until now the hot words of both had been low, so that in the noisy tumult around them they excited little attention. But the lad’s voice suddenly changed toacry. A knife had been plunged between his ribs with the careful deliberateness of a man who Gomichboo “Ss (E(@)