The Argosy — page 99: what you’re looking at

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

§2 The White Witch. “ Oh! Mary, for my sake !—you promised.” Whether Godfrey made any movement and it was heard, he knew not, but a hand was laid upon the handle of the door; and so swiftly that he had only time to put his back against the wall at the side and hold his breath. The door was pulled open for a moment, and some one looked out; then it was closed and locked, and Godfrey could catch no further sound. He almost felt that he was growing old with suspense. It did not last long, however. ‘The dressing-room door, further on, was heard to open, and Mary’s voice called softly in the darkness : ‘‘ Mr. Godfrey, are you there?” He was beside her in an instant. ‘‘T am sure you will want an explanation of all this.” ‘‘Ves, but not from you,” said he gently. ‘From whom then ?” she asked, in trembling words. ‘‘You know better than I—at present.” ‘But if I ask you not to—not to try to find out what is amiss?” ‘‘T must serve you against your will, in my own way.” ‘‘ Will you step inside just fora moment ? Mamma , Quick as thought he turned, as a slight sound behind him fell on his ear while she wasspeaking. He could see nothing, but he rushed down the gallery, in pursuit of what he thought was a running footfall. That the midnight intruder was in advance of him, endeavouring to effect his escape, Godfrey felt sure of. There was a stumble over something ; and then the faint light coming through the window at the end of the corridor showed Godfrey indistinctly the figure of the man. Where was he going? He dashed into the last room, the old school-room, slammed the door and turned the key. Godfrey hurled himself against the panels, but after the first shock he paused, arrested by a noise inside. It was the smash of glass, a window being broken, battered in. Thena sound of scrambling through anda fainter crash of glass outside. At the same moment Godfrey forced the door in, flew to the shattered window and looked out. But there was no further sound, and there was no one to be seen. Some panes of the greenhouse roof below him were broken, and the lower part of the window through which he was looking was a wreck. ‘The reason for this last whole- sale destruction lay in the fact that he had put in that strong nail to secure the window the night before. “One clue I shall have,” thought Godfrey as he looked out: “ The beggar must have cut himself to mincemeat. By Jove!”—as he examined more closely the hole in the greenhouse roof—“ if he really did take his boots off I may look out for a man without any feet.” He went to his room; though not to bed. The danger, still only half known, which hung over Mary, which the night’s events seemed to be drawing nearer, kept him feverishly wakeful: it was morning already, and he thought it might be as wellif hesat up. Sir William Gomicbooks (E(0) m