madwith
disappointment
and
jealousy
,
above
all
if
her
attention
were
directed
that
way
;
and
when
her
feeling
had
reached
that
height
—
good-bye
to
Cousin
Tom
,
concluded
the
Countess
;
he
will
speak
only
to
be
repulsed
.
Thus
she
thought
,
much
musing
;
and
the
unconscious
puppets
fell
into
their
places
,
and
waited
till
she
should
pull
the
wires
to
begin
their
exhibition
.
One
point
remained
doubtful
.
Was
there
really
anything
between
Hippolyta
and
the
artist
,
and
if
so
,
how
far
had
the
attraction
gone
?
To
ascertain
this
was
of
the
last
importance
.
Too
little
would
be
as
fatal
as
too
much
.
Miss
Valence
went
about
in
the
most
beautiful
innocence
,
quiet
and
composed
,
like
one
that
had
not
a
care
in
the
world
.
When
at
Trelingham
her
bearing
towards
Rupert
was
cordial
and
friendly
,
but
disarmed
suspicion
;
and
though
the
artist
was
often
in
the
neighbourhood
of
Falside
he
never
passed
its
threshold
.
The
truth
was
that
with
Glanville
's
roaming
habits
and
Hippolyta
's
constant
ridings
unattended
at
what
hour
and
in
which
direction
she
pleased
,
these
young
lovers
could
afford
to
be
on
their
good
behaviour
at
the
Court
.
They
met
under
every
variety
of
circumstance
,
and
the
romance
of
concealment
added
not
a
little
to
their
passion
.
It
was
not
,
however
,
a
very
wicked
way
in
them
.
Colonel
Valence
had
taught
his
child
that
she
must
search
into
her
heart
,
follow
where
it
loved
,
and
not
fear
the
consequences
.
Though
no
reply
had
come
to
her
letter
,
she
knew
he
would
consent
.
He
must
have
got
beyond
the
reach
of
correspondence
,
she
fancied
;
that
was
all
.
Not
long
after
the
ball
had
been
determined
on
Miss
Valence
was
surprised
one
afternoon
to
see
the
Countess
Lutenieff
ride
up
to
Falside
,
enter
the
library
,
and
ask
her
dear
Hippolyta
for
a
cup
of
tea
.
She
was
all
smiles
and
graciousness
,
hoping
she
had
not
interrupted
the
interesting
work
in
which
Miss
Valence
was
sure
to
be
engaged
;
but
the
lovely
air
and
the
absence
of
Lady
May
,
who
was
visiting
some
distant
friends
for
some
few
days
,
had
tempted
her
to
ride
over
the
moor
for
a
tête-à-tête
,
which
she
knew
would
be
delightful
.
Hippolyta
put
away
her
books
and
papers
,
made
her
visitor
welcome
,
and
submitted
to
her
fate
.
She
was
quick
enough
to
perceive
that
Karina
had
laid
her
plan
for
an
afternoon
's
talk
,
but
on
what
subject
or
to
what
end
,
in
so
flighty
a
creature
,
it
was
impossible
to
conjecture
.
They
sat
by
the
open
window
,
which
was
a
bower
of
exquisite
creepers
,
and
looked
down
the
valley
over
green
meadows
and
cornfields
where
the
blade
was
springing
.
Hippolyta
waited
and
wondered
.
But
the
purpose
which
had
brought
Karina
still
lay
hidden
,
sharp
and
cruel
as
it
was
,
like
the
sword
of
Harmodius
wreathed
in
myrtle
.
She
touched
many
flowers
of
talk
with
her
light
wings
,
flitted
up
and
down
from
art
to
social
systems
,
from
women
to
their
dressmakers
and
the
last
new
thing
in
female
frippery
,
coming
nearer
and
nearer
to
the
point
she
had
in
view
,
sweeping
round
it
in
circles
that
ever
grew
narrower
.
She
could
be
wily
and
indirect
when
she
chose
,
although
much
of
her
ordinary
conversation
had
the
malicious
naïveté
of
a
precocious
child
's
.
And
thus
,
without
quite
knowing
how
they
came
to
it
,
Hippolyta
found
herself
discussing
Lady
May
's
opinions
on
the
subject
of
marriage
and
her
probable
destiny
.
Nothing
could
be
less
reserved
or
affected
than
the
Countess
while
speaking
of
her
cousin
.
'
And
oh
,
my
dear
,
'
she
said
,
'
I
thought
how
providential
it
was
,
the
other
day
,
that
you
gave
us
your
own
romantic
views
—
delightful
I
call
them
—
when
May
was
by
to
hear
you
.
It
will
,
it
must
,
I
am
sure
,
have
done
her
good
.
'
'
In
what
way
?
'
inquired
Hippolyta
,
languidly
.
She
did
not
want
these
sentimental
confidences
,
especially
with
the
Countess
.
'
Ah
,
you
know
,
a
word
in
season
does
so
much
good
.
You
were
warning
my
cousin
against
a
temptation
which
,
with
her
present
ways
of
looking
at
things
,
might
well
prove
too
much
for
her
.
'
'
Indeed
!
'
said
Hippolyta
.
She
would
not
encourage
the
Countess
.
'
Yes
,
indeed
,
'
answered
the
other
eagerly
;
'
no
less
than
to
make
a
real
marriage
de
convenance
where
affection
would
have
no
share
,
to
sacrifice
a
consuming
passion
to
interest
,
or
at
any
rate
to
opinion
.
You
spoke
so
beautifully
of
obeying
the
impulse
of
the
feelings
.
I
am
sure
she
agreed
with
you
.
Do
you
remember
how
little
she
seemed
surprised
by
what
were
certainly
bold
views
?
'
'
Yes
,
'
said
Hippolyta
,
feeling
uncomfortable
,
though
she
could
not
say
why
.
What
was
all
this
about
?
Had
she
any
interest
in
it
?
She
must
know
more
.
'
A
consuming
passion
,
'
she
said
after
a
pause
.
'
That
is
very
strong
language
.
And
have
you
been
told
who
is
the
object
of
Lady
May
's
devotion
,
or
is
it
a
secret
?
'
'
I
have
not
been
told
,
'
replied
Karina
;
'
but
to
me
it
is
no
secret
.
What
should
you
say
to
Mr.
Glanville
?
'
Hippolyta
's
heart
gave
a
great
leap
.
The
sword
was
out
and
had
gone
through
her
.
'
Mr
.
Glanville
?
'
she
echoed
under
her
breath
.
It
was
impossible
to
go
on
.
The
Countess
waited
,
like
some
savage
beast
that
sees
its
victim
fascinated
at
its
own
first
spring
from
the
thicket
.
But
Hippolyta
did
not
mean
to
let
her
secret
escape
.
She
took
in
her
hand
the
cup
of
tea
which
she
had
laid
down
,
and
went
on
with
an
effort
,
'
Mr
.
Glanville
,
—
I
have
nothing
to
say
to
Mr.
Glanville
.
Do
you
mean
that
Lady
May
would
accept
an
artist
?
Would
it
not
be
marrying
beneath
her
?
'
'
I
did
not
talk
of
marrying
;
I
talked
of
a
consuming
passion
.
That
is
just
the
point
.
My
cousin
,
if
she
held
your
principles
,
would
insist
on
marrying
Mr.
Glanville
,
for
she
has
been
in
love
with
him
ever
since
he
came
to
Trelingham
,
and
he
with
her
.
But
she
is
tempted
to
marry
Mr.
Davenant
,
who
stands
next
in
the
succession
to
her
father
's
title
and
estates
.
'
This
was
overwhelming
.
The
sword
now
was
rifling
her
heart
,
turning
in
the
wound
it
had
made
.
Hippolyta
was
no
woman
of
the
world
,
and
her
poor
brave
defence
was
nearly
at
an
end
.
Rupert
in
love
with
Lady
May
!
The
room
reeled
about
her
;
she
could
not
speak
;
she
was
incapable
of
thinking
.
Karina
sat
still
,
conscience-stricken
at
the
apparent
success
of
her
stratagem
,
but
yet
enjoying
its
success
.
She
had
in
her
that
mixture
of
cruelty
and
remorse
which
plays
so
strange
a
part
in
the
Russian
temperament
.
She
was
disgusted
with
herself
;
but
nothing
in
heaven
or
earth
would
have
stayed
her
hand
now
.
In
this
contest
Hippolyta
was
not
her
match
.
A
pause
of
some
moments
ensued
,
at
the
end
of
which
Miss
Valence
in
a
low
unsteady
voice
,
which
could
scarcely
be
heard
across
the
table
,
murmured
,
'
In
love
with
one
another
!
It
is
impossible
.
I
do
not
believe
it
.
'
'
No
;
I
daresay
you
are
as
much
surprised
as
I
was
when
it
first
dawned
upon
me
.
Not
that
Mr.
Glanville
is
unworthy
of
my
cousin
's
hand
;
far
from
it
,
he
would
do
honour
to
any
woman
.
'
This
was
cunningly
said
,
as
a
compliment
,
forcible
though
indirect
,
to
Hippolyta
's
own
discernment
.
'
But
,
'
the
Countess
went
on
,
'
if
you
had
seen
them
,
as
I
did
,
for
weeks
together
,
morning
after
morning
in
the
picture-gallery
,
Lady
May
talking
and
Mr.
Glanville
looking
at
her
,
you
would
have
no
doubt
on
the
subject
.
'
Karina
forgot
,
apparently
,
how
often
she
had
left
them
alone
and
departed
on
her
own
errands
.
'
Of
course
he
looked
at
her
,
'
said
Hippolyta
with
a
melancholy
smile
;
'
how
else
could
he
have
painted
her
portrait
?
'
'
Oh
,
but
there
is
looking
and
looking
.
Moreover
,
they
engaged
in
the
most
confidential
talk
,
quite
like
old
friends
.
You
know
how
charming
Mr.
Glanville
's
conversation
can
be
when
he
is
in
the
vein
.
'
Ah
,
yes
,
she
did
know
,
too
well
for
her
peace
.
It
was
a
dangerous
gift
that
sudden
vehement
inspiration
which
made
his
tongue
so
eloquent
,
his
imagination
so
vivid
and
orginal
,
after
a
long
interval
of
silence
or
depression
.
She
had
observed
that
when
Rupert
was
in
the
mood
any
listener
would
suffice
;
all
he
seemed
to
need
was
an
audience
.
The
explanation
which
he
gave
her
one
day
was
plausible
,
but
did
not
take
away
the
peril
.
He
said
that
when
a
man
has
lived
by
himself
as
much
as
he
had
done
in
former
years
,
the
necessity
for
speech
becomes
from
time
to
time
imperious
,
and
it
matters
not
whose
is
the
open
ear
into
which
it
is
poured
.
He
had
a
whole
chapter
of
curious
illustrations
to
the
point
,
adding
merely
that
he
still
found
himself
holding
forth
to
an
audience
of
one
without
minding
whether
his
silent
vis-à-vis
were
taking
in
every
word
he
said
or
falling
asleep
open-mouthed
under
its
influence
.
But
she
was
convinced
that
when
he
chose
to
speak
his
audience
would
not
slumber
.
Lady
May
had
been
charmed
;
yes
,
why
should
she
not
?
Before
Karina
spoke
that
idea
had
crossed
her
mind
.
But
had
Rupert
been
charmed
in
turn
?
How
was
she
to
find
out
?
what
was
she
to
think
?
Could
she
ask
this
chattering
,
frivolous
,
mocking
lady
,
who
cared
little
what
game
her
shafts
brought
down
?
But
there
was
no
need
to
ask
.
Karina
went
on
with
her
story
,
founded
on
fact
as
we
know
,
but
embellished
and
exaggerated
until
it
seemed
that
Rupert
might
have
been
kneeling
at
Lady
May
's
feet
,
in
the
guise
of
a
troubadour
,
imploring
her
to
have
pity
on
a
desponding
lover
.
Hippolyta
could
say
little
in
reply
,
nor
dared
to
utter
that
little
.
If
she
spoke
,
she
was
betrayed
.
Her
utmost
effort
only
succeeded
in
casting
a
doubt
on
Karina
's
powers
of
observation
.
But
the
Countess
was
not
to
be
shaken
.
'
Rely
upon
it
,
my
dear
Hippolyta
,
'
she
said
,
'
Lady
May
is
devotedly
attached
to
Mr.
Glanville
,
and
he
was
not
unwilling
to
accept
the
incense
she
offered
.
Three
months
ago
I
should
have
said
he
was
in
love
with
her
;
and
I
still
think
it
,
although
naturally
the
opportunities
for
its
display
are
neither
so
frequent
nor
so
favourable
as
they
were
.
You
,
of
course
,
may
have
surer
grounds
to
go
upon
.
'
'
What
do
you
mean
?
'
said
Hippolyta
,
resolved
to
withstand
this
prying
.
'
You
do
not
suppose
Lady
May
would
give
me
a
confidence
which
she
seems
not
to
have
bestowed
on
you
.
'
She
spoke
hotly
and
angrily
.
'
Now
,
my
dear
,
'
answered
the
Countess
,
'
you
will
frighten
me
if
you
look
like
that
.
I
mean
no
harm
.
But
you
are
such
a
friend
of
Mr.
Glanville
's
,
since
the
day
you
gave
him
shelter
,
that
I
fancied
he
might
have
spoken
to
you
of
his
longings
,
aspirations
,
and
so
forth
.
'
'
He
has
never
said
a
word
to
me
about
Lady
May
,
'
answered
Hippolyta
,
still
angry
and
miserable
.
'
Why
should
he
come
to
me
about
her
?
'
'
Why
,
indeed
?
But
men
like
to
take
advice
sometimes
from
a
woman
they
can
trust
.
However
,
all
this
is
wide
of
the
mark
.
It
is
curious
how
one
topic
leads
to
a
hundred
.
For
,
you
see
,
we
began
by
saying
what
an
excellent
thing
it
would
be
if
your
principles
could
become
those
of
Lady
May
.
She
ought
to
marry
Mr.
Glanville
—
'
'
She
ought
to
do
nothing
of
the
kind
,
'
said
Hippolyta
,
irritated
into
expressing
more
than
was
prudent
.
'
Let
her
marry
her
cousin
,
according
to
the
custom
of
her
class
,
and
her
own
convictions
of
duty
.
'
'
What
?
'
said
the
Countess
,
delighted
to
see
the
flame
spreading
and
glowing
so
warm
;
'
surely
you
are
inconsistent
,
Miss
Valence
.
Would
you
not
have
her
marry
the
man
she
loves
?
'
'
Not
if
he
does
not
love
her
.
'
'
But
he
does
,
I
can
assure
you
.
Mr.
Glanville
has
peculiar
ways
,
like
all
his
tribe
.
Nevertheless
,
observe
them
during
the
next
few
weeks
when
they
are
together
,
and
you
will
be
as
convinced
of
it
as
I
am
.
Dear
,
dear
,
'
she
said
,
rising
at
the
last
words
,
'
how
quickly
the
afternoon
passes
with
a
friend
,
especially
one
whose
conversation
is
so
engrossing
!
And
the
days
are
still
short
.
Good-bye
,
my
dear
.
Pray
do
n't
stir
;
I
see
you
have
much
to
do
,
if
those
piles
of
correspondence
on
the
table
are
yours
.
May
comes
back
the
day
after
to-morrow
,
and
you
will
be
wanted
,
you
know
,
to
choose
your
Arthurian
costume
.
Good
-bye
!
'
She
went
off
with
a
light
step
and
a
smile
of
triumph
.
Miss
Valence
would
do
her
part
.
There
was
affection
or
ambition
on
her
side
,
sufficient
to
make
her
an
excellent
rival
—
a
Fair
Rosamund
to
Lady
May
's
Eleanor
.
The
scheme
promised
admirably
,
and
she
sang
little
snatches
of
Russian
or
French
ballads
as
she
cantered
along
.
Whether
Hippolyta
had
been
deeply
wounded
and
might
bleed
to
death
she
did
not
consider
,
nor
did
she
care
.
She
was
fond
of
Miss
Valence
,
in
that
selfish
way
which
people
have
who
like
to
see
beautiful
things
about
them
;
fond
as
she
might
have
been
of
a
lovely
flower
,
or
an
Arab
steed
.
But
she
had
only
one
strong
human
feeling
,
and
that
was
for
no
woman
.
She
did
mean
to
marry
her
cousin
;
and
she
would
have
immolated
a
thousand
Hippolytas
in
one
holocaust
rather
than
give
him
up
.
I
will
not
say
that
she
had
roused
the
demon
of
jealousy
in
a
heart
so
innocent
,
so
little
accustomed
to
seek
itself
or
to
indulge
in
malice
and
evil
thoughts
,
as
that
of
Hippolyta
.
So
great
a
revolution
was
not
to
be
accomplished
in
a
day
.
But
she
had
awakened
her
victim
from
a
dream
of
childlike
happiness
,
and
,
suddenly
strking
into
the
chords
of
her
enchanted
harp
,
had
turned
the
music
to
harsh
discords
which
went
on
sounding
and
jangling
and
would
not
be
still
.
Colonel
Valence
had
left
his
daughter
without
the
usual
safeguards
of
conventional
religious
training
,
and
she
had
moved
among
the
strange
men
and
women
that
made
her
world
,
free
as
the
weakest
or
the
strongest
of
them
,
familiar
with
much
more
than
the
name
of
sin
and
moral
degradation
.
For
she
had
witnessed
something
of
the
misery
upon
which
her
father
's
damning
argument
against
the
society
of
to-day
was
founded
.
But
,
truly
,
as
she
declared
to
Lady
May
,
her
days
had
been
spent
without
harm
.
She
harboured
no
unbecoming
thoughts
;
she
was
fearless
and
free
;
nor
,
until
Rupert
fixed
his
eyes
upon
her
,
had
she
known
what
it
was
to
care
for
any
man
save
her
father
.
The
power
of
first
love
is
proverbially
intense
;
and
when
it
comes
at
once
,
without
warning
,
to
a
heart
so
large
as
Hippolyta
's
,
and
hitherto
so
self-contained
,
it
has
a
depth
of
sacred
purity
,
of
kindling
fire
.
Had
she
spoken
of
a
consuming
passion
she
would
have
been
better
justified
than
the
Countess
,
who
employed
such
words
because
they
sounded
romantic
and
startling
,
not
for
any
well-assured
knowledge
that
they
were
true
of
Lady
May
.
The
Spanish
temperament
,
the
unfettered
life
,
the
enthusiasm
for
things
demanding
sacrifice
,
the
glamour
of
a
devotion
,
sincere
and
expressive
,
on
Rupert
's
side
,
must
all
be
remembered
,
if
we
would
calculate
what
elements
there
were
for
jealousy
,
watchfulness
,
and
a
perplexed
yet
irresistible
love
in
Hippolyta
.
She
did
not
doubt
the
man
who
had
breathed
out
his
soul
in
passionate
utterances
before
her
.
Perish
the
thought
,
she
cried
,
when
it
rose
from
the
deeps
of
her
anguish
like
a
phantom
and
threatened
to
eclipse
the
light
of
heaven
.
She
knew
that
he
was
loyal
;
but
was
there
full
security
from
the
past
,
or
had
he
so
entangled
himself
in
its
consequences
that
he
might
not
hope
to
be
free
?
Most
men
had
such
a
past
;
her
books
told
her
so
,
and
she
could
bear
to
think
of
it
with
an
equal
mind
,
if
the
curtain
which
had
fallen
over
it
for
Rupert
was
never
to
be
raised
again
.
But
how
,
if
Lady
May
interposed
,
if
a
claim
there
really
was
,
or
an
old
love
with
which
to
be
off
ere
he
could
be
on
with
the
new
?
Hippolyta
was
devoted
,
but
she
was
likewise
proud
and
generous
.
She
would
not
be
Lady
May
's
rival
should
it
appear
that
Rupert
,
in
whatever
fashion
,
had
given
her
a
promise
,
or
that
his
affection
was
divided
.
As
she
came
to
this
resolution
her
heart
sickened
within
her
.
She
sat
motionless
,
where
the
Countess
had
left
her
by
the
window
,
gazing
with
fixed
and
meditative
eyes
over
the
valley
till
the
moon
rose
up
in
the
cloudy
sky
,
her
hands
clasped
on
her
knees
,
while
she
thought
and
thought
,
and
the
slow
tears
began
to
well
up
from
within
and
form
on
the
tender
eyelashes
.
She
did
not
know
where
to
look
for
help
.
A
Christian
maiden
,
she
said
half-unconsciously
,
would
have
prayed
for
guidance
,
—
whatever
prayer
was
.
But
she
could
only
resolve
to
be
true
and
trusting
,
impartial
to
Lady
May
as
to
Rupert
,
and
not
unjust
.
It
was
a
heavy
burden
for
young
shoulders
,
and
the
tears
that
fell
at
last
were
exceedingly
bitter
.
Her
resolution
,
all
this
notwithstanding
,
held
firm
.
She
must
ascertain
the
state
of
the
case
,
and
by
that
be
guided
.
Until
this
afternoon
she
had
given
no
assurance
of
attending
the
dress
ball
,
which
was
a
kind
of
entertainment
alien
from
her
feelings
and
characteristic
of
that
social
or
aristocratic
existence
with
which
she
could
have
so
little
in
common
.
Rupert
's
pleadings
even
had
not
overcome
her
dislike
to
it
;
and
the
Countess
,
for
all
her
zeal
in
the
good
cause
,
was
obliged
to
be
content
with
a
very
conditional
acceptance
.
Now
,
however
,
she
would
take
the
rôle
offered
her
and
appear
among
the
rest
.
Their
frequent
meetings
,
if
she
studied
them
with
her
eyes
open
,
must
surely
betray
the
relation
in
which
Rupert
stood
to
Lord
Trelingham
's
daughter
.
And
if
when
the
birthnight
festivities
were
come
her
mind
was
not
clear
,
she
would
ask
Glanville
the
question
,
cost
what
struggling
and
shame
it
might
.
False
,
no
,
he
was
not
false
.
It
was
easy
for
a
man
to
be
imprudent
,
but
impossible
that
Rupert
did
not
mean
every
word
he
had
whispered
in
her
ear
.
Great
as
was
her
trouble
,
so
new
and
unexpected
that
it
quite
overcame
her
for
days
together
,
it
left
in
the
depths
of
her
being
an
assured
trust
that
love
had
answered
love
between
them
twain
.
As
soon
as
she
dared
,
that
is
to
say
when
her
self-control
was
somewhat
restored
,
she
went
over
to
Trelingham
.
Lady
May
had
come
back
,
bringing
with
her
Mrs.
Davenant
,
the
well-known
fashionable
personage
who
called
Tom
her
son
,
and
expected
from
him
a
son
's
devotion
,
though
she
could
not
give
up
the
world
so
far
as
to
make
Foxholme
the
pleasant
place
it
should
have
proved
to
that
amiable
young
man
.
She
and
Lord
Trelingham
,
though
of
course
very
old
acquaintance
,
had
never
got
beyond
the
first
stage
of
intimacy
,
while
Lady
May
,
to
whom
the
frivolities
of
fashion
were
odious
,
was
merely
civil
to
her
and
did
not
see
her
more
than
twice
in
a
season
.
She
had
come
now
to
preside
over
the
arrangements
for
keeping
Tom
's
birthday
and
issue
the
much-coveted
invitations
which
were
to
gather
a
numerous
party
at
Trelingham
.
She
,
also
,
was
asking
herself
whether
her
son
had
serious
thoughts
of
marrying
his
cousin
;
and
it
was
part
of
her
endeavouring
just
now
to
find
out
the
way
he
had
spent
these
months
in
the
country
,
with
Lady
May
on
the
one
side
and
Madame
de
Lutenieff
on
the
other
.
For
though
Tom
was
an
affectionate
son
he
wrote
seldom
,
and
there
was
that
in
Mrs.
Davenant
's
character
which
forbade
him
to
let
her
see
into
his
heart
.
There
could
be
no
real
confidence
between
persons
so
unlike
,
however
attached
they
might
be
to
one
another
.
Tom
felt
more
comfortable
at
Trelingham
than
he
had
ever
been
under
his
own
roof
.
He
loved
his
guardian
,
the
Earl
,
with
a
simple
but
earnest
devotion
,
which
had
increased
as
the
boy
grew
to
man
's
estate
;
and
he
looked
forward
to
being
perfectly
happy
with
him
and
Lady
May
,
if
the
latter
would
consent
to
be
his
wife
.
He
knew
she
was
infinitely
beyond
him
in
cleverness
and
knowledge
of
the
world
;
but
,
if
anything
,
he
was
attracted
rather
than
repelled
by
that
circumstance
.
A
stupid
man
,
he
argued
,
ought
to
have
a
clever
wife
who
would
keep
him
from
blundering
.
He
did
not
think
himself
unequal
to
the
duties
of
a
country
gentleman
;
but
,
should
he
become
Earl
of
Trelingham
,
there
would
be
Parliament
and
the
burden
of
society
,
and
who
could
help
him
so
well
as
Lady
May
?
That
he
would
succeed
his
cousin
if
he
outlived
him
was
as
certain
as
anything
in
this
world
.
Lord
Trelingham
had
assured
him
of
it
in
so
many
words
.
It
was
a
piece
of
eccentric
generosity
,
perhaps
of
unnecessary
frankness
.
But
he
had
acted
towards
Tom
Davenant
during
the
last
five
or
six
years
as
he
would
have
acted
towards
his
own
son
;
and
it
was
in
keeping
with
the
rest
of
his
conduct
to
give
up
Trelingham
Court
to
the
festivities
which
must
otherwise
have
taken
place
at
Foxholme
.
The
house
party
would
be
numerous
,
and
was
already
gathering
when
Hippolyta
called
after
her
sad
visit
from
the
Countess
.
She
went
through
her
introduction
to
Mrs.
Davenant
without
flinching
,
but
was
glad
to
escape
into
the
Great
Hall
,
where
a
kind
of
rehearsal
for
the
tableaux
was
in
course
of
arrangement
.
Rupert
,
who
had
not
been
able
to
go
near
Falside
for
several
days
,
came
to
her
as
soon
as
she
had
exchanged
a
word
with
Lady
May
,
and
was
so
struck
on
observing
her
paleness
and
the
dark
rings
round
her
eyes
that
he
could
think
of
nothing
else
.
He
drew
her
away
,
under
pretence
of
showing
her
the
dresses
from
which
she
was
to
choose
,
and
in
low
passionate
undertones
implored
her
to
tell
him
what
was
the
matter
.
She
could
not
mistake
the
feeling
in
his
voice
;
it
was
that
of
the
most
devoted
love
.
Her
spirits
revived
;
and
,
though
she
put
him
off
with
unmeaning
answers
,
there
was
enough
to
cheer
him
in
her
assurance
that
she
should
soon
be
well
.
He
looked
at
her
with
tender
anxiety
;
he
saw
that
something
must
have
happened
.
But
she
had
secrets
which
it
did
not
become
him
to
pry
into
;
her
troubles
might
be
connected
with
Colonel
Valence
's
numerous
projects
,
and
were
not
to
be
removed
even
by
a
lover
's
assiduity
.
However
,
he
would
not
quit
her
side
till
she
insisted
on
it
;
and
his
frequent
glances
towards
her
revealed
a
preoccupation
which
the
Countess
was
delighted
to
behold
,
and
which
,
in
her
careless
infantine
way
,
she
pointed
out
to
her
cousin
.
Lady
May
was
in
her
most
difficult
mood
,
irritated
by
the
presence
of
Mrs.
Davenant
at
Trelingham
,
dissatisfied
with
Rupert
,
and
not
at
peace
in
her
own
mind
.
She
had
not
conceived
any
great
affection
for
Hippolyta
;
but
now
,
under
the
Countess
's
malicious
guidance
,
she
saw
,
or
thought
she
saw
,
enough
to
justify
dislike
and
suspicion
.
Was
Glanville
bestowing
elsewhere
the
love
she
had
striven
so
desperately
to
win
?
It
made
her
wretched
when
Miss
Valence
came
near
him
,
when
he
spoke
to
her
in
seeming
confidence
,
when
he
showed
how
she
must
wear
the
elfin
array
in
which
he
proposed
to
deck
the
Queen
of
Fairyland
,
as
he
smilingly
called
her
.
She
was
to
be
the
Lady
of
the
Lake
.
All
this
reacted
,
according
to
Karina
's
deep-laid
plan
,
on
the
feelings
of
Hippolyta
.
She
,
too
,
was
made
wretched
;
for
Lady
May
,
resolved
on
having
her
will
,
found
means
to
engage
Rupert
's
attention
,
and
gave
him
so
many
commissions
,
had
such
a
variety
of
questions
to
ask
and
possibilities
to
provide
for
,
that
the
lovers
,
after
their
first
greeting
,
met
again
only
for
an
instant
that
afternoon
.
Time
was
when
,
if
any
one
had
charged
May
Davenant
with
being
an
adept
in
the
arts
of
jealousy
,
she
would
have
turned
a
scornful
eye
upon
the
speaker
and
bade
him
begone
with
a
proud
consciousness
of
her
innocence
.
Nor
am
I
saying
now
that
she
was
mean
or
malevolent
;
she
was
passionate
and
had
forgotten
herself
,
that
was
all
.
But
was
it
not
a
sad
falling
away
on
the
part
of
that
lofty
spirit
?
Hippolyta
,
struck
through
with
Karina
's
fiery
shaft
,
suffered
and
was
helpless
.
She
had
no
arts
to
counteract
the
imperious
charm
of
the
Earl
's
daughter
;
and
when
she
beheld
Rupert
's
embarrassment
,
how
he
resisted
in
vain
,
nor
would
look
steadily
in
the
face
of
Lady
May
,
she
began
to
fear
that
an
entanglement
really
existed
,
and
went
home
more
miserable
than
she
came
.
Certainly
,
she
might
have
demanded
an
explanation
from
Rupert
,
and
one
word
would
have
sufficed
to
scatter
the
clouds
in
her
heaven
.
But
it
was
not
the
time
;
she
dreaded
an
explosion
which
must
have
blasted
all
her
hopes
,
or
sent
him
from
Trelingham
at
this
unseasonable
moment
.
The
play
was
to
be
played
out
.
She
took
her
part
bravely
;
but
as
the
days
went
on
she
became
more
and
more
resolute
in
the
thoughts
which
had
begun
to
ferment
within
her
.
That
afternoon
was
a
sample
of
those
which
followed
.
Rupert
,
engaged
from
morning
till
night
,
and
often
in
Lady
May
's
company
,
had
less
time
than
usual
to
spend
with
Hippolyta
,
and
none
to
mark
that
her
dejection
was
profound
and
her
paleness
increasing
.
To
mark
,
I
say
;
for
he
felt
that
there
was
a
vague
misunderstanding
between
them
,
which
he
meant
,
as
soon
as
the
festival
would
let
him
,
to
have
thoroughly
cleared
up
.
Lady
May
,
however
,
was
his
greatest
trial
.
The
intimacy
that
had
so
happily
fallen
through
seemed
reviving
again
,
and
with
it
a
sense
of
the
magnetic
danger
,
so
to
speak
,
which
had
compassed
him
round
about
in
the
picture-gallery
.
When
Hippolyta
was
present
he
felt
it
less
;
but
then
another
peril
awaited
him
,
for
he
did
not
choose
that
his
old
sin
should
be
ever
staring
him
in
the
face
,
and
yet
it
did
.
Certain
confidential
allusions
,
slight
yet
speaking
glances
which
might
signify
nothing
in
Lady
May
,
but
were
embarrassing
to
him
,
and
a
demeanour
in
which
friendliness
might
have
the
greater
share
,
yet
love
not
be
wholly
wanting
,
—
he
could
no
more
define
these
things
to
himself
than
he
could
photograph
the
wind
,
but
he
knew
that
it
was
not
imagination
which
led
him
to
fear
them
as
the
harbingers
of
catastrophe
.
What
if
Hippolyta
should
notice
them
too
?
He
anathematised
the
folly
of
six
months
ago
,
his
weakness
when
he
ought
to
have
been
proof
against
this
contagious
sentiment
.
He
would
certainly
at
the
very
earliest
quit
Trelingham
under
one
pretext
or
another
,
and
put
a
solid
interval
of
time
between
the
painting
of
the
Madonna
with
its
mischievous
associations
and
the
work
he
had
yet
to
do
.
There
must
be
an
end
of
this
phantasmal
coquetry
,
this
mock
sun
of
love
which
shone
over
against
the
true
,
and
perplexed
observers
.
He
little
knew
the
forces
against
which
he
was
contending
.
And
so
,
amid
fears
and
hopes
and
the
strong
resolutions
of
those
upon
whom
fortune
had
laid
the
burden
of
a
deadly
struggle
,
Tom
Davenant
's
birthday
came
.
The
house
was
full
of
guests
;
the
Chase
was
thrown
open
,
and
the
solemn
early
dinner
appointed
at
which
the
Earl
's
tenantry
were
to
hear
their
future
lord
deliver
his
maiden
speech
.
The
bright
spring
weather
,
dashed
with
a
shower
of
rain
,
was
all
that
could
be
wished
;
and
if
I
do
not
dwell
upon
the
events
of
the
day
,
it
is
not
because
they
deserved
no
sacred
poet
,
but
that
one
who
knew
how
to
adorn
his
grateful
task
with
flowers
of
rhetoric
to
which
I
may
not
pretend
,
has
already
written
of
them
in
the
County
Chronicle
,
to
the
files
of
which
I
refer
inquiring
friends
.
For
I
must
hasten
to
the
evening
,
when
a
more
select
,
but
hardly
less
numerous
,
company
was
assembled
in
the
Great
Hall
,
and
the
tableaux
vivants
were
beginning
.
Hippolyta
,
who
had
accepted
Madame
de
Lutenieff
as
her
chaperon
in
default
of
another
,
descended
from
her
room
with
beating
heart
,
and
was
glad
to
find
herself
only
just
in
time
for
her
share
in
the
representations
.
The
Countess
led
her
at
once
to
the
sort
of
green-room
where
the
members
of
the
first
group
were
putting
themselves
in
order
.
A
stage
had
been
erected
at
the
end
of
the
Great
Hall
,
opposite
the
chief
entrance
.
In
front
of
it
hung
the
ample
folds
of
a
curtain
which
was
to
draw
up
to
the
sound
of
music
,
when
the
tableau
was
arranged
and
the
signal
given
.
The
scenes
were
to
be
presented
at
intervals
,
and
to
last
only
so
long
as
might
be
required
to
take
in
their
meaning
and
to
distinguish
the
characters
which
made
them
up
,
for
anything
like
a
sensible
interruption
of
the
dancing
was
not
proposed
,
and
would
have
been
received
with
scant
favour
.
Rupert
had
advised
that
the
grouping
should
follow
the
order
of
his
frescoes
,
including
some
which
were
only
among
his
drawings
,
but
not
as
yet
visible
on
the
walls
.
Thus
it
began
with
the
Finding
of
Arthur
,
when
,
in
the
great
temple
,
he
draws
out
of
the
stone
the
miraculous
sword
which
has
resisted
the
efforts
of
all
pretenders
to
the
crown
of
Britain
.
Tom
Davenant
,
with
his
exquisite
beauty
of
face
and
manly
form
,
was
the
very
model
of
a
young
hero
,
and
not
unnaturally
had
been
compelled
,
against
his
will
,
to
put
on
the
trappings
of
Arthur
.
A
crowd
of
knights
occupied
the
foreground
,
behind
them
rose
the
dim
pillars
and
vast
recesses
of
a
rude
cathedral
,
and
near
the
semblance
of
an
altar
stood
Hippolyta
,
the
Lady
of
the
Lake
,
who
was
Arthur
's
fairy
godmother
,
in
converse
with
the
mysterious
enchanted
Merlin
.
When
they
were
all
in
their
places
a
silver
bell
rang
,
and
the
curtain
drew
up
.
It
was
a
striking
scene
and
called
forth
instant
applause
,
which
was
hushed
when
the
orchestra
,
composed
of
harps
and
flutes
,
began
above
the
great
entrance
a
shrill
weird
music
to
celebrate
the
coming
of
the
King
.
It
was
Lady
May
who
had
devised
this
wild
welcome
,
so
unlike
the
harmonies
of
the
modern
muse
,
but
for
that
reason
symbolic
of
far-off
ages
when
the
appeal
was
to
elementary
passions
rather
than
to
a
complex
temperament
like
ours
of
to-day
.
The
effect
was
strange
but
overpowering
.
While
it
lasted
,
Hippolyta
,
who
had
not
ventured
to
lift
her
eyes
at
the
beginning
,
looked
up
and
saw
the
vast
spaces
before
her
filled
with
a
motley
crowd
,
in
all
manner
of
fantastic
and
glittering
attire
,
while
a
flood
of
golden
light
fell
upon
them
from
the
sides
of
the
hall
,
where
Rupert
's
grandly-conceived
frescoes
,
marking
out
the
whole
extent
they
were
by
and
by
to
cover
,
added
an
air
of
indescribable
solemnity
and
antique
grandeur
to
the
vision
.
Never
in
her
life
had
she
beheld
anything
so
beautiful
.
It
dazzled
and
excited
her
;
it
gave
her
a
larger
sense
of
existence
,
palpitating
with
joy
and
passion
.
She
could
have
been
content
,
she
thought
,
to
gaze
at
it
without
going
nearer
.
But
in
a
few
moments
the
music
ceased
,
the
curtain
fell
,
and
the
Arthurian
group
,
disappearing
through
the
side-scene
,
was
lost
in
the
crowd
below
.
She
gave
herself
into
the
hands
of
the
Countess
and
followed
.
The
ball
began
;
and
Hippolyta
,
with
mingled
pleasure
and
dismay
,
found
herself
dancing
with
Rupert
,
who
had
instantly
claimed
her
hand
.
What
she
saw
and
experienced
that
evening
,
thanks
to
the
novelty
of
her
sensations
,
the
secluded
life
she
had
led
,
the
love
which
was
filling
heart
and
brain
,
the
trouble
of
an
uncertain
future
,
and
her
joy
in
Rupert
's
triumph
,
it
is
not
easy
to
describe
.
It
was
a
whirl
of
excitement
when
time
seemed
short
as
a
lightining
flash
,
yet
every
moment
eternal
.
The
pauses
in
the
dance
,
the
bursts
of
barbaric
music
coming
between
,
the
delicate
strange
colours
which
had
been
so
subtly
combined
in
the
grouping
,
the
gleam
of
saffron
and
gold
,
of
shining
battle-axe
and
linked
armour
of
steel
,
the
perfume
of
tropical
flowers
which
hung
upon
the
atmosphere
and
penetrated
her
being
,
the
steady
blaze
of
light
overhead
,
the
sparkling
of
precious
stones
and
waving
of
feathers
and
soft
dark
jets
of
velvet
sheen
,
the
sound
of
bubbling
fountains
in
the
conservatories
which
opened
out
of
the
ballroom
into
the
garden
beyond
,
—
all
this
was
mingled
with
laughing
voices
,
with
the
play
of
outspread
fans
,
and
the
movement
of
a
multitude
in
whose
eyes
the
light
and
the
passion
seemed
to
be
reflected
and
to
shine
out
again
more
intensely
.
It
was
a
sea
of
life
on
whose
waves
,
to
the
sound
of
enchanting
music
,
she
floated
along
.
Sometimes
Rupert
held
her
hand
,
sometimes
another
whom
she
had
never
seen
,
to
whom
she
spoke
in
dreamy
whispers
,
not
knowing
what
had
been
said
to
her
.
Out
of
the
crowd
a
face
surged
up
and
gazed
across
inquiringly
,
as
though
seeking
an
answer
in
her
eyes
;
but
it
was
gone
ere
she
could
catch
her
breath
and
murmur
,
'
That
was
Lady
May
;
what
does
she
desire
of
me
?
'
Or
again
,
it
was
the
Countess
,
smiling
cold
,
inquisitive
,
mocking
,
as
her
voice
floated
over
her
shoulder
and
bade
her
rest
a
while
in
the
shade
of
the
cool
ferns
.
And
Rupert
,
where
was
he
?
She
looked
round
in
a
vague
,
sweet
trouble
,
and
saw
him
leading
out
Lady
May
,
whose
earnest
eyes
seemed
full
of
a
steady
fire
.
Could
she
not
warn
him
,
not
rescue
him
from
the
danger
?
No
,
he
was
a
thousand
leagues
away
,
and
her
hand
could
never
reach
him
.
As
these
thoughts
came
to
darken
the
festival
her
heart
beat
faster
with
a
sense
of
unspeakable
love
and
pity
.
She
felt
that
Rupert
was
all
the
world
to
her
,
that
she
could
not
live
except
in
the
sunshine
of
his
presence
,
that
to
surrender
him
would
be
death
.
But
her
meditations
were
again
and
again
interrupted
as
one
after
the
other
of
these
brilliant
masqueraders
came
up
to
solicit
the
honour
of
dancing
with
her
.
Hippolyta
was
so
wrapt
in
her
passionate
griefs
and
longings
that
she
did
not
realise
the
impression
she
was
making
in
that
unknown
realm
,
where
faces
,
voices
,
manners
,
were
all
novel
and
strange
.
Miss
Valence
's
name
was
whispered
from
mouth
to
mouth
;
her
father
's
story
,
so
much
of
it
as
the
public
knew
,
was
rehearsed
again
.
Some
,
who
had
heard
only
of
the
marriage
with
Lady
Alice
,
imagined
that
this
was
a
niece
of
Lord
Trelingham
,
now
publicly
adopted
by
him
;
and
they
wondered
whether
Tom
Davenant
would
select
her
or
Lady
May
for
his
bride
.
Others
felt
her
beauty
enhanced
by
the
uncertain
tales
of
her
origin
,
for
no
one
in
that
country-side
had
ever
set
eyes
on
her
mother
or
could
tell
who
she
was
.
And
the
young
men
declared
with
enthusiasm
that
they
had
never
seen
such
dancing
.
It
was
the
perfection
of
unconscious
grace
,
without
effort
or
affectation
;
the
true
Spanish
gravity
with
a
world
of
passion
in
it
;
the
movements
,
slow
or
swift
,
as
the
music
demanded
,
always
under
control
,
not
wild
,
but
exquisitely
self-contained
.
That
evening
Hippolyta
and
the
lady
of
the
lake
melted
into
one
lovely
lissom
figure
,
clad
in
a
floating
vestment
of
dark
fairy-green
,
with
golden
hair
falling
down
over
the
collar
of
wrought
flowers
which
left
the
delicate
throat
bare
,
while
a
wreath
of
some
strange
bloom
that
resembled
hyacinths
decked
the
beautiful
head
,
and
gave
her
the
look
of
sylvan
majesty
that
befitted
her
in
the
legend
.
Nor
had
the
warm
paleness
of
her
cheek
,
the
light
in
her
large
,
soft
eyes
,
ever
charmed
the
heart
of
Rupert
as
they
did
during
those
hours
of
dance
and
thrilling
music
.
He
could
not
turn
his
gaze
from
her
;
but
it
seemed
to
him
that
she
did
not
always
return
it
.
Was
she
lost
in
the
pleasure
of
the
scene
?
He
quitted
the
company
among
which
he
was
standing
,
and
came
,
on
the
pretence
that
she
was
wanted
for
the
next
tableau
,
and
spoke
to
her
.
She
answered
like
one
whose
fancy
was
roaming
abroad
;
she
was
absent
and
preoccupied
.
When
they
entered
the
green-room
to
make
some
slight
changes
in
her
outward
adornment
which
the
tableau
required
,
she
did
all
in
silence
,
as
she
was
bid
,
not
turning
at
the
voice
that
spoke
or
appearing
to
distinguish
the
speaker
.
She
took
her
place
in
the
group
of
Launcelot
and
Guinevere
,
fixing
her
eyes
,
but
yet
absently
,
on
Lady
May
,
who
bore
with
exceeding
stateliness
the
character
of
the
guilty
Queen
.
Again
,
at
the
side
of
the
painted
forest
,
she
looked
on
while
the
Countess
Lutenieff
,
as
the
fay
Vivien
,
charmed
his
secret
out
of
Merlin
;
and
her
feeling
was
that
,
in
the
old
white-bearded
man
,
to
her
a
stranger
,
who
enacted
the
magician
's
part
,
she
beheld
Rupert
yielding
to
the
witchery
of
a
maiden
he
did
not
love
.
When
,
from
the
floor
of
the
Great
Hall
,
she
watched
the
scene
of
Tristram
and
Iseult
,
in
which
Lady
May
and
the
artist
quaffed
the
love-philter
which
was
to
bind
them
in
unfaithfulness
,
—
a
weird
and
powerful
representation
that
stirred
the
spectators
to
demand
it
a
second
time
,
—
she
could
hardly
refrain
from
crying
aloud
,
and
the
effort
made
her
weak
to
fainting
.
She
leaned
back
in
her
seat
and
closed
her
eyes
to
shut
out
the
displeasing
vision
.
But
it
would
not
leave
her
;
it
was
still
there
in
vivid
colour
as
on
the
stage
,
Iseult
holding
forth
the
enchanted
golden
cup
,
and
Tristram
in
the
glow
of
his
beauty
and
strength
bending
over
it
,
his
lips
couching
the
beaker
's
brim
that
was
to
take
away
his
reason
for
ever
.
The
plaudits
which
rang
through
the
hall
,
and
were
drowned
in
the
strains
of
music
overhead
,
piercing
like
the
sea-bird
's
scream
and
dying
off
as
into
the
wash
of
a
sullen
sea
,
made
a
tumult
within
her
which
left
no
room
for
thought
,
which
stamped
upon
her
memory
an
impression
that
must
be
indelible
,
and
urged
her
to
resolve
her
doubts
at
once
,
without
hesitation
.
She
watched
till
Rupert
came
into
the
throng
once
more
.
He
was
moving
her
way
,
and
their
eyes
met
.
In
an
instant
he
was
by
her
side
.
'
You
must
ask
me
to
dance
,
'
she
whispered
,
and
ere
long
they
were
moving
in
the
waltz
.
Her
dream
came
back
:
she
was
floating
on
the
waves
of
life
to
the
sound
of
a
mighty
music
;
its
single
tones
shot
through
her
like
silvery
arrows
,
its
complex
strains
lifted
her
upon
the
thunderous
roll
of
waters
away
and
away
,
with
Rupert
,
the
only
tenant
of
her
universe
,
holding
her
fast
.
He
belonged
to
her
alone
,
and
she
was
of
another
sphere
than
the
multitude
moving
in
cadence
around
them
.
Still
,
she
did
not
speak
.
And
lo
!
the
sudden
vibration
of
a
string
which
,
for
no
more
than
a
second
,
was
heard
through
the
music
like
a
note
of
lamentation
,
turned
her
thoughts
and
her
fancy
.
She
beheld
the
world
of
suffering
beneath
the
world
of
joy
:
on
the
barren
shores
lapped
by
these
smiling
waters
an
innumerable
multitude
were
gathered
from
the
four
winds
—
all
the
poverty-stricken
,
the
wretched
,
the
homeless
,
the
tear-besprent
,
the
naked
misery
of
those
who
crowded
against
one
another
to
keep
themselves
warm
,
and
who
were
reckoned
by
millions
upon
millions
.
She
saw
them
clearly
,
with
the
mind
's
eye
,
too
humbled
and
cast
down
to
envy
the
joy
they
might
not
share
,
benumbed
in
their
great
misery
by
the
sense
of
a
long
despair
even
more
than
by
frost
and
cold
.
The
masquerade
of
life
was
for
the
few
;
its
bitter
dismal
reality
,
not
tempered
by
dance
or
song
,
for
the
many
.
And
what
was
she
doing
,
Hippolyta
,
amid
these
splendours
?
Her
place
was
not
there
,
but
with
her
brothers
and
sisters
pining
in
wretchedness
.
She
awoke
from
the
excitement
of
the
evening
with
a
start
.
The
air
was
suffocating
,
the
perfume
of
these
flowers
delirious
.
She
could
endure
it
no
longer
.
'
Take
me
away
,
'
she
said
to
Rupert
as
the
dance
was
ending
;
'
I
want
the
fresh
air
;
I
shall
faint
if
I
stay
in
the
room
.
'
He
looked
round
for
the
nearest
exit
,
and
,
with
Hippolyta
on
his
arm
,
moved
as
swiftly
as
the
crowd
would
let
him
towards
the
conservatories
,
which
opened
on
either
side
of
the
stage
into
the
garden
.
It
would
be
cooler
there
.
They
arrived
at
a
spot
where
great
cactus-like
plants
,
mingled
with
creepers
,
stood
up
in
the
moonlight
which
shone
through
the
glass
roof
with
a
cold
,
uncertain
gleam
.
There
was
no
one
near
.
The
feeling
of
comparative
solitude
refreshed
Hippolyta
;
and
her
thoughts
began
to
take
a
definite
shape
.
Rupert
inquired
tenderly
whether
she
were
better
.
She
smiled
,
and
did
not
speak
for
a
little
while
;
then
,
drawing
him
close
to
the
window
where
the
plants
screened
them
,
she
said
,
laying
her
hand
on
his
breast
,
'
Rupert
,
were
you
ever
in
love
with
Lady
May
?
'
The
question
startled
him
.
'
Ah
,
'
he
said
to
himself
,
'
it
has
come
at
last
.
'
But
he
would
be
perfectly
open
.
'
No
,
Hippolyta
,
'
he
answered
,
'
never
;
but
,
before
I
met
you
,
I
might
have
been
.
For
a
few
weeks
I
thought
even
that
I
was
.
'
'
Did
you
tell
her
your
thoughts
?
'
she
asked
.
She
felt
an
immense
relief
.
'
Never
,
'
he
replied
;
'
had
I
spoken
it
would
have
been
to
Lord
Trelingham
.
'
'
Then
you
are
quite
free
as
regards
Lady
May
;
you
have
incurred
no
obligation
towards
her
?
'
Rupert
,
who
had
not
expected
this
home
thrust
,
turned
red
and
pale
.
'
I
will
leave
you
to
judge
,
'
he
answered
,
though
not
immediately
;
'
obligation
of
any
palpable
sort
there
is
none
.
I
have
made
neither
speeches
nor
advances
to
her
;
but
I
have
shown
perhaps
more
sympathy
when
she
spoke
—
it
is
now
five
months
or
more
—
than
was
prudent
,
since
I
did
not
love
her
.
'
He
tried
to
explain
.
Hippolyta
did
not
interrupt
him
.
It
was
difficult
to
enlarge
on
the
behaviour
of
Lady
May
without
attributing
to
her
thoughts
of
which
he
had
no
evidence
.
When
he
came
to
a
pause
,
Hippolyta
,
still
looking
at
him
,
put
a
single
question
.
'
Tell
me
,
Rupert
,
'
she
said
,
'
do
,
'
you
think
Lady
may
cared
for
you
as
I
do
?
'
'
As
you
do
,
'
he
repeated
with
fervour
;
'
ah
,
Hippolyta
,
who
is
like
you
in
anything
?
I
do
not
know
;
it
is
nothing
to
me
what
Lady
May
's
feelings
have
been
.
You
do
not
distrust
me
?
'
he
went
on
anxiously
;
'
have
I
said
or
done
anything
to
displease
you
?
'
'
No
,
'
she
answered
simply
;
'
you
are
the
same
as
ever
.
But
suppose
she
did
love
you
,
could
you
always
resist
,
always
remember
Hippolyta
?
'
'
I
see
,
'
he
said
,
'
you
are
troubled
about
it
.
Very
well
,
I
cannot
blame
a
jealousy
which
comes
of
so
great
affection
.
Look
here
,
Hippolyta
,
I
also
have
been
disquieted
and
not
happy
in
this
strange
position
;
for
,
though
I
do
not
know
what
she
feels
,
I
have
an
uneasy
dread
that
all
may
not
turn
out
well
.
I
had
made
up
my
mind
to
leave
Trelingham
for
a
month
or
six
weeks
,
that
there
might
be
a
break
and
a
fresh
start
under
less
difficult
circumstances
.
If
you
wish
I
will
go
to-morrow
.
'
'
Are
you
not
wanted
here
during
the
festivities
?
'
she
inquired
.
'
Not
in
any
way
.
My
work
is
done
when
the
last
of
the
tableaux
has
been
given
.
'
Hippolyta
,
instead
of
answering
,
seemed
lost
in
thought
.
Turning
away
,
she
walked
two
or
three
steps
and
stood
apart
,
her
eyes
fixed
on
the
waters
of
a
mimic
fountain
which
cast
its
spray
around
.
What
was
she
thinking
about
?
Rupert
did
not
dare
to
interrupt
her
.
At
length
she
came
back
,
and
,
with
an
earnest
,
troubled
expression
,
said
to
him
,
'
Go
to-morrow
,
as
you
propose
;
it
will
be
best
.
Only
let
me
hear
from
you
,
and
if
I
have
anything
to
write
,
—
you
must
give
me
your
address
.
'
He
put
his
hand
to
his
pocket
.
There
was
no
card
in
it
.
Tearing
out
one
of
his
ivory
tablets
,
he
wrote
a
line
or
two
in
haste
and
handed
them
to
Hippolyta
.
'
Write
to
my
studio
,
'
he
said
;
'
I
shall
be
there
oftener
than
at
home
,
almost
every
day
,
in
fact
;
and
there
will
be
less
chance
of
discovery
.
But
I
shall
be
glad
,
'
he
went
on
,
'
when
you
allow
me
to
end
this
concealment
.
It
is
a
trial
to
both
of
us
.
'
'
Yes
,
'
she
replied
in
her
preoccupied
manner
,
and
said
no
more
.
The
crashing
sound
of
trumpet-music
came
to
them
where
they
stood
.
'
We
must
return
to
the
ballroom
,
'
said
Rupert
;
'
I
shall
be
wanted
for
the
next
grouping
.
'
The
words
were
hardly
out
of
his
mouth
when
they
saw
the
Countess
approaching
,
leaning
on
the
arm
of
a
cavalier
.
She
addressed
Hippolyta
.
'
My
dear
Miss
Valence
,
'
she
said
,
'
I
have
been
looking
for
you
this
quarter
of
an
hour
.
Here
is
a
message
from
Falside
which
I
have
undertaken
to
deliver
.
I
hope
it
is
nothing
unpleasant
.
'
She
held
out
her
hand
as
she
spoke
,
and
Hippolyta
grasped
the
note
that
was
in
it
.
'
My
father
's
writing
,
'
she
said
,
as
the
superscription
caught
her
eye
.
She
opened
it
and
moved
towards
the
light
.
The
others
waited
.
It
was
a
very
brief
message
apparently
,
for
she
had
read
it
through
in
an
instant
,
and
turning
to
Rupert
,
said
,
'
I
must
go
home
at
once
.
My
father
is
there
,
and
thinks
he
may
have
only
a
few
hours
with
me
.
'
She
stopped
as
if
uncertain
,
looked
from
the
Countess
to
Rupert
and
back
again
;
but
Karina
would
not
move
.
It
was
impossible
to
say
a
word
more
,
to
bid
the
artist
stay
till
she
had
seen
her
father
,
or
go
as
they
had
arranged
previously
.
The
note
was
urgent
.
Andres
had
come
with
the
pony-chaise
,
and
she
must
leave
the
future
to
chance
.
'
Good-bye
,
Mr.
Glanville
,
'
she
said
.
'
You
will
have
to
invent
a
lady
of
the
lake
for
the
Passing
of
Arthur
,
'
and
she
offered
him
her
hand
,
which
he
clasped
fervently
.
But
he
would
accompany
her
to
the
door
.
Madame
de
Lutenieff
went
likewise
.
They
were
fated
not
to
speak
in
private
,
it
seemed
.
Messages
were
left
for
the
Earl
and
Lady
May
;
a
second
time
their
hands
joined
;
Karina
gaily
waved
her
fan
,
and
the
carriage
drove
off
into
the
moonlight
night
.
In
less
than
twenty-four
hours
Rupert
,
convinced
that
safety
lay
in
flight
,
had
left
Trelingham
and
returned
to
his
house
in
town
.
He
could
wait
there
for
news
of
Hippolyta
.
CHAPTER
XX
WAS
NOT
THIS
LOVE
INDEED
?
But
a
week
passed
,
and
no
news
came
.
Rupert
,
who
had
never
been
in
love
till
he
saw
Hippolyta
,
and
had
felt
that
she
was
always
near
him
at
Falside
,
now
discovered
with
joy
and
amazement
,
which
gradually
turned
to
unmixed
pain
,
how
closely
she
had
been
knit
to
his
heart-strings
.
Her
image
was
before
him
day
and
night
;
he
consumed
long
hours
in
adding
to
her
portrait
—
which
of
course
he
had
brought
with
him
—
the
touches
that
were
to
make
it
,
not
perfect
,
but
less
unlike
the
cherished
original
.
He
brooded
over
the
words
,
the
looks
,
the
little
loving
tokens
which
had
assured
him
of
her
affection
.
And
he
would
have
given
worlds
to
see
her
again
as
on
the
night
when
,
laying
her
hand
on
his
breast
,
she
asked
him
whether
he
thought
that
Lady
May
loved
him
as
she
did
.
But
these
things
did
not
atone
for
her
absence
;
they
could
not
fill
up
the
void
.
A
sense
of
exile
weighed
upon
him
;
and
when
these
first
days
were
over
,
but
for
very
shame
he
would
have
gone
back
to
Trelingham
.
He
thought
of
writing
;
but
ought
not
her
silence
to
be
respected
?
She
would
hear
that
he
had
kept
his
word
,
and
for
the
present
it
must
suffice
.
He
would
not
intrude
on
her
privacy
while
Colonel
Valence
was
at
home
.
The
resolution
cost
him
an
effort
,
which
only
ceaseless
riding
in
the
less-frequented
outskirts
of
London
,
and
desperate
attempts
at
reading
all
manner
of
hard
books
in
his
studio
,
could
support
.
Painting
,
except
the
touches
above
mentioned
,
was
out
of
the
question
.
He
had
not
certified
friends
of
his
arrival
,
nor
did
he
go
near
a
club
;
his
accustomed
haunts
were
left
unvisited
,
and
he
went
hither
and
thither
,
like
the
ghost
of
Rupert
Glanville
,
speaking
to
no
one
,
taking
no
interest
in
the
movement
around
him
,
or
in
the
press
and
throng
of
the
London
season
,
which
was
now
at
its
height
.
Not
a
soul
,
except
the
aged
woman
that
took
charge
of
his
studio
,
and
the
housekeeper
who
presided
over
his
establishment
,
knew
that
he
was
extant
among
the
millions
of
the
great
city
.
It
had
lasted
more
than
a
week
,
and
Rupert
,
on
a
certain
evening
,
was
walking
down
the
long
dreary
road
,
bordered
with
commonplace
shops
,
the
line
of
which
was
occasionally
broken
by
melancholy-looking
private
houses
,
that
led
in
the
direction
of
Fulham
,
where
his
studio
lay
.
The
dinner-hour
was
past
,
and
he
thought
of
dining
extempore
,
as
his
aged
female
called
it
,
in
front
of
Hippolyta
's
picture
,
which
was
hanging
on
the
easel
.
Then
he
would
smoke
a
cigarette
,
and
read
or
dream
before
the
fire
according
to
his
feelings
.
It
had
been
a
chill
day
with
much
rain
and
wind
.
The
clouds
seemed
to
draw
the
night
after
them
,
and
as
he
walked
on
,
tired
and
dispirited
,
Rupert
said
to
himself
that
he
could
not
hold
out
longer
,
and
he
would
write
to
Falside
on
the
morrow
.
He
wished
there
had
been
a
star
or
two
in
the
sky
;
it
was
one
great
blackness
in
front
of
him
,
and
when
he
turned
round
to
survey
the
road
by
which
he
had
come
,
the
dull
flare
of
London
shooting
up
into
the
heavens
struck
him
as
more
dismal
even
than
the
darkness
.
He
came
to
the
lodge
that
formed
an
entrance
to
his
studio
,
and
seeing
no
one
within
,
passed
on
and
up
the
steps
at
the
end
of
the
narrow
garden-path
which
led
to
it
.
He
had
the
key
in
his
pocket
;
but
on
trying
it
found
the
door
unlocked
.
He
entered
,
pushed
aside
the
curtain
which
hung
over
it
,
saw
candles
lighted
on
the
table
,
a
fire
burning
bright
on
the
hearth
and
sending
a
welcome
glow
through
the
apartment
,
and
,
rising
from
his
favourite
easy-chair
—
Hippolyta
.
He
could
not
believe
his
eyes
.
'
What
!
'
he
cried
,
'
you
here
,
Hippolyta
,
darling
?
I
am
mad
or
dreaming
.
'
He
ran
to
clasp
her
in
his
arms
.
She
drew
back
,
but
gave
him
her
hand
with
a
smile
.
He
was
all
amaze
.
'
No
,
you
are
neither
mad
nor
dreaming
,
Rupert
,
'
she
said
quietly
;
'
it
is
Hippolyta
,
and
I
thought
you
would
never
come
.
'
'
But
you
did
not
write
,
you
sent
me
no
word
of
your
visit
,
'
he
cried
;
'
how
could
I
imagine
it
?
When
did
you
arrive
?
Have
you
had
anything
to
eat
?
What
can
I
get
for
you
?
'
She
sat
down
again
,
and
motioned
him
to
a
seat
near
the
easel
