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"Lavinia! Goddess! I adore you!"
Bethinking herself that tears were ruinous to her complexion, LadyLavinia pulled her hands away and dabbed at her eyes.
"Oh, Harold!" she reproached him.
"I have offended you! Wretch that I am--"
"Oh, no, no!" Lady Lavinia gave him her hand again. "But 'twas wicked ofyou, Harry! You must never, never do it again!"
His arm crept round her waist.
"But I love you, sweetheart!"
"Oh! Oh! Think of Dicky!"
He released her at that, and sprang to his feet.
"Why should I think of him? 'Tis of you and myself I think! Only a weekago you vowed he was unkind--"
"You are monstrous wicked to remind me of that! We were both cross--andthen we were both sorry. I am very fond of poor Dicky."
"Fond of him! Ay, so you may be, but you do not love him! Not as a womanloves a man--do you?"
"Harold!"
"Of course you do not! You used to love me--no, do not shake your head,'tis true! You would have married me had it not been for Tracy."
"Oh, Harry! How can you say so? What had he to do with it?"
"What, indeed! Whose fault was it that I was time after time refusedadmittance at Andover? Whose fault was it that you were induced to marryCarstares?"
"Not Tracy's. 'Twas my own wish."
"Fostered by his influence?"
"Oh, no!"
"You never loved Carstares--"
"I did! I do!"
"You may think so, but I know better. Why, he is not even suited to you!You were made for life and pleasure and hazard! With me you would havehad all that; with him--"
She had risen to her feet and drawn nearer to him, her eyes sparkling,but now she covered her ears with her hands and stamped pettishly.
"I will not listen! I will not, I tell you! Oh, you are unkind to plagueme so!"
Lovelace took her into his arms once more, and drawing down her hands,kissed her again and again. She resisted, trying to thrust him off, butshe was crushed against him, and he would have kissed her again, had notthere come an interruption.
A knock fell on the door, and the footman announced:
"His Grace of Andover, m'lady!"
The guilty pair sprang apart in the nick of time, she fiery red, hepale, but composed.
His Grace stood in the doorway, his quizzing glass raised inquiringly.His eyes went swiftly from one to the other and widened. He bowedelaborately.
"My dear Lavinia! Captain Lovelace, your very obedient!"
