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at length at the inn, the coach pulled up slowly. Diana openedher eyes with a great assumption of sleepiness.
"Already?" she marvelled.
"I trust you have slept well," said his Grace suavely.
"Excellently well, I thank you, sir," was the unblushing reply.
"I am relieved to hear you say so, my dear. I had thought you unableto--your mouth kept shut so admirably. Doubtless you have schooled yourjaw not to drop when you sleep sitting up? I wish I might do the same."
The triumph in his voice was thinly veiled. She found nothing to say.
He rose.
"With your leave, I will go to procure you some refreshment, child. Donot think me uncivil if I remind you that a servant stands withouteither door."
"I thank you for the kind thought," she smiled, but her heart was sickwithin her.
He disappeared, returning a few moments later with a glass of wine andsome little cakes.
"I deplore the scanty nature of your repast," he said. "But I do notwish to waste time. You shall be more fittingly entertained when wereach Andover."
Diana drank the wine gratefully, and it seemed to put new life into her.The food almost choked her, but rather than let him see it, she broke acake in half and started to eat it, playing to gain time: time in whichto allow her father a chance of overtaking them before it was too late.She affected to dislike the cake, and rather petulantly demanded a 'maidof honour.'
Tracy's eyes gleamed.
"I fear I cannot oblige you, my dear. When we are married you can go toRichmond, and you shall have maids of honour in plenty."
He relieved her of her glass, taking it from hands that trembledpitifully.
The rest of the journey was as some terrible nightmare. She felt thatshe dared no longer feign sleep. She was terrified at what his Gracemight do, and kept him at arm's length by means of her tongue and allher woman's wit. As a matter of fact, Andover had himself well in hand,and had no intention of letting his passion run away with him. But asthe time went on and the light went, some of Diana's control seemed toslip from her, and she became a little less the self-possessed woman,and a little more the trapped and frightened child. When they at lastreached Andover Court, and his Grace assisted her to alight her legswould barely carry her up the steps to the great iron-clamped door. Shetrembled anew as he took her hand.
On the threshold he paused and bowed very low. "Welcome to your futurehome, my queen," he murmured, and led her in, past wooden-faced footmenwho stared over her head, to his private room, where a table was set fortwo. He would have taken her in his arms then, but she evaded him andslipped wearily into a chair.
"I protest," she managed to say, "I protest, I am faint through want offood."
Andover, looking at her white lips, believed her. He took a seatopposite.
Two footmen came to wait on them, and although her very soul was shamedthat they should see her there, she was thankful for their restrainingpresence.
CHAPTER XXVI
MY LORD RIDES TO FRUSTRATE HIS GRACE
My lord yawned most prodigiously and let fall the _Spectator._ His eyesroved towards the clock, and noted with disgust that the hands pointedto half after five. He sighed and picked up the _Rambler_.
His host and hostess were visiting some miles distant, and were notlikely to be back until late, so my lord had a long dull evening infront of him, which he relished not at all. Lady O'Hara had tried toinduce him to accompany them, promising that he would meet no one heknew, but he had for once been prudent and refused steadfastly. So mylady, after pouting crossly at him and assuring him that he was by farthe most obstinate and disagreeable man that she had ever come across,not excepting her husband, who, to be sure, had been quite prodigiouslyannoying all day, relented, told him she understood perfectly, and evenoffered to kiss him to make up for her monstrous ill-humour. Jackaccepted the offer promptly, waved farewell to her from the porch, andreturned to the empty drawing-room to while away the time with twonumbers of the _Spectator_ and his own thoughts till dinner, which wasto be later than usual to-day, on account of an attack of vapours whichhad seized the cook.
His thoughts were too unpleasant to be dwelt on everything in his worldseemed to have gone awry. So he occupied himself with what seemed to hima particularly uninteresting number of the _Spectator_. The sun hadalmost disappeared, and very soon it became too dark to read; no candleshaving been brought as yet, my lord, very unromantically, went to sleepin his chair. Whether he would have eventually snored is not known, fornot more than a quarter of an hour afterwards the butler roused him withthe magic words:
"Dinner is served, sir."
Carstares turned his head lazily.
"What's that you say, James?"
"Dinner is served, sir," repeated the man, and held the door wide forhim to pass out.
"Faith! I'm glad to hear it!"
