Lady Rose's Daughter

g house. She found her room in darkness, and she turned on no light. There was still a last glimmer of fire, and she sank

t Simla. She had a crowd of cavaliers there--I was one of them. The whole place adored her. She is a very

oom; her first conversation with him; and all the subtle development of that singular relation between them, into which so many elements had entered. The flattering sense of social power implied both in the homage of this young and successful man, and in the very services that she, on her side, was able to render him; impulsive gratitude for that h

endship a sacred secret from the world that would misunderstand it. I will not fail you, I will give you all my confidence; and I will try and understand that noble, wounded heart of yours, with its memories, and all those singular prides and isolations that have been imposed on it by circumstance. I will not say, let me be your brother; there is so

as it, that that

Since it reached her, she had put out all her powers as a woman,

ontrol herself or it. Very miserably conscious, too, was she all the time that she was now playing for a reward that was secretly, tacitly, humiliatingly denied her. How could a poor man, with Harry Warkworth's ambitions, think for a moment of marriage

poken to her and looked at her with that slight touch of laughing contempt. There had been no insincerity in that emotion with which

had made things easy, and it had a small foundation in the fact that Lady Henry had talked vaguely of using the letters lent her by

t she had "overdone it." It was true, then, what Lady Henry said of her--that she ha

fend themselves," she said, obstinately, repeatin

ney, would make her life comfortable, without the need for any daily slavery. She would not take it. Jacob Delafield would marry her, if she lifted her finger; and she would not lift it. Dr. Meredith would marry her, and she ha

still under Lady Henry's roof. In the silence of the night the difficulties of her

ow is Lad

; in fact, miss (the maid lowered her voice), you hardly dare go

on had an

e's to tell everybody that Lady Henry's very sorry, and ho

ants, Dixon? Have you tak

dyship says you're disturbing her; and if you don'

go and say good-ni

id hes

miss--I'll cert

r the Wednesday--evening party. The flowers were fresh; the chairs had been arranged as Lady Henry liked to have them; the parqu

down. The bitter winds of the two previous days, however, had much aggravated her chronic rheumatism. She was certainly ill and suffering; but Julie

luding words of her letter of the morning. Several people also had announced themselves for this evening whom it was extremely desirable she should see. A certain eminent colonel, professor at the Staff College, was being freely named in the papers for the Mokembe mission. Never was it more neces

lents in the Scriptural sense--money, rank, all sorts of inherited bonds and associations. Julie Le Breton had but this one. Society was with her both an instinct and an art. With the subtlest and most intelligent ambition she

uld pause in front of one of the great mirrors of the room, and look at

lass, there rose a vision of girlhood--pale, gold hair, pink cheeks, white frock--and she turned away, miserable, from tha

er, came in to l

itting here to

ck to the library. I think th

ghts, anyway," said the man, l

Julie, and she began t

thought occ

o-night, I should very much like to see her, and I know she wants to see me. Do you think it c

n cons

ard up-stairs, miss. I should, of course,

ton, hurriedly. "And, Hutton, Dr. Meredith and Mr. Montresor, you

bt. I'll tell them you're in the library. And Captain Warkwo

Miss Le Breton, occupying herself with the electric switches. "I

was respectful d

And shall I brin

flection, "Well, have it ready; but I don't suppose anybo

ere again. Shall I take some of these flowers down?

olored

And, Hutton, you're sure w

sion was not wh

I'll shut those doors at the foot of the back s

k you. That'll be very g

sed with a large vase of

body comes in, there'll be no need to trouble

xon will be down to

ht her breath--suddenly struck with the audacity of what she had been doing. Eight or ten of these people certainly would come in--eig

a few yards of her, and she not permitted to see him, worked intolerably in heart and brain, dulling the shrewd intelligence by which she was ordinarily gov

haracter did not fail her. She secretly knew that it was quite possible he had deceived her. But the know

saying, feverishly, to herself. "But I'll find ways. Why sho

the climbing paths of her own difficult and personal struggle Julie Le Breton looked down with sore contempt on such a degenerate ease of circumstance. She had heard it said that the mother and daughter were lingering abroad for a time on their way home from India. Yet was the girl all the while pining for England, thinking not of he

would like to

apartment, furnished about the year Queen Victoria came to the throne, with furniture, chintzes, and carpet of the most approved early Victorian pattern. What had been ugly then was dingy now; and its strong mistress, who had known so well how to assimilate

nic bronchitis and by rheumatic pain, her brows drawn together, her vigorous hands clasped before her in an evident t

he said, sharply, as Julie

till I had finished dinner.

r up and down, like

ing me those l

t you were no

go to-night. Kindly

Lady Henry read and signed them. Then she demanded to be read to. Julie s

somewhat sleepy, partly from weak

ut, of course. Thank you--that'll do. Good-night. Tell Hutton to keep the house as quiet as he can. People must k

to write some letters.

?" said Lady Henry, tar

t from chair to chair, arranging everything instinctively as she was accustomed to do in the drawing-room. She made the flowers less stiff; she put on another light; she drew one table forward and pushed its fellow back against the wall. What a charming old room, after all! What a pity Lady Henry so seldom used it! It was panelle

! A distant voice in the hall. She moved to the

d see him for a few minutes, miss. He would

him to come

d the young man entered, T

n, that I particularly w

retired. Warkwo

to find you

e a look of scrutiny--and then, as she he

ions are gone," she thought. "At

h her finger to her lip, "is tha

one side of the fire, and, herself, fell into another

ing? I think I should receive very well"-

et--a stable," he said. "But what

Henry! She thinks I, too, am in bed. But you see--you forced your way in-

rds him, her

ly be a swarm on my heels, all posse

little closer to her. She, o

ely, "who will want personal news. But now, before they

ket. "Your writ, my dear lady, runs as easily in t

flus

ent? But I knew you would

--the price may go higher yet. But, anyway, there"--he shook the envelope--"there it is--deliverance from debt--peace of mind for the first time since I was a lad at school--the power of going, properly f

ts of the globe were fixed with brilliance on his companion; the lines of a full-lipped mouth quivered with wha

oured them out at the moment--thanks which may easily count in the long run, not for, but against, the donor? She rather haughtily asked what she had done

alked to on the subject of young Warkworth's claims by several men in high place--General M'Gill among them--well known in Lady Henry's drawing-room, was perhaps inclining to the new suggestion, which was strongly supported by important people in Egypt; he h

be done, and fresh t

rces. Only, in talking with her, dead walls seemed to give way; vistas of hope and possibility opened in the very heart of discouragement. She found the right word, the right jest, the right spur to invention or effort; while all the time she was caressing and appeasing her compan

alking to you for ten minutes the whole world seems changed. The sky was ink, an

ie Le Breton; the self-satisfaction she could excite in the man she wished to please recoil

a little shrug. "If I make you con

erstand--forgive me!--your own personal effect. When people are face to face with you

that the whole art--when you're guessing what will happen--to be

ozen different forces tugging at him? Well, dear lady, be the mo

himself as the lover, as the possible husband. They were both esprits faits--they understood each other. As for little Aileen, well, whatever had happened, or might happen, that was not his secret to give away. And a woman in Julie Le Breton's position, and with her intelligence, knows very well what the difficulties of her case are. Poor Julie! If she had been Lady Henry, what a career she would have made for

t the gaze fixed upon her. She flushed a

late. It will be annoying, inde

ot for me," said Warkworth, with a laugh. "

ng loudly, and there

front of it--"how clever of you--you naughty angel! Aunt Flora in bed--and you down here!

ime perceiving the young officer on the more shaded side of the fireplace, extend

enchman. Oh, and old Lord Lackington, and Heaven knows who! Hutton told me I might come in, so I promised to come fir

peak to Hutton

rried into