"No; I acted like a fool!" she broke in; and she meant it. "If I had
only listened to the cry of my own heart--if I had only refused to obey
father, and--and stuck to you! But, Drake, though you think me
heartless, and--and sneer----"
"I didn't mean to sneer, Luce," he said. "Forgive me if I did so
unintentionally. I quite understood your difficulty, and, as I told you
the day we parted, I--well, I made allowances for you. You did what most
women of our set would have done."
"Would they? But perhaps they really are heartless, while I----Drake,
you can't tell what I have suffered; how--how terribly I have missed
you! I--yes, I will tell you the truth. Do you know, Drake, that I had
made a vow that whenever we met, whether it was soon, or not for years,
I would tell you all. Yes--though, like a man, you should despise me for
it!"
"I'm not likely to despise you for it, Luce," he said. As he spoke, Lady
Chesney came out onto the terrace. She looked up and down, saw the two
figures standing together, and, with a smile, returned to the house.
"No; you are too generous for that, Drake; even if I--I confess that I
have not spent one happy--oh, the word is a mockery!--that I have been
wretched since the hour I--I left you."
His face grew grave, almost stern.
"I'm sorry," he said simply. "Candidly, I didn't think----"
"No, I know! You thought that I only cared for you because----You told
me that I was heartless and mercenary, you remember, Drake. But, ah; it
wasn't true! Yes, I've been brought up at a bad school. I've been taught
that it's a sacred duty for every girl, as poor as I am, to make a good
match; and I thought--see how frank I am!--that I could part from you,
oh, not easily, but without breaking my heart. But I--I was mistaken! I
miss you so dreadfully! There is not another man in the world I can care
for, or even dream of caring for."
"Hush!" he said sternly.
There was always something impressive about Drake, a touch of the
manliness which is somewhat rare nowadays, the manliness which women are
so quick to acknowledge and bow to; and Lady Luce shrank a little; but
her hand tightened on his arm, and her brown, velvety eyes dimmed with
genuine tears--for she was more than anxious, and more than half in love
with him--looked up at him penitently, imploringly.