A Double Knot Part 50

"Thank goodness!" exclaimed Glen joyously, as he sprang forward and caught both Marie's hands in his, making her flush and tremble with the warmth of his greeting. "Tell me, dear Marie, the meaning of all this dreadful news."

She did not speak, but, giving herself up to the joy of the situation, she let her hands rest in his and gazed wistfully in his face, while Ruth sat in her place in the schoolroom and trembled, she knew not why.

"You do not speak," said Glen. "Tell me, for heaven's sake tell me, that this is all in opposition to your sister's wishes."

Marie still gazed wistfully in his face, and her hands, in spite of herself, returned the warm pressure of his.

"Surely--oh no; I will not believe it!" cried Glen. "It cannot be so.

Marie, dear Marie, pray have compa.s.sion on me and tell me the truth."

"Do--you wish me to tell you?" she said in a low voice that trembled with suppressed emotion.

"Yes, everything. If you have any feeling for me, tell me honestly all."

Marie's hands trembled more and more, and her colour went and came as she spoke.

"I will tell you what you wish, Captain Glen," she said, in her low rich tones; "but do not blame me if it gives you pain."

"I will not; only pray put an end to this terrible anxiety."

There was a few moments' silence, and then Glen said huskily:

"You know how Clotilde loved me, Marie?"

Marie's dark eyes gazed fully, pityingly into his, but there was a slight curl of scorn upon her upper lip as she remained silent.

"No," she said slowly, as she shook her head; "no, I do not."

"You--do not!"

Marie hesitated to plant so sharp a sting in his heart, but, still, she panted to speak--to tell him that he had wasted his honest love upon one who did not value it, in the hope that he might turn to her; but at the same time she feared to overstep the mark, and her compunction to hurt the man she loved came and went.

"Why do you not tell me what you mean?" he said, pressing one of her hands so that he caused her intense pain.

"Because I shrink from telling you that Clotilde never cared for you in the least," she said bitterly.

"How dare you say that?" he cried.

"If she had loved you, Captain Glen, would she have accepted Mr Elbraham for the sake of his wealth?"

He would have dropped her hand, but she held fast, full of pa.s.sionate grief for him as she saw how deadly pale he had turned, and had they been in a less public place she would have clung to him, and told him how her heart bled for his pain.

"You are her sister, and could not say that which was false," he said simply. "Tell me, then, is this all true?"

"Do you doubt me?" she asked, looking full in his eyes.

He held her hands, and looked down in the dark, handsome face that gazed so unflinchingly in his.

"No," he said softly, "no;" and raising one of her hands to his lips, he kissed it, and then turned and left the place.

Marie's reverie, as she stood there holding one soft hand pressed over the back of the other, where Marcus Glen's lips had been, was interrupted by the voice of Clotilde.

"Rie: has he gone?"

"Yes," said her sister, with a look of disgust, almost loathing, in her face.

"Poor boy! I hope he won't mind much. I say, Rie, you can have him now. I'll make you a present of his love. No, I won't," she said, flas.h.i.+ng into life. "You shan't look at him. If you do, I'll tell him such things about you as shall drive him away."

The sisters stood there upon the stairs gazing angrily one at the other, and Ruth, whose heart felt very sore, watched them in turn, and thought how hard all this was for Captain Glen, and also, with a sigh, how weak he must be.

"But they are both so handsome," she said to herself half aloud; and then, with a kind of s.h.i.+ver, she began to think about Mr Montaigne.

Volume 2, Chapter XI.

LADY LITTLETOWN'S DIPLOMACY.

Mr Elbraham had not been long making up his mind to eschew s.h.i.+lly-shallying, and to propose at once. He was a clever man of business, and no one knew better than he how to work a few shares upon the Stock Exchange, and float a company so as to pour thousands into the laps of its promoters; but he had a weak side, and his late action was taken a good deal on account of the opposition he met with from his private secretary.

"Going to dine with 'the maids of honour' at Hampton Court!" said this latter gentleman, looking up in astonishment as his princ.i.p.al announced his intention; "why, you grumbled at having to go to Lady Littletown's the other day, and she does give good dinners."

"Capital," said the financier, smacking his lips.

"But you won't get anything fit to eat at the Palace."

"My object is to get into better society," said the financier promptly; "and the Dymc.o.xes are people of position. Of course, you know I met them there."

"Ah, to be sure; so you did. Well, they certainly belong to a good family."

"Yes," said Mr Elbraham, strutting pompously up and down the room.

"Lovely girl that Miss Clotilde!"

"Well, I don't know," said Arthur Litton; "she is handsome, certainly."

"Humph! I should think she is, sir."

"But I've seen many finer women," continued Litton. "Not my style of girl at all."

"Should think not, indeed," said Elbraham hotly. "Bah, sir! stuff, sir!

rubbish, sir! What do you know about handsome women?"

"Well, certainly," said Litton humbly, and with a smile, as the financier walked away from him down the room--a smile which was replaced by a look as serious as that of the proverbial judge, when the great man turned; "I suppose my opinion is not worth much."

"I should think not, indeed. I tell you she is magnificent."

"Oh, nonsense, my dear sir," said Litton warmly; "handsome if you like, but magnificent--no! You know dozens of finer women."

"Maybe, maybe," said the financier.