Only One Love, or Who Was the Heir Part 45

If she had known that Jack, even at that moment, was thinking of her, and recalling her every look and word. It was one of Strauss' waltzes they were playing, but he heard it not; in his ears was the rustle of the forest trees and the ripple of the lake; before him was one of the most beautiful ball-rooms in London, before him moved, in a glittering pageant, the pick of London's beauty and rank, but he saw them not; he was looking in fancy into the lovely face of the innocent forest girl.

The dance was over, but still Lady Bell did not come; couples, arm-in-arm, promenaded past him, but still Jack sat, and dreaming of the girl who sat longing, longing for a word or look from him, just behind him. Suddenly Una felt something drop into her lap. It was a blossom from one of the tropical plants.

She took it up and looked at it absently; then, as if by a sudden inspiration, she raised it to her lips and kissed it, and rising, dropped it on his knee and fled.

Jack started, and stooping picked up the flower, looked at it for a moment, and then turned and looked up to see whence it had come.

As he did so he saw reflected dimly in a mirror framed in palm leaves a girl's face.

With a bound he darted to his feet, and naturally enough made for the reflection; but ere he could reach the mirror the face had vanished.

Pale and trembling with eagerness he turned--but Una had glided through the ferns and reached the ante-room--and came face to face with Lady Bell.

She was flushed and laughing, her eyes dancing with the excitement of the dance.

"Well," she said, "where is my ice?"

Jack, startled and bewildered, stared at her.

"I must have been dreaming," he muttered.

"Dreaming," she said. "What do you mean?"

He pa.s.sed his hand over his brow.

"Your ice!" and he glanced at the fountain. "I--I beg your pardon. What did I do with it? I will get you another."

"Never mind!" said Lady Bell, laughing; "I do not care for it now; I am too hot. Have you been asleep?"

"Asleep!" he said, striving to recover his coolness; "nearly. What could I do when you left me?"

"The third compliment," she said, with a smile. "Where are you going now?" for Jack, with his eyes fixed on the end of the fernery, was moving slowly away.

"I--I'm afraid I must go," he said.

"Good-night!" she said, turning away coldly.

Jack "pulled himself together," as he would have called it, and sat down beside her.

"No," he said, "I will stay if I may."

She turned to him with a gentle smile.

"No; go now, please. I am not ungrateful. It was very kind of you to come. You will not forget tomorrow?"

"No," said Jack, fingering his crush hat. "I will not forget tomorrow--how could I?"

She held out her hand--not a tiny, meaningless one, but a long, shapely eloquent hand--and put it into his broad, strong one.

"Good-night!" she said, and her voice grew wondrously low and gentle in its caressing, clinging tones. "Good-night!"

Jack felt the slender fingers, warm through the thin gloves, cling round his fingers.

"Good-night," she said, hurriedly. "Good-night."

CHAPTER XXIII.

Jack walked leisurely enough through the fernery looking this way and that in search of the phantom girl; but once clear of the ball-room, he hurried through the ante-rooms and down the staircase--utterly ignoring the adieus which were sent after him by the crowd on the stairs--and reached the hall.

The carriages were already taking up, and without ceremony he pushed through the footmen into the open air.

"Has a carriage left just now--five minutes ago?" he asked.

"Two or three, sir," said the footmen, and, too busy to answer any further questions, he dashed off.

Jack waited just outside the stream of light for nearly an hour, his coat collar turned up, his hands thrust in his pockets. But though many a beautiful face pa.s.sed him and was driven away, Una's lovely face was not amongst them.

"I must have fallen asleep and been dreaming," he muttered. "How could she possibly have been there?"

Then he called a hansom, and was driven to the club.

His blood was on fire, his brain was in a whirl; two faces--Una's and Lady Bell's--seemed to dance before his eyes. Do something he must to get rid of them, or they would drive him mad.

There was only one thing to do--play. Before the morning he had lost every penny of his twenty-one pounds six and fourpence, and a couple of hundred besides.

Chance had favored Una in her escape; no sooner had she reached the staircase than she heard Mrs. Davenant's carriage announced. To get her shawl and make her way down the staircase was the work of a few moments, and the brougham was rolling away toward Walmington Square before Jack had got down to the hall.

"Well, my dear," said Mrs. Davenant, "have you enjoyed yourself? You look pale and tired."

Una shrunk into her corner.

"I am rather tired," she said, in a low voice, "it was all so new and strange."

"And was Lady Bell kind?"

"Very kind," answered Una, with a sigh. "How beautiful she is!"

"Yes," said Mrs. Davenant, "she is a very fortunate girl. Youth and beauty and wealth, she has much to make her happy. Tell me whom you saw, my dear."

Una flushed and trembled. She went over the names of some of the great people, but she said nothing of Jack. She could not bring her trembling lips to frame his name.

"All the best people in town," said Mrs. Davenant, with a smile. "You will be a fas.h.i.+onable young lady before long, Una."