"Content yourself, brother, with reminding her of her promise to marry
you when she comes of age, but do no more. Do not seek an interview with
her; let her imagine herself quite free."
But the finishing stroke was given one day during lunch, when the
conversation turned upon the elopement of a young lady in the
neighborhood. Lady Ridsdale expressed great fears for her future.
"He is not a gentleman," she said. "No true gentleman would ever try to
persuade any girl to a clandestine engagement."
She saw Marion open her eyes and look at her in amazement.
"I am quite right, my dear," she said. "You may depend upon it, a man
who would persuade any girl to engage herself to him unknown to her
friends is not only no gentleman, but he is not even an honest man."
Marion Arleigh's beautiful face flushed, then grew deadly pale; almost
involuntarily she looked at Allan, but he did not raise his eyes to meet
hers.
Those words were the death-blow to her love, or what she called her
love--"Not even an honest man." This hero of her romance, this artist
whom she was to ennoble by her love, was not even an honest man. She
shuddered and grew faint at the thought.
Again she was present when Lady Ridsdale was talking of the Lysters to
her husband. She praised Allan's artistic qualities, she admired his
talents, but she owned frankly that she did not like him, that she did
not think him true.
Marion Arleigh was very much struck with this remark.
Pages:
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69