‘But you will play tomorrow?’

‘I thought you were going.’

‘Of course I shall stay now,’ he said, and as he said it he put his hand on her hand, which was on his arm.  She drew it away at once.  ‘I love you so dearly,’ he whispered to her, ‘so dearly.’

‘Lord Silverbridge!’

‘I do.  I do.  Can you say that you will love me in return?’

‘I cannot,’ she said slowly.  ’I have never dreamed of such a thing.  I hardly know now whether you are in earnest.’

‘Indeed, indeed I am.’

’Then I will say good-night, and think about it.  Everybody is going.  We shall have our game tomorrow at any rate.’

When he went to his room he found the ring on his dressing-table.

And Then!

On the next morning Miss Boncassen did not appear at breakfast.  Word came that she had been so fatigued by the lawn-tennis as not to be able to leave her bed.  ‘I have been to see her,’ said Mrs Montacute Jones, whispering to Lord Silverbridge, as though he were particularly interested.  ’There’s nothing really the matter.  She will be down to lunch.’

‘I was afraid she might be ill,’ said Silverbridge, who was now hardly anxious to hide his admiration.

’Oh, no;—­nothing of that sort, but she will not be able to play again today.  It was your fault.  You should not have made her dance last night.’  After that Mrs Jones said a word about it all to Lady Mabel.  ‘I hope the Duke will not be angry with me.’

‘Why should he be angry with you?’

’I don’t suppose he will approve of it, and perhaps he’ll say I brought them together on purpose.’

Soon afterwards Mabel asked Silverbridge to walk with her to the waterfall.  She had worked herself into such a state of mind that she hardly knew what to do, what to wish, or how to act.  At one moment she would tell herself that it was better in every respect that she should cease to think of being the Duchess of Omnium.  It was not fit that she should think of it.  She herself cared but little for the young man, and he,—­she would now tell herself,—­now appeared to care as little for her.  And yet to be Duchess of Omnium!  But was it not clear that he was absolutely in love with this other girl?  She had played her cards so badly that the game was now beyond her powers.  Then other thoughts would come.  Was it beyond her powers?  Had he not told her in London that he loved her?  Had he not given her the ring which she well knew he valued?  Ah;—­if she could but have been aware of all that had passed between Silverbridge and the Duke, how different would have been her feelings!  And then would it be not so much better for him that he should marry her, one of his own class, than this American girl, of whom nobody knew anything?  And then,—­to be the daughter of the Duke of Omnium, to be the future Duchess, to escape from all the cares which her father’s vices and follies had brought upon her, to have to come an end all of her troubles!  Would it not be sweet?