“And what would Miss Dale say?”

“Allow me to assure you that such opinions as I may choose to express of my friends will be my own opinions, and not depend on those of any one else.”

“And you think, then, that you are not bound to be enslaved as yet?  How many more months of such freedom are you to enjoy?”

Crosbie remained silent for a minute before he answered, and then he spoke in a serious voice.  “Lady Alexandrina,” said he, “I would beg from you a great favour.”

“What is the favour, Mr Crosbie?”

“I am quite in earnest.  Will you be good enough, kind enough, enough my friend, not to connect my name again with that of Miss Dale while I am here?”

“Has there been a quarrel?”

“No; there has been no quarrel.  I cannot explain to you now why I make this request; but to you I will explain it before I go.”

“Explain it to me!”

“I have regarded you as more than an acquaintance,—­as a friend.  In days now past there were moments when I was almost rash enough to hope that I might have said even more than that.  I confess that I had no warrant for such hopes, but I believe that I may still look on you as a friend?”

“Oh, yes, certainly,” said Alexandrina, in a very low voice, and with a certain amount of tenderness in her tone.  “I have always regarded you as a friend.”

“And therefore I venture to make the request.  The subject is not one on which I can speak openly, without regret, at the present moment.  But to you, at least, I promise that I will explain it all before I leave Courcy.”

He at any rate succeeded in mystifying Lady Alexandrina.  “I don’t believe he is engaged a bit,” she said to Lady Amelia Gazebee that night.

“Nonsense, my dear.  Lady Julia wouldn’t speak of it in that certain way if she didn’t know.  Of course he doesn’t wish to have it talked about.”

“If ever he has been engaged to her, he has broken it off again,” said Lady Alexandrina.

“I dare say he will, my dear, if you give him encouragement,” said the married sister, with great sisterly good-nature.

CHAPTER XVIII

Lily Dale’s First Love-Letter

Crosbie was rather proud of himself when he went to bed.  He had succeeded in baffling the charge made against him, without saying anything as to which his conscience need condemn him.  So, at least, he then told himself.  The impression left by what he had said would be that there had been some question of an engagement between him and Lilian Dale, but that nothing at this moment was absolutely fixed.  But in the morning his conscience was not quite so clear.  What would Lily think and say if she knew it all?  Could he dare to tell her, or to tell any one the real state of his mind?