"But why her? Come, Lord Silverbridge. You are straightforward with
me, and I will be the same with you. You have told Lady Mabel; I have
told Lady Mary."

"My sister!"

"Yes;--your sister. And I am sure she disapproves it. She did not say
so; but I am sure it is so. And then she told me something."

"What did she tell you?"

"Has there never been reason to think that you intended to offer your
hand to Lady Mabel Grex?"

"Did she tell you so?"

"You should answer my question, Lord Silverbridge. It is surely one
which I have a right to ask." Then she stood waiting for his reply,
keeping herself at some little distance from him as though she were
afraid that he would fly upon her. And indeed there seemed to be
cause for such fear from the frequent gestures of his hands. "Why do
you not answer me? Has there been reason for such expectations?"

"Yes;--there has."

"There has!"

"I thought of it,--not knowing myself; before I had seen you. You
shall know it all if you will only say that you love me."

"I should like to know it all first."

"You do know it all;--almost. I have told you that she knows what I
said to you at Killancodlem. Is not that enough?"

"And she approves!"

"What has that to do with it? Lady Mabel is my friend, but not my
guardian."

"Has she a right to expect that she should be your wife?"

"No;--certainly not. Why should you ask all this? Do you love me?
Come, Isabel; say that you love me. Will you call me vain if I say
that I almost think you do? You cannot doubt about my love;--not
now."

"No;--not now."

"You needn't. Why won't you be as honest to me? If you hate me, say
so;--but if you love me--!"

"I do not hate you, Lord Silverbridge."

"And is that all?"

"You asked me the question."

"But you do love me? By George, I thought you would be more honest
and straightforward."

Then she dropped her badinage and answered him seriously. "I thought
I had been honest and straightforward. When I found that you were in
earnest at Killancodlem--"

"Why did you ever doubt me?"

"When I felt that you were in earnest, then I had to be in earnest
too. And I thought so much about it that I lay awake nearly all that
night. Shall I tell you what I thought?"

"Tell me something that I should like to hear."

"I will tell you the truth. 'Is it possible,' I said to myself, 'that
such a man as that can want me to be his wife; he an Englishman, of
the highest rank and the greatest