was often at Lady Verner's. He had been
intimate there a long while, going in and out as unceremoniously as did
Lionel or Jan. Lady Verner and Decima could tell a tale that no one else
suspected. How, in the years gone by--some four or five years ago
now--he had grown to love Decima with his whole heart; and Decima had
rejected him. In spite of his sincere love; of the advantages of the
match; of the angry indignation of Lady Verner; Decima had steadfastly
rejected him. For some time Lord Garle would not take the rejection; but
one day, when my lady was out, Decima spoke with him privately for five
minutes, and from that hour Lord Garle had known there was no hope; had
been content to begin there and then, and strive to love her only as a
sister. The little episode was never known; Decima and Lady Verner had
kept counsel, and Lord Garle had not told tales of himself. Next to
Lionel, Lady Verner liked Lord Garle better than any one--ten times
better than she liked unvarnished Jan; and he was allowed the run of the
house as though he had been its son. The first year of Lucy's
arrival--the year of Lionel's illness, Lord Garle had been away from the
neighbourhood; but somewhere about the time of Sibylla's return, he had
come back to it. Seeing a great deal of Lucy, as he necessarily did,
being so much at Lady Verner's, he grew to esteem and love her. Not with
the same love he had borne for Decima--a love, such as that, never comes
twice in a lifetime--but with a love sufficiently warm, notwithstanding.
And he asked her to become his wife.

_There_ was triumph for Lady Verner! Next to Decima--and all hope of
that was dead for ever--she would like Lord Garle to marry Lucy. A real
triumph, the presenting her to Colonel Tempest on his return, my Lady
Viscountess Garle! In the delight of her heart she betrayed something of
this to Lucy.

"But I am not going to marry him, Lady Verner," objected Lucy.

"You are not going to marry him, Lucy? He confided to me the fact of his
intention this morning before he spoke to you. He _has_ spoken to you,
has he not?"

"Yes," replied Lucy; "but I cannot accept him."

"You--cannot! What are you talking of?" cried Lady Verner.

"Please not to be angry, Lady Verner! I could not marry Lord Garle."

Lady Verner's lips grew pale. "And pray why can you not?" she demanded.

"I--don't like him," stammered Lucy.

"Not like him!" repeated Lady Verner. "Why, what can there be about Lord
Garle t