FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76  
77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   >>   >|  
. Try and thank her for me. Lady Kingsland, Miss Silver." Surely some subtle power of fascination invested this dark daughter of the earth. The liquid dark eyes lifted themselves in mute appeal to the great lady's face, and then the proudest woman in England opened her arms with a sudden impulse and took the outcast to her bosom. "I can never thank you," she murmured. "The service you have rendered me is beyond all words." An hour later Sybilla went slowly back to her room. She had breakfasted _tete-a-tete_ with my lady and her daughter, while Sir Everard, in scarlet coat and cord and tops, had mounted his bonny bay and ridden off to Lady Louise and the fox-hunt, and to his fate, though he knew it not. "Really, Mildred," my lady said, "a most delightful young person, truly. Do you know, if she does not succeed in finding her friends I should like to retain her as a companion?" In her own room Sybilla Silver stood before the glass, and she smiled back at her own image. "So, my lady," she said, "you walk into the trap with your eyes open, too--you who are old enough to know better? My handsome face and black eyes and smooth tongue stand me in their usual good stead. And I saved Sir Everard Kingsland's life! Poor fools! A thousand times better for you all if I had let that midnight assassin shoot him down like a dog!" CHAPTER X. A SHAFT FROM CUPID'S QUIVER. It was fully ten o'clock, and the hunting-party were ready to start, when Sir Everard Kingsland joined them, looking handsome and happy as a young prince in his very becoming hunting costume. Of course the young baronet's first look was for Lady Louise--he scarcely glanced at the rest. She was just being assisted into the saddle by the devoted George Grosvenor, but she turned to Sir Everard and graciously held out her gauntleted hand. "Once more," she said, "almost late. Laggard! I shall quarrel with you one of these days if you do not learn to be more punctual." "You will never have to reproach me again," he said. "Had I known you would have honored my absence by a thought, you should not have had to reproach me now." "Very pretty, indeed, Sir Everard. But don't waste your time paying compliments this morning. Thanks, Mr. Grosvenor; that will do. For whom are you looking, Sir Everard? Lady Carteret? Oh, she is going to see as much of the fun as she can from the carriage, with some other ladies. Miss Hunsden and mys
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76  
77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Everard
 

Kingsland

 

Sybilla

 
daughter
 
Louise
 
handsome
 

reproach

 

Silver

 

hunting

 

Grosvenor


scarcely
 
George
 

assisted

 

devoted

 

saddle

 

glanced

 

costume

 

QUIVER

 

joined

 

baronet


prince
 

punctual

 

compliments

 
paying
 

morning

 
Thanks
 
pretty
 

carriage

 

ladies

 

Hunsden


Carteret

 

Laggard

 
quarrel
 
graciously
 

gauntleted

 
honored
 

absence

 

thought

 

CHAPTER

 

turned


slowly

 

breakfasted

 
service
 

rendered

 
scarlet
 
ridden
 

mounted

 

murmured

 
liquid
 

lifted