houghts were tending, and her
cheeks grew hot in spite of herself.

"If I speak to Meryl to-night, and she decrees that the engagement
shall end, will you promise to ride this way to-morrow morning?"

"What for?" trying to speak with nonchalance.

"To answer the question I asked you just now."

"Which question? I have forgotten it."

"I will ask it again to-morrow."

"But why all this mystery?... Ask me now. I will answer it if I can."

"I would rather wait until to-morrow. Come, you have said all you
wanted to say to me. Let me have my turn now." And she knew that his
eyes, sharpened by love, were reading things she had scarcely yet
admitted to herself.

She got up suddenly, feeling a little breathless. She began to have
again that alarming sensation of being mastered; as if he had some
hold upon her, against which it was her instinct to fight, not because
of any antipathy to him, but because, like all women of her
independent character and fearlessness, she dreaded the mere thought
of losing her liberty or yielding her independence. And at the same
time she knew that the thought which held a dread held a charm also.
Diana would never lose her grit and personality, she would never
submit for a moment to any overshadowing, but deep in her heart she
knew she was true woman enough to like to be conquered by the right
man. Her instinct was to contradict van Hert in anything just then and
deny any wish, but she was glad he quietly insisted upon her granting
his request, and that when they finally rode away it was an understood
thing she would come again the next morning.

XXX

DIANA IS RESTLESS

It would be most difficult, indeed well-nigh impossible, for any
chronicler to describe the state of Diana's feelings that afternoon;
and very certain that under no circumstances would she have attempted
to describe them herself. The swift coming into life of the love
between her and van Hert was like the man who said he had not been
born, he just happened. One could imagine Diana calmly stating their
love had no explanation, it just happened. Perhaps it had been there
longer than either of them knew; perhaps it took form suddenly when
each realised the unsubstantial nature of the engagement to Meryl.
Diana had always had a special liking for van Hert, and had said so
openly; but as he had for some time been presented in her mind as her
cousin's lover, there had been no reason why the liking should grow to
any