is rather cavalier
treatment, I must say!--To throw a man over who has loved you so
long--and for the sake of a lesson in Greek!"

"How long, pray, have you loved me?" said Arctura, growing angry. "I
was willing to be friendly with you, so much so that I am sorry it is
no longer possible!"

"You punish me pretty sharply, my lady, for a trifle of which I told
you I was ashamed!" said Forgue, biting his lip. "It was the merest--"

"I do not wish to hear anything about it!" said Arctura sternly. Then,
afraid she had been unkind, she added in altered tone: "You had better
go and have a gallop. You may have Larkie if you like."

He turned and left the room. She only meant to pique him, he said to
himself. She had been cherishing her displeasure, and now she had had
her revenge would feel better and be sorry next! It was a very good
morning's work after all! It was absurd to think she preferred a Greek
lesson from a clown to a ride with lord Forgue! Was not she too a
Graeme!

Partly to make reconciliation the easier, partly because the horse was
superior to his own, he would ride Larkie!

But his reasoning was not so satisfactory to him as to put him in a
good temper, and poor Larkie had to suffer for his ill-humour. His
least movement that displeased him put him in a rage, and he rode him
so foolishly as well as tyrannically that he brought him home quite
lame, thus putting an end for a time to all hope of riding again with
Arctura.

Instead of going and telling her what he had done, he sent for the
farrier, and gave orders that the mishap should not be mentioned.

A week passed, and then another; and as he could say nothing about
riding, he was in a measure self-banished from Arctura's company. A
furious jealousy began to master him. He scorned to give place to it
because of the insult to himself if he allowed a true ground for it.
But it gradually gained power. This country bumpkin, this cow-herd,
this man of spelling-books and grammars, to come between his cousin and
him! Of course he was not so silly as imagine for a moment she cared
for him!--that she would disgrace herself by falling in love with a
fellow just loosed from the plough-tail! She was a Graeme, and could
never be a traitor to her blood! If only he had not been such an
infernal fool! A vulgar little thing without an idea in her head! So
unpleasant--so disgusting at last with her love-making! Nothing pleased
her but hugging and kissing!--That was h