y's leave," answered De
Gernet, coolly.

"Gramercy, but thou wilt have a lovely wife! There'll be no pride in
her outside her name," said the Countess, with a grim smile at her own
joke. Indeed, she was so much amused that she forgot to be angry.

"I will see about that, if my Lady will grant me her grace," responded
De Gernet, in the same tone.

"Eh, thou shalt have her," said the Countess. "I shall get Roisia
disposed of a sight easier than Heliet. So be it. Roisia, thou canst
still prepare for thy bridal; I will find somebody by Monday morning."

The Countess was rising from her chair, when Sir Lambert, after a glance
at Roisia, observed that if her Ladyship found any difficulty in that
selection, he had no particular objection to be chosen.

"You!" said the Countess. "Oh, very good; it will save trouble. Let it
be so."

Roisia appeared to be, if anything, rather gratified by the exchange.
But Clarice, looking into the dark, passionate eyes of Felicia, felt
troubled for the happiness of Heliet.

Olympias, like Clarice, was promoted to a vacancy among the ladies of
the bedchamber. But Sir Lambert and Roisia passed away from the life at
Whitehall. The new Maids of Honour were speedily appointed. Their
names proved to be Sabina Babingell, Ada Gresley, and Filomena Bray.
The Countess declared her intention of keeping four only in the future.

The summer of 1292 saw the King on the Scottish border, and in his train
the Earl and Countess of Cornwall, with their household, moved north as
far as Oakham. The household had been increased by one more, for in the
April previous Clarice Barkeworth became the mother of a little girl.
This was the first event which helped to reconcile her to her lot. She
had been honestly trying hard to do her duty by Vivian, who scarcely
seemed to think that he had any duty towards her, beyond the obvious one
of civility in public. All thought of Piers Ingham had been resolutely
crushed down, except when it came--as it sometimes did--in the form of a
dream of bliss from which she awoke to desolation. A miserable day was
sure to follow one of those dreams. The only other moment when she
allowed herself to think of him was in her evening prayer.

It was a relief to Clarice that she had never heard a word of Piers
since he left Whitehall. Her work would have been harder if his name
had remained a household word. And yet in another sense it was hard
never to know what had be