nic's face and eyes blazing with passion, rushed into
my vision, and the duke's critical, suspicious, disapproving scrutiny,
and I felt as if a cry of pain, like a wounded animal, escaped me.

"Darling, darling, what is it? Did I hurt your dear little hand?" Lord
Robert exclaimed, tenderly.

"No," I whispered, brokenly; "but I cannot listen to you. I am going back
to Claridge's now, and I am going to marry Mr. Carruthers."

He dropped my hand as if it stung him.

"Good God! Then it is true," was all he said.

In fear I glanced at him, his face looked gray in the quickly gathering
mist.

"Oh, Robert!" I said, in anguish, unable to help myself. "It isn't because
I want to. I--I--oh, probably I love you, but I must; there is nothing
else to be done."

"Isn't there?" he said, all the life and joy coming back to his face. "Do
you think I will let Christopher, or any other man in the world have you,
now that you have confessed that?" and, fortunately, there was no one in
sight, because he put his arms round my neck and drew me close and kissed
my lips.

Oh, what nonsense people talk of heaven! Sitting on clouds and singing
psalms and things like that! There can't be any heaven half so lovely as
being kissed by Robert. I felt quite giddy with happiness for several
exquisite seconds, then I woke up. It was all absolutely impossible, I
knew, and I must keep my head.

"Now you belong to me," he said, letting his arm slip down to my waist,
"so you must begin at the beginning, and tell me everything."

"No, no," I said, struggling feebly to free myself, and feeling so glad he
held me tight. "It is impossible, all the same, and that only makes it
harder. Christopher is coming to see me at four, and I promised Lady Ver I
would not be a fool, and would marry him."

"A fig for Lady Ver," he said, calmly. "If that is all, you leave her to
me--she never argues with me."

"It is not only that; I--I promised I would never play with you."

"And you certainly never shall," he said, and I could see a look in his
eye as he purposely misconstrued my words, and then he deliberately kissed
me again. Oh, I like it better than anything else in the world! How could
any one keep their head with Robert quite close, making love like that?

"You certainly never--never--shall," he said again, with a kiss between
each word. "I will take care of that. Your time of playing with people is
over, mademoiselle. When you are married to me, I shal