excitement of having to plan interviews and arrange her letters so as to
escape detection; it never occured to her that if she had been like
other girls of her age in society, and so enabled to judge of people, so
far from loving him and making a hero of him, he would have been
distasteful to her. She had had no opportunities of being able to judge.
Lord Ridsdale's only idea was to keep her at school as long as possible,
in order to escape further trouble. She had never been in the society of
gentlemen, and her head was full of romance and poetry.

Therefore she fell an easy victim to the artist and his sister. She was
ready to believe he was a great hero, because he was handsome; that he
was all that could be noble and generous, because he talked poetry.
True, she began to dislike the concealment, but it never struck her that
she disliked it because the whole affair was growing tiresome to her.

She had talked it over and over again with him--how they must wait until
she was twenty-one, then they would be married and go to live at Hanton.

"You will like Hanton," she said. "It is old, gray and picturesque; the
woods are beautiful, there is a river running through them."

"I shall like any place that I could share with you," he replied. "When
shall you leave this place, Marion?"

"At Christmas, I expect. But, Allan, shall we never see each other until
I am twenty-one?"

"I hope so," he replied. "You do not know where you will live?"

"No, that is not decided. Lord Ridsdale says I cannot go to Hanton
alone, and I know that I cannot live at his house."

"But go where you will, Marion, you will write to me and see me
sometimes?"

"Of course I shall. If I remain in London it will be comparatively easy,
and if I go into the country you will be obliged to follow me."

"I wish I could disguise myself as a page and go with you," he said. "I
do not see how I am to live without you."

He did another thing which touched her generous heart--he painted a
picture, and with the proceeds of the sale of it he purchased a ring for
her. It was his sister who told her how the ring was procured.

"It is my belief," said Miss Lyster, "that if he could change his whole
heart into one great ruby, he would do so, and offer it to you."

She placed the ring on her finger, and he made her promise never to take
it off. It was made of rubies and opals set in pure gold.

"Do not remove that, Marion," he said, "until I can find a plain g