pointment. With such language did Lady de
Courcy speak of the affair among her daughters, and her daughters
altogether agreed with her that it was out of the question that Mr
Crosbie should marry Lily Dale. From Alexandrina he encountered
during the week none of that raillery which he had expected. He
had promised to explain to her before he left the castle all the
circumstances of his acquaintance with Lily, and she at last showed
herself determined to demand the fulfilment of this promise; but,
previous to that, she said nothing to manifest either offence or a
lessened friendship. And I regret to say, that in the intercourse
which had taken place between them, that friendship was by no means
less tender that it had been in London.

"And when will you tell me what you promised?" she asked him one
afternoon, speaking in a low voice, as they were standing together at
the window of the billiard-room, in that idle half-hour which always
occurs before the necessity for dinner preparation has come. She had
been riding and was still in her habit, and he had returned from
shooting. She knew that she looked more than ordinarily well in her
tall straight hat and riding gear, and was wont to hang about the
house, walking skilfully with her upheld drapery, during this period
of the day. It was dusk, but not dark, and there was no artificial
light in the billiard-room. There had been some pretence of knocking
about the balls, but it had been only pretence. "Even Diana," she had
said, "could not have played billiards in a habit." Then she had put
down her mace, and they had stood talking together in the recess of a
large bow-window.

"And what did I promise?" said Crosbie.

"You know well enough. Not that it is a matter of any special
interest to me; only, as you undertook to promise, of course my
curiosity has been raised."

"If it be of no special interest" said Crosbie, "you will not object
to absolve me from my promise."

"That is just like you," she said. "And how false you men always are.
You made up your mind to buy my silence on a distasteful subject by
pretending to offer me your future confidence; and now you tell me
that you do not mean to confide in me."

"You begin by telling me that the matter is one that does not in the
least interest you."

"That is so false again! You know very well what I meant. Do you
remember what you said to me the day you came? and am I not bound to
tell you after that, that your marr