"I hope some day to prove worthy of your trust," she breathed, softly,
and looked in dread into the darkness lest in some way her words
should reach Arnault. "Come, please," she added, with a gentle
pressure on his arm, "let us return, or the hotel may be closed upon
us."

"Please give me all the time you can," pleaded Graydon, as they paused
at the door.

Looking within, she saw Arnault with his back toward them, and said,
hastily, and as if impulsively, "I will--all that I can. Possibly my
regret will be deeper than yours that I cannot give you more."

"You should know that that is not possible," he said, in low, earnest
tones. Then he added, in a whisper, as she was entering, "I can trust
you now and wait."

"My good fortune is still in the ascendant," was her thought; "I can
still keep him in hand, in spite of papa and Mr. Arnault."

"Her father's relations with Mr. Arnault must give him some hold upon
her," he thought, "and for her father's sake she cannot yield to me at
once, but she will eventually."

Mr. Arnault came forward with smiling lips, light words, yet resolute
eyes. Graydon felt that he had received all the assurance that he
needed--that she was under some necessity of keeping his rival in
good-humor--so he smiled significantly into her eyes, and bowed
himself away.

"Muir looked as if he had received all the comfort that he required,"
Arnault said, as they strolled across the parlor, now deserted.

"Did he? Well, he did not require very much."

"How much?"

"You had better ask him."

"Stella," he said, and there was a suggestion of menace in his tone,
"I'm in earnest now. You will soon have to choose between us."

"Shall I?" she replied, bending upon him an arch, bewildering smile.
"Then please don't speak as if I had no choice at all;" and she was
going.

"Wait," he said. "Will you drive with me to-morrow?"

"Yes. Is there anything else your lordship would like?"

He seized her hand, and held it in both his. "This," he said.

"Is that all?" was her laughing reply, as she withdrew it. "I wish you
had more of Mr. Muir's diffidence;" and she vanished before he could
speak again.

Graydon found that Madge had retired, so that there was no chance for
him to speak to her that night; but his mind was in too happy a tumult
to give her much thought.

CHAPTER XVI

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

Mrs. Muir came into Madge's room for a bit of the gossip that she
dearly loved,