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THE ROSE AND THE LILY. 33
—wouldn’t tell it, no, not to save my life, only that Miss
Maud will be angry if I don’t,” she says, deprecatingly.
No words come from: Reine’s pale lips. She stares
with great, troubled dark eyes alternately at the beauti-
ful, cruel mistress and the shrinking little maid.
“Tell her,” Maud repeats, imperiously.
“Well, then, he said,” the maid begins, nervously, ‘‘he
said; Mrs. Charteris, a flat no that he wouldn’t marry
you, that he couldn’t love a vixen and a-hoiden like you,
an’ he'd sooner die than have you hanged like a mill.
stone around his neck.”
“Why, then, did he consent to marry me?” the bride
gasps, after a shiver and moan of unspeakable humilia-
tion. .
“For your own sake, ma’am, ‘cause Mr. Langton said
he’d make you his heiress if the gentleman would marry
you, and if he wouldn’t, why he would leave his money
to some asylum for fools. An’ so Mr. Vane he said he
would marry you, ’cause he wouldn't want you to lose
the fortune on his account.” 7
“On one condition,” Maud says, in her clear, high-
_ pitched voice, gazing with pitiless eyes at the beautiful,
scarlet face before her.
But Reine lifts her small hand with a sudden impert-
ous gesture of command. ;
“TY will not hear another word,” she says, in a tone of
mingled sorrow and pride. ‘‘ You must obey me now,
Nellie! Iam your mistress, not Maud. And I command
you never to open your lips on this subject again.
" Nellie shrinks abashed. Her whilom mistress laughs
low and mockingly.
“You have heard enough, eh? Well, I don't blame
you. Well, Nellie, the note?” ; .
“Oh, miss, I haven’t found it yet, and indeed—indeed,
I've looked in every spot in this room where It could
possibly be. Sure, you've tucked it away somewhere
and forgot, Miss Maud. Try to. remember where you
had it last,” the girl says, soothingly. |
Startled and half afraid, Maud springs to her feet,
putting her white hand to her brow. 7
“Let me think,” she says, confusedly; ah, now I re
member; yesterday, when I went down the path to Mr.
Charteris and Reine under the tree I had the note in my
hand. I slipped it into my pocket.’