Darrell seated himself with a curious expression. It was not the first

time Kate had eluded him thus within the last few days. He had missed of

late certain pleasant little familiarities and light, tender caresses,

to which he had become accustomed, and he began to wonder at this

change in his child companion, as he regarded her.

"What has come over the child?" he soliloquized; "two weeks ago if I had

given her a challenge for a waltz she would have taken me up, but lately

she is as demure as a little nun! We will have to give it up, won't we,

Duke, old boy?" he continued, addressing the collie, whose intelligent

eyes were fastened on his face with a shrewd expression, as though,

aware of the trend of Darrell's thoughts, he, too, considered his

beloved young mistress rather incomprehensible.

The ensuing days were so crowded with preparations for the coming event

and with such constant demands upon Kate's time that Darrell seldom saw

her except at meals, and opportunities for anything like their

accustomed pleasant interchange of confidence were few and far between.

On those rare occasions, however, when he succeeded in meeting her

alone, Darrell could not but be impressed by the subtle and to him

inexplicable change in her manner. She seemed in some way so remotely

removed from the young girl who, but a few days before, in response to

the violin's tale, had confided to him the loneliness of her own life. A

shy, sweet, but impenetrable reserve seemed to have replaced the

childlike familiarity. Her eyes still brightened with welcome at his

approach, but their light was quickly veiled beneath drooping lids, and

through the cadences of her low tones he caught at times the vibration

of a new chord, to whose meaning his ear was as yet unattuned.

He did not know, nor did any other, that within that short time she had

learned her own heart's secret. Child that she was, she had met Love

face to face, and in that one swift, burning glance of recognition the

womanhood within her had expanded as the bud expands, bursting its

imprisoning calyx under the ardent glance of the sun. But Darrell,

seeing only the effect and knowing nothing of the cause, was vaguely

troubled.

On the day of the reception both Mr. Underwood and Darrell lunched and

dined down town, returning together to The Pines in the interim between

the afternoon and evening entertainments. As Darrell sprang from the

carriage and ran up the stairs the servants were already turning on the

lights temporarily suspended within the veranda and throughout the

grounds, so that the place seemed transformed into a bit of fairyland.

He heard chatter and laughter, and caught glimpses of young

ladies--special guests from out of town--flitting from room to room, but

Kate was nowhere to be seen.




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