Nell of Shorne Mills

"I was on the terrace," she said, almost inaudibly. "It is you who

forget. It was not because you kept your right name and rank from me. I

was on the terrace. I saw you and--and Lady Luce!"

He started, and his hand fell to his side. He could not speak for a

moment, the shock was so great, and in silence he recalled, saw as in a

flash of lightning, all the incidents of that night.

"You--you were there? You saw--heard?" he said, half mechanically.

"Yes," she said.

She was calm, unnaturally calm now, and her voice was grave and sad

rather than reproachful.

"I saw and heard everything. I saw her and Lady Chesney before you came

out. I heard Lady Luce telling her friend that you and she were engaged,

that you had parted, but that she still cared for you, and that you

would come back to her; and when you came out of the house on the

terrace, I saw her--and you----Oh, why do you make me tell you? It is

hateful, shameful!"

She turned her face away, as if she could not bear his gaze fixed on her

with amazement, and yet with some other emotion qualifying it.

"You saw Lady Luce come to meet me, heard her speak to me, saw her kiss

me?" he said, almost to himself; and even at that moment she was

conscious of the fact that there was no shame in his voice, none in his

eyes.

She made a motion with her hand as if imploring him to say no more, to

leave her; but he caught at her hand and held it, though she strove to

release it from his grasp.

"My God! and that was the reason? Why, oh, Nell! Nell! why did you not

tell me what you had seen? Why did you say no word of it in your letter?

If you had done so--if you had only done so!"

She looked at him sadly.

"Was it not true? Were you not engaged to her?" she asked, almost

inaudibly.

"Yes," he replied quickly. "I kept that from you; but it was true. You

read of the engagement in that paragraph in the stupid paper, you

remember? I ought to have told you, and I thought that it was because I

had not, as well as because I had concealed my rank, that you broke with

me. But, Nell, my engagement with her was broken off by herself; when

there was a chance of my losing the title and the estates, she jilted

me. I was free when I asked you to be my wife. You believe that? Great

heavens! you do not think me so bad, so base----"