The New Magdalen

His tone pointed the allusion. Mercy shrank from looking at him. The

signs of painful agitation began to show themselves in her shifting

color and her uneasy silence. Roused by Julian's significantly distant

reference to what had passed between them, her better impulses were

struggling already to recover their influence over her. She might, at

that critical moment, have yielded to the promptings of her own nobler

nature--she might have risen superior to the galling remembrance of the

insults that had been heaped upon her--if Grace's malice had not seen

in her hesitation a means of referring offensively once again to her

interview with Julian Gray.

"Pray don't think twice about trusting him alone with me," she said,

with a sardonic affectation of politeness. "_I_ am not interested in

making a conquest of Mr. Julian Gray."

The jealous distrust in Horace (already awakened by Julian's request)

now attempted to assert itself openly. Before he could speak, Mercy's

indignation had dictated Mercy's answer.

"I am much obliged to you, Mr. Gray," she said, addressing Julian (but

still not raising her eyes to his). "I have nothing more to say. There

is no need for me to trouble you again."

In those rash words she recalled the confession to which she stood

pledged. In those rash words she committed herself to keeping the

position that she had usurped, in the face of the woman whom she had

deprived of it!

Horace was silenced, but not satisfied. He saw Julian's eyes fixed in

sad and searching attention on Mercy's face while she was speaking.

He heard Julian sigh to himself when she had done. He observed

Julian--after a moment's serious consideration, and a moment's glance

backward at the stranger in the poor black clothes--lift his head with

the air of a man who had taken a sudden resolution.

"Bring me that card directly," he said to the servant. His tone

announced that he was not to be trifled with. The man obeyed.

Without answering Lady Janet--who still peremptorily insisted on her

right to act for herself--Julian took the pencil from his pocketbook and

added his signature to the writing already inscribed on the card. When

he had handed it back to the servant he made his apologies to his aunt.

"Pardon me for venturing to interfere," he said "There is a serious

reason for what I have done, which I will explain to you at a fitter

time. In the meanwhile I offer no further obstruction to the course

which you propose taking. On the contrary, I have just assisted you in

gaining the end that you have in view."

As he said that he held up the pencil with which he had signed his name.

Lady Janet, naturally perplexed, and (with some reason, perhaps)

offended as well, made no answer. She waved her hand to the servant, and

sent him away with the card.