"I wish I had something to confess," she thought, but from the scores
of her flirtations, and even offers, for she had not lacked for them,
she could not find one where her own feelings had been enlisted in
ever so slight a degree, until she remembered Thornton Hastings, who
for one whole week had paid her much attentions as made her drive
round on purpose to look at the house on Madison Square where the
future Mrs. Hastings was to live. But his coolness afterwards, and his
comments on her frivolity had terribly angered her, making her think
she hated him, as she had said to Anna. Now, however, as she
remembered the drive and the house, she nestled closer to Arthur, and
told him all about it, fingering the buttons on his dressing-gown as
she told it, and never dreaming of the pang she was inflicting as
Arthur thought how mysterious were God's ways, and wondered that he
had not reversed the matter, and given Lucy to Thornton Hastings
rather than to him, who did not half deserve her.
"I know now I never cared a bit for Thornton Hastings, though I might
if he had not been so mean as to call me frivolous," Lucy said, as she
arose to go; then suddenly turning to the rector, she added: "I shall
never ask you who your first love was, but I would like to know if you
have quite forgotten her."
"Have you forgotten Thornton Hastings?" Arthur asked, laughingly, and
Lucy replied, "Of course not; one never forgets, but I don't care a
pin for him now, and, did I tell you Fanny writes that rumor says he
will marry Anna Ruthven?"
"Yes, no, I did not know--I am not surprised," and Arthur stooped to
pick up a book lying on the floor, thus hiding his face from Lucy,
who, woman-like, was glad to report a piece of gossip, and continued:
"She is a great belle, Fanny says--dressed beautifully and in perfect
taste, besides talking as if she knew something, and this pleases Mr.
Hastings, who takes her out to ride and drive, and all this after I
warned her against him, and told her just what he said of me. I am
surprised at her."
Lucy was drawing on her gauntlets, and Arthur was waiting to see her
out, but she still lingered on the threshold, and at last said to him,
"I wonder you never fell in love with Anna yourself. I am sure if I
were you I should prefer her to me. She knows something and I do not,
but I am going to study. There are piles of books in the library at
Prospect Hill, and you shall see what a famous student I will become.
If I get puzzled, will you help me?"