"Did you wish to ask something?" she said, at length, remarking his hesitation.
The sound of her voice emboldened him, but he spoke respectfully, taking off his hat.
"No, Lady Rose, I want nothing. But I can tell you that which it is perhaps best that you should know."
"Is it of the wedding? Is it of Ruth you would speak?"
"Of her, and of others, nearer and dearer to you than, she ever was, or can be, Lady Rose."
The soft flush of color, that was natural to that lovely face, deepened to a rich carnation, and then to scarlet.
"I do not understand!"
"I am wanting to speak of Walton Hurst, the heir of 'Norston's Rest.'"
"And what of him? Nothing serious can have happened since I saw him," said Lady Rose, at first with a swift, anxious glance; then she smiled at her own fright; for half an hour before she had seen Hurst walking upon the terrace.
"Lady Rose, have you seen Sir Noel this morning?"