Mayne stared at her amazed! She was no longer pale.
"Nancy!" he exclaimed, "I remember how in old days you talked the wildest nonsense, I don't suppose for a moment, that you know or mean, one single word of what you are saying."
"Yes, I do," she rejoined tremulously, "but I can promise you this,"—her lips quivered—and she added with difficulty, "I will never say it again," she paused, struggling between pride, and emotion.
"Oh, my dear Nancy, if I could only believe you—don't you know——"
"So here you are, Derek!" exclaimed a high, authoritative treble, and through a breach in the Pergola, Mrs. Speyde appeared, waving an imperative tennis bat. "Have you forgotten, that we are all waiting to make up a match?" She glanced sharply from him to Nancy. His face wore a strained expression, as for the girl, she was the colour of a crimson rambler!
"Ah," with a little malicious laugh, "I see you have been talking secrets. Yes, Miss Nancy, I always suspected that you knew a good deal more about this gentleman than you pretended. Well, for the present, you must leave the cat in the bag. Derek," laying an arresting hand on his arm, "you've got to come!"
Mayne drew back, but before anything further happened, Nancy had picked up her hat, and vanished through an opening that led into the old walled garden.
That same evening, Nancy selected her most becoming frock, and took particular pains with her hair—for she entertained high hopes, that Mayne would seek her out, and endeavour to resume the conversation so cruelly interrupted by Josie Speyde. At dinner, she saw nothing of him,—as he happened to be on the same side of the table; later, as he held the door for the ladies to pass forth, it seemed to her, that he gave her a glance of particular significance; but strange to say, he did not come into the drawing-room with the other men.
About an hour later, when she was singing a duet with Sir Dudley, she noticed him standing near the door. It struck her, that he looked pale and rather stern,—as if he had been annoyed, or disappointed; he made no effort whatever to speak to her for the remainder of the evening; and she retired for the night, with an acute sense of hopelessness, and depression.