Then he said suddenly:
"You have no parents, Miss Hale?"
"No, my lord," said Margaret sadly.
"And you rely upon your own efforts?" he said gently.
"Yes," replied Margaret, "I depend entirely upon my painting, Lord Ferrers."
"It is not an ignoble dependence," said the stately old man. "You are happy in being able to rely upon yourself. And you delight in your work?"
"I am fonder of it than anything else, my lord," said Margaret, with a smile.
The earl paced toward the broad steps that lead from the terrace to the gardens, and Margaret, feeling that she must not go until she was dismissed, walked by his side.
At a turn in the path he stopped short.
"I must leave you now," he said. "Good-bye! Perhaps, some day, you will be kind enough to give me your company in another stroll. You will not forget the picture?"