"You will dance a quadrille, at least?" he asked, and she consented.
Then he offered her his arm and they walked through the room together.
The ballroom at Stoneland House was a large and magnificent apartment; many people thought it the finest ballroom in London; the immense dome was brilliantly lighted, the walls were superbly painted, and tier after tier of superb blossoms filled the room with exquisite color and exquisite perfume.
The ballroom opened into a large conservatory, which led to a fernery, and from the fernery one passed to the grounds. Leone felt embarrassed; she longed to praise the beautiful place, yet it seemed to her if she did so it would be like reminding him that it ought to have been hers; while he, on the contrary, did not dare to draw her attention to picture, flower, or statue, lest she should remember that they had been taken from her by a great and grievous wrong.
"We are not very cheerful friends," he said, trying to arouse himself.
"I begin to think we have done wrong in ever thinking of friendship at all," she replied.
Lord Chandos turned to her suddenly.
"Leone," he said, "you have quite made a conquest of my mother—you do not know how she admires you!"
A bitter smile curled the beautiful lips.
"It is too late," she said sadly. "It does not seem very long since she refused even to tolerate me."