Here she looked down again suddenly. The Duke leaned forward eagerly; this was a strange confession!
"I wanted once to talk to a man as an equal, to feel what it was like to be a lady and not to have to remember to be respectful. So I deliberately asked Mr. Strobridge to arrange it—after I had heard you speak."
The Duke was much astonished—and gratified.
"How frank and delicious of you to tell me this! I thought the evening was enchanting—but why do you say such a silly thing as that you wanted to feel what it was like to be a lady? You could never have felt anything else."
"Indeed, I could; I am not a lady by birth, anything but! only I have tried to educate myself into being one, and it was so nice to have a chance of deciding if I had succeeded or no."
"And your verdict was?" he raised amused eyebrows.
She looked demure.
"By Your Grace's words just now, I conclude that I have succeeded."
"Only by my words just now? I thought we had had a rather pleasant and interesting hour of conversation as fellow-guests."
"Yes—You are not shocked, then, when I tell you that I am not really a lady?"