A sudden sense of sadness swept over her, and her infatuation for her chum Margaret, and the recollection of their solemn vows, flashed vividly through her perplexed brain, evoking several deep sighs from the depths of her constant heart. Notwithstanding the cringing advances of many officers of position and wealth, as well as scions of nobles, she had fallen desperately in love with the stranger at first sight. He seemed to her as an ideal, her affinity, but alas! she remembered her vow! Aurora was in a very disturbed frame of mind when Spencer Hamilton came forward for the encore.
Spencer Hamilton, the violin virtuoso had, in the meantime, another mission to perform in connection with his appearance as a musical artist. He was no other than Margaret MacDonald herself, metamorphosed by Hyder Ben Raaba into the virile, manly fellow who had assumed the name of Spencer Hamilton and, as a violinist, had come to lay siege to the heart of Aurora.
With his furtive glances now and then he was reading the soul of Aurora, now full of perplexing emotions. He could hardly control his own emotions and began to render as an encore a tune which he expected would create a tumult in the breast of Aurora Cunningham.
Putting forth all his energy so as to make it his best effort in execution, he played to one alone.
At first Aurora thought that the tune had some vague resemblance to a musical production which she had heard before, but could not tell when and where. As it proceeded it gradually dawned upon her that, somehow there was a connection between the thought of Margaret and the music. She became more and more agitated and was quite certain now that this soul-stirring melody was the creation of her dear, beloved friend and confidant, Margaret MacDonald. Then she realized that the words were her own.
“Oh, the oath!” she gasped, her brain in a delirium of intoxication. Realizing fully that the melody was nothing else than the very composition of Margaret, and that she had written the words at the Diana Seminary on the very eventful night of the moonlight reception, she was unable to conceive how it had become a public property. Was Margaret after all a capricious traitor, a recalcitrant, who had forsaken her solemn vow and desecrated their covenant?
These and other thoughts drove Aurora to the verge of collapse, and as Spencer Hamilton concluded the piece with a finale of deep pathos that reached the pinnacle of tragic intensity, there was commotion around where Aurora was enthroned, for she had lost consciousness.
Thinking that the intense interest and excitement of the occasion had caused her faintness, she was gently removed to her apartment and the program of the evening’s festivities was completed with a brilliant reception and dance. Hamilton himself, however, was so affected that he left the reception at once and returned to his hotel and there tried to regain strength for the ordeal that he was planning to carry out next day.
The following morning, at the proper time for calling in India, he left his hostelry and directed his steps toward the Viceregal palace on the pretense of making inquiry concerning the health of Aurora, but ostensibly to reveal the mysterious metempsychosis of himself and to reassert his undying love for her.
Having arrived at the gate he learned that Aurora had been restored to her normal state of health and spirits. He consequently sent in his card and a few minutes later was summoned to the drawing-room of the palace where, after a second’s waiting, Aurora Cunningham appeared on the threshold, somewhat flushed and agitated.