“Dear me,” exclaimed Billie, “I never heard such an interesting mixture of news in all my life. You’ll be telling me His Grace kissed you next.”
“He didn’t, but he ordered the head gardener to take us through the hot houses——”
“Conservatories, child,” corrected Billie.
“And we came away simply laden with flowers. These are Killarney roses. Mary chose white roses and Elinor took pink carnations.”
Undoubtedly a wonderful change had come over the Duke of Kilkenty and his whole nature appeared to be transformed.
It was not easy for Billie to conceal from the watchful eye of Miss Campbell and the girls the tremendous secret that she must keep to herself until five o’clock the next afternoon. It was an anxious and uneasy time for her. Suppose Beatrice should arrange to take them off somewhere at that hour, she thought. Suppose there should be visitors to tea in the garden; suppose it should be raining; suppose a hundred things. The weary minutes stretched themselves into hours and the hours became interminably long, it seemed to her, before the time even approached five o’clock the next day. The strain of waiting was almost more than she could endure alone. At last, after an endless time of playing tennis and walking and visiting the kennels and doing fifty other things, the five girls repaired to the Abbey garden, where Miss Campbell and Maria sat talking with Lord Glenarm and—was it possible?—the Duke of Kilkenty, himself. He was pale and his head was bandaged, but he insisted on rising and being duly presented to the four agitated young Americans. Did he recall the five pounds and the angry beast Feargus had killed? They could not tell. He was extremely courteous and there was a kindly light in his eyes that reassured them. Billie sat down limply in a chair and waited. Some one gave her a cup of tea which she forgot to drink. Her eyes were fastened on the ivy-grown arch in the wall of the ruins, and all the time a little figure was approaching slowly along the garden walk from the other end.
It was Beatrice who first called out with much excitement:
“Why, who is that?”
Everybody looked up and the Duke of Kilkenty cried:
“Arthur! Arthur!”