The words were innocent enough; but Arthur Hollis never for a moment dreamed of the terrible mischief they were to do in the after years.
Those words so simply uttered sent a thrill through the heart of the girl who listened.
"Ah, I have it!" she said to herself. "A way is opened to me at last to part Eugene Mallard and his wife. I will encourage Arthur Hollis's admiration for the beautiful Ida. Men are easily flattered. There is no knowing what the end will be."
It was a plot worthy of a fiend incarnate; but this girl, who loved Eugene Mallard, would stop at nothing to gain her end.
[CHAPTER XXXVIII.]
During the fortnight that followed, Arthur Hollis sunned himself each day more and more in Ida's presence.
No one noticed it save Vivian Deane. He saw no danger, nor did she, in their companionship. In the meantime, the shadow darkened and deepened. It was simply the old story in another form.
They were both young. She was gifted with the sweetest grace that ever a woman possessed; he was brave, courteous, and noble, with the first throb of a mighty passion in his heart.
What usually happens in such cases? He fell desperately in love with Ida.