Graeme rose, and, without speaking, came and laid her head upon her friend’s lap. In a little she said,—
“How I longed for this place! I had no one to speak to. I used to think you might have helped and comforted me a little.”
She did not try to hide her tears; but they did not flow long. Janet’s kind hand had not lost its old soothing power, and by and by Graeme raised herself up, and, wiping away her tears, said, with a faint smile,—
“And so Sandy saw poor Harry’s secret? I did not, at first. I suppose little Emily had sharpened his eyes to see such things, even then.”
“Yes, Sandy saw it, and it was a great surprise to us all when there came word of her marriage. Sandy never thought of Allan Ruthven and his cousin coming together.”
Graeme rose and took her work again. It was growing dark, and she carried it to the window and bent over it.
“Was it for her money—or why was it?”
“Oh! no. I never could think so. She was a very sweet and lovely creature; we loved her dearly, Rose and I. They had been engaged a long time, I believe, though the marriage was sudden at last. That was because of her father’s illness. He died soon after, you remember.”
“Yes, I remember. Well, I didna think that Allan Ruthven was one to let the world get a firm grip of him. But folk change. I didna ken.”
“Oh! no, it was not that,” said Graeme, eagerly. “Indeed, at that time Mr Elphinstone’s affairs were rather involved. He had met with great losses, Harry says, and Arthur thought that nothing but Mr Ruthven’s high character and great business talents could have saved the firm from ruin. Oh! no; it was not for money.”