Count Beppo’s attitude interested and rather puzzled him. Was the young man playing a double game? His manner to Lily was simply civil and deferential. Indeed, it was hard to believe that the Beppo Polda of to-day was the same Beppo Polda who had showered such extravagant compliments on the girl at the Club two nights ago. The shrewd Frenchman wondered whether Lily Fairfield had confessed to an understanding with Angus Stuart—thus convincing Beppo Polda that she neither would nor could ever marry him. If so, the Count and Countess were evidently not in the secret.
About an hour later Angus Stuart and Lily were again alone for a few moments.
“I don’t know how I shall be able to get through the time till you’ve heard from your uncle,” he said in a low tone. “Oh, Lily—I wonder if you know how much I love you?”
She was on the point of telling him that there was not the slightest necessity to write out that account of himself to which he had referred. And yet at the very back of her mind there was a good deal of surprise that he had not enclosed it in his letter to her that morning. He had made such a point of it—had said so very decidedly that they must not consider themselves engaged until Uncle Tom knew something about him, and approved——
“I do so hate that fellow being in the same house with you!” he muttered.
Lily felt distressed. “He really is being quite, quite sensible!”
“I did notice that he behaved decently at lunch.” The words were said grudgingly. “If he hadn’t, well——”
He stopped abruptly, for the others were now moving towards them, and so he turned away.
It was clear, Lily admitted it to herself regretfully, that there would never be any love lost between Angus Stuart and Beppo Polda. And then, perhaps because the sun was shining, because she was near her lover, because everything seemed to be going just as she wanted it to go, Lily cast a little tender thought towards Beppo Polda.
She did like him! She couldn’t help it! But perhaps it was just as well that henceforth their paths would lie far apart. She knew she could never, never make a friend of any man whom Angus really disliked.