THE INN GARDEN
BETWEEN two vases that overflowed with scarlet geraniums, the worn stone steps of the inn-yard descended directly upon a gravel path in the old garden. The path—flanked on either side by tall hedges—wound completely around the garden and through the centre, in a kind of true lovers’ knot, in the loops of which were all old-fashioned flowers; pale tea roses—the last of September’s bloom—and mignonette; pansies and rosemary grew there, and the blue of larkspur. Only a few windows looked out upon it, and it was a secluded spot where the sun shone and the pigeons flocked. So still was it, in the farther corners, that there was scarcely a sound but the soft “kourre, kourre!” of the feathered visitors.
Here Lady Betty walked slowly, her hands behind her, her head a little on one side, as she talked to Clancarty, whom she still knew only as Richard Trevor. She was dressed in white, a bunch of red flowers at her belt and red plumes in her hat, and either its broad brim or her mood cast a shadow in her eyes. They were softer, more pensive, and less sparkling than usual.
“I was only eleven years old, sir,” she said, “a mere baby, and I have never seen Lord Clancarty since. How should I know how he looks? Is not my curiosity pardonable? Pray, Mr. Trevor, describe him.”
Her companion had been watching her keenly and now he smiled.
“I’m poor at descriptions, my lady,” he said calmly, “but take my word for it, Clancarty’s a handsome man.”
“About your height, sir?” asked Lady Betty, casting a quizzical, sidelong glance at him.
He took time to consider. “Very nearly, I should think, Lady Clancarty,” he said, “and straight as an arrow—with a good head and keen eyes, a fine nose, a firm chin—oh, a very handsome rascal, madam, and quite unworthy of you.”
“Indeed,” said Betty, amused; “you take the side, then, of my family; they too believe him unworthy.”
“He is unworthy, madam,” said the disguised nobleman gravely, “he is unworthy; but, in spite of that, I can’t advise you to cast him off. But for his skill as a swordsman I should have lost my life; I am therefore, of necessity, his true vassal, Lady Clancarty, and I must plead his cause.”