"No," he replied, briefly and bitterly.
The soft flush had faded from Violet's cheeks. A look of dread came into her eyes, but Walter did not see it.
He had never turned his sad gaze from the distant hills gilded with glory by the rising moon.
"Walter, do you mean," she said, with lips that quivered strangely, "that—you have asked Lina to marry you?"
"Yes," he answered, very low.
"And she—oh, she did not refuse you!" cried Violet, indignantly.
"Yes, again," said Walter, still without looking at her.
There was a moment's pause, and then Violet cried out:
"The impertinent little jade! Why, what did she mean? I should have thought that she would have jumped at the chance of marrying a rich, handsome young man like you, Walter!"
Then Walter looked round at her.