At last, under cover of lighting her candle, she said, with a disarming smile,—"You are very reserved, Bluebell. May I guess what Lubin said to you in the Humber, to-day?"
"I dare say you can," said the other, simply. "He will forget all about it soon, I trust."
"Do you mean you gave him no hope?" a suspicion of Lilla's veracity mingling with her disappointment.
"Certainly not," with great energy.
"But why?" asked Cecil, with asperity.
Bluebell turned her melancholy eyes full upon her, and the two rivals gazed steadily at each other. Then Cecil's head was impatiently flung back, her level eyebrows went down, and, without further remark, she rose and left the room.
CHAPTER XVII.
DID YOU PROPOSE THEN?
A lover came riding by a while;
A wealthy lover was he, whose smile
Some maids would value greatly.