Her thoughts were playing truant, and half the time were far away in that artist studio where Mr. Rosevelt was visiting.
When the hour came for her to join them, all her listlessness departed, and she was her own bright self once more; and when, in answer to her gentle knock upon his door, Archibald Sherbrooke opened it to admit her, he thought she had never seemed so lovely before.
He had begun to realize that the feelings with which he regarded her were something deeper and stronger than mere friendship called for—in fact, he knew that he loved her more dearly than any other object on earth, and that his heart had not really been his own, if the truth were known, since that day when they had parted on the steamer; and he had that morning come to the conclusion that the time should not be far distant when he should tell her in words of the emotions she had awakened in his heart.
“This is a pleasure that I had not anticipated until about an hour ago,” he said, with a brilliant smile, as he took her by the hand and led her into the room, where she found Mr. Rosevelt reclining comfortably in a luxurious chair.
“And this,” Star said, looking around her with a long-drawn breath of delight as she noted the many beautiful paintings hanging on the walls, “is a pleasure which I had not anticipated.”
“Ah! then it is my work which shall give you pleasure, rather than my society, as I had presumed to flatter myself,” the young man said, ruefully, and making a comical grimace, although his eyes were looking down into hers with an expression which made her tremble.
She laughed, while a lovely color leaped to her face. But she tried to hide her embarrassment by retorting, archly:
“I suppose I must be polite, and affirm that I expect to enjoy both; but really, Mr. Sherbrooke, although I knew you were an artist, I had no idea that you painted such delightful things.”
“You give me more credit than belongs to me,” he answered, smiling; “but wait until you are rested, and then I have something in particular to show you.”
“Oh, I am not weary. Let me look now, if you please; we have only an hour, you know;” and she began to move about the room, examining with no uncritical eye the works upon the walls.