What if she were to meet them together?
For a moment, as this contingency presented itself to her, her brain reeled, and she felt as if her senses were forsaking her again; the next, she called all her pride to her aid.
This would never do; no one must ever mistrust her weakness and wretchedness, and Ralph Meredith surely would if she gave up to her feelings, for had she not told him of her false lover?
It was strange, she thought, that she should have found him with Archie’s sister, and she wondered if they had met and Ralph had called him to account for his treatment of her, as he had said he should.
Oh! why had she not been more reasonable? Why did she not let him explain his position to her when he had begged so earnestly to do so?
She felt as if she could not bear to remain there—she longed to go away by herself until she could get a little more calm; and, seeing that Mr. Rosevelt and Ralph were deeply engaged in conversation, she slipped away unobserved to a small anteroom, which connected the drawing-room with the conservatory, and which she saw was at that moment empty.
Here she sat down in a chair near a large urn filled with flowers, which stood on one side of the door leading into the conservatory, and fell to musing sadly upon her broken hopes.
She had not been there long when she was aroused by hearing a gay laugh ring out close at hand. She started as if some viper had stung her.
She knew that sound but too well, and, looking up, she saw Josephine Richards, or Lady Carrol, as she believed her to be, standing almost beside her.
She was just upon the threshold and was looking back into the conservatory, from which she had come, and at a couple standing there among the flowers.