“Well,” she concluded, after musing for several minutes, “it must be returned to its owner, I suppose. I promised, and I must fulfill my word. Yes,” lifting her head resolutely, “she shall have it on the day that my darling stands within her ancestral halls the acknowledged heiress of Heathdale, not before.”
CHAPTER XVIII.
A SUDDEN FLITTING.
The next morning Mrs. Alexander’s lawyer, Mr. Thurston, made a call upon his client, and had an interview with her of more than two hours’ duration.
After his departure, she sought Virgie, with a very grave face, and explained the nature of his business, which caused the young girl to open wide her lovely eyes and exclaim, with astonishment:
“Why, mamma, it is the strangest romance in the world! I never heard anything like it!”
“Well, dear, get yourself ready as soon as possible, for we must leave town this afternoon, as there is no time to lose,” her mother replied, as she arose to go to make her own preparations for the proposed journey.
“But, mamma, what shall I do about Rupert?” Virgie asked, looking troubled.
Mrs. Alexander’s face fell at the mention of the young man’s name.
She had scarcely slept during the previous night, for many things troubled her, and, among others, the thought that Virgie’s engagement to Rupert Hamilton seemed likely to complicate matters very much when she should be ready to make her claim upon Sir William Heath.
“You can leave a note telling him that we are obliged to leave town for a while, and we can explain further to him when we ascertain just how we are to be situated,” her mother replied, after considering a moment.