“Oh, we found it out, through Nina, who is my maid, and whom I lent to wait upon this unfortunate lady. She says she is the loveliest person she has ever seen, and my faithful girl sobbed like a child while telling me of it.”
“Does she not even except her fair mistress, when she lavishes so much praise upon the captive?” asked Ralph, with a gaze she could not misinterpret.
“Ah! but Nina loves me, and besides, I do not allow her to flatter!” replied the little lady, with an air of reserved dignity.
“I beg pardon again. I realize that I am very unfortunate to-day in my words, as well as my motions. But do you know the gentleman whom this fair young girl is to wed?”
“No, but I think him a heartless wretch!” she returned, with blazing cheeks and flashing eyes, while her little foot came down with a decided pat upon the floor.
“Why so, my little friend?”
“If I were a man do you think I would wish to marry a girl who scorned my love? If it be for revenge that he wishes to wed her, and darken forever her bright young life, why, he is more vile than aught else in the world. But to profess to love and wed one who loathed me, my pride would never let me bow so low as that!”
“But,” urged Ralph, uneasily, “look at the case in a different light. Suppose this man had taken a solemn oath that this lovely being should be his wife, what then?”
This little dark-eyed lady was showing him up in colors, altogether too truthful to be agreeable, though he could but admire her for her spirit and honesty, and already he felt his passion for Dora beginning to cool beneath the charms of the more brilliant, yet not more lovely, girl by his side.
“I should say,” she replied, in answer to his question, “that his oath was a most unworthy one, and were better broken than kept. But excuse me. I forget that I am talking very plainly to an entire stranger,” and with a haughty little bow she was turning away when his voice arrested her.