“And you return?”
“Never!”
Elsie looked at the youth in undisguised astonishment. She, too, began to suspect that a claw of the collar must have touched his brain.
“But why hesitate?” continued Ian. “Surely you cannot refuse me so simple a favour! Even Lambert himself would approve of it in the circumstances.”
“Lambert!” exclaimed Elsie, with increasing amazement; “what has Lambert got to do with it?”
It was now Ian’s turn to look surprised.
“Forgive me if I have touched on a forbidden subject; but as every one in the settlement seems to know of your engagement to Lambert, I thought—”
“My engagement!” interrupted Elsie. “It is Cora who is engaged to Lambert.”
A sudden and mighty shock seemed to fall on Ian Macdonald. He slightly staggered, paled a little, then became fiery red, leaped forward, and caught the girl’s hand.
“Elsie! Elsie!” he exclaimed, in tones of suppressed eagerness, “will—will you accept the collar?”