"Then that day at the station—well, I began to see," he continued, "and I resolved to wait no longer. Nancy, I followed you. I never knew till then how much you were to me; and now can you trust me more and love me a little? I have loved you—always—darling."
Then the inevitable question arose—what would Lady Forsyth say? and further, what about Mrs. Bladon?
Nancy suggested, and her suggestion was accepted, that Lady Forsyth should be confided in. So it came to pass that the following morning Lumsden and Lady Forsyth sauntered up and down the deck for some time together, and for ten minutes Lumsden spoke, in cool, level tones, at the end of which time Lady Forsyth laughed and shook her head reprovingly.
"Oh, you men!" she said. "Well, I suppose I can say and do nothing. It only remains for you to have it out with Mrs. Bladon. I have my own opinions."
Lumsden laughed.
Their eyes met with a look of mutual understanding.
"So have I," he said, drily. "Mrs. Bladon is a clever woman. If this sudden voyage had not taken place, who knows but that we might still have been in the throes of uncertainty?"
"Ah!"
It was very clear now to Frances Forsyth that Mrs. Bladon's manœuvre had been well timed.
For a few short happy days they lingered in Naples, revelling in its beauty.