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Head hanging over the door of the car, eyes a little resentful, the dog watched Earle bear the helpless boy up those steps shining in the sun, saw a woman in white meet them, take Earle's hat off his head and shade the boy's face, saw the three disappear through the wide door. People were passing, wagons clattering, cars honking; but he kept his eyes fastened on the door.
What awful storm of agony had driven her to the lake? Had she gone thither purposely? Had she wandered to the edge and fallen in, or was there a deeper mystery? Had foul wrong been done to Lord Earle's daughter while he was so near her, and yet knew nothing of it? She still wore her pretty pink evening dress. What a mockery it looked!
Ah, if years ago Ronald had listened to reason, to wise and tender counsel if he had but given up Dora and married Valentine Charteris, how different his life would have been, how replete with blessings and happiness, how free from care! Lady Earle's eyes grew dim with tears as these thoughts passed through her mind. She went up to him and laid her hand upon his shoulder.
"My dear chap," exclaimed Dick, grasping Earle's outstretched hand with a strength which made the latter wince "of course I am. I have seen enough of you and your character to convince me that you will be good to Grace if we survive long enough to return to her. And if she loves you and I know that she would never have encouraged you if she didn't why that's all that really matters.
There had not been many kisses for Mom Wallis in the later years, and the two that were to Margaret Earle's account seemed very sweet to her. Mom Wallis's eyes shone as if she had been a young girl as she turned with a smothered "Oh!" She was a woman not given to expressing herself; indeed, it might be said that the last twenty years of her life had been mainly of self-repression.
Earle to expose promptly and without reserve the facts of her past and her plans for the future seemed to Selma typical of an interesting character, and she was thankful to make a clean breast in her turn as far as was possible. Mrs. Earle's domestic experience had been thorny. "I had a home once, too," she said, "a happy home, I thought. My husband said he loved me.
She was no tragedy queen; she never said to herself that her life was blighted or useless or burdensome. But she did say that she would never marry until she found some one with Ronald's simple chivalry, his loyal, true nature, and without the weakness which had caused and would cause so much suffering. Lady Earle's boudoir was always considered one of the prettiest rooms at Earlescourt.
This was the court-martial on Captain Carmichael, the Adjutant of Colonel Earle's regiment of Fusiliers, and formerly adjutant of Colonel Bolton's regiment of "Royal Liverpool Volunteers." He was charged with "disobedience of orders, and with addressing Colonel Earle in abusive and scandalous language respecting the officers of the regiment."
There was no use in trying to keep that class from cheering. They felt that their defeat had been forgotten in Earle's victory. Mr. Hamlin and Judge Dennison stood talking together after the class was dismissed. "Do you know, I like best of all that word of his about his cousin's helping him?" said Judge Dennison.
The lights of Queenstown could be seen here and there along the semi-circular range of hills on which the town stood. Passengers who were to land stood around the deck well muffled up, and others who had come to bid them good-bye were talking sleepily with them. Morris was about to send the steward to Miss Earle's room, when that young lady herself appeared.
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