"Lady Adela is Lord Lancaster's partner," whispered the housekeeper."Aren't they a well-matched pair? He is so fair, she is so dark, theygo well together."
"Very well," said Leonora. She watched the two figures admiringly,and thought how exquisitely the light of the lamps shone down on LadyAdela's ruby silk and her flashing diamonds. The black hair bound intoa braided coronet on the top of the graceful head contrasted well withthe fair locks that crowned Lord Lancaster's brow.
"Yes, they go well together," she said to herself. "Will expediency andinclination go hand in hand? Will he marry her?"
"Lady Adela has superb diamonds," said the housekeeper, in her shrillwhisper.
"Yes, they are very nice," said Leonora. "But I have--a friend who hasmuch finer ones. Her father gave them to her for a birthday present.They cost fifty thousand dollars."
"What an odd girl! She is not one bit astonished at the splendor ofanything she sees. She has seen a great deal of the world, really, andAmerica must be a much finer place than I ever thought it," mused Mrs.West to herself.
"There, the waltz is over, Aunt West," whispered the girl, clinging toher arm. "Hadn't we better go now? Some one may come out here."
"Yes, if you have seen enough--have you?" Mrs. West replied, andLeonora answered:
"Yes, quite enough, thank you. I do not like to look at such gayety,and my dear papa so lately dead. Oh, Aunt West, please let us walkout in the air awhile. It is so warm here, and these vines are full ofspiders and cobwebs, just like that china-closet."
When Leonora West said "please" in that coaxing tone there were notmany people who could resist her. Mrs. West did not. She said toherself that it would be no harm to walk about the grounds a bit withher niece. She could not refuse her a breath of fresh air, certainly.
She saw Lady Lancaster sitting in a chair in the ball-room, and she didnot think it likely that she would stir from her seat for at least anhour.
"So I'll run the risk," said the kind-hearted woman. "Come along,Leonora."
They went down into the beautiful grounds, along the moonlighted paths,past gleaming groups of statuary, ghost-like in the weird light, pastbeds of rarest flowers, past thickets of roses, walls of honeysuckles,with the white radiance of the moon shining over everything.
"How sweet this is!" the girl whispered. "When we were crossing theocean, I grew so tired of the water and the sky; I longed for thegreen grass and the flowers. How soft and fragrant the air is, and howbeautiful the moonlight! I think I could stay out here all night."
"You would catch your death of cold," Mrs. West said, aghast. "The dewsare very heavy."
"Oh, of course, I don't mean to; but it is so romantic. It is like anEastern night, so soft and balmy, and--oh, oh! Aunt West, is that thenightingale--the English nightingale papa used to love so dearly?"
She clapped her little hands. It was the nightingale, indeed, hid insome flowery covert, all alone,
"Pouring his full heart, In profuse strains of unpremeditated art."
"Yes, it is the nightingale," said Mrs. West, delighted that Leonorahad found something at last in England to grow enthusiastic over."There are so many of them here, and it is down by the Magic Mirror youhear that one singing. It is their favorite resort."
"The Magic Mirror?" echoed Leonora.
"Yes. It is a pretty pond of water a little further on, all fringedwith willows and roses. It is as smooth and clear as a mirror, andthere is an old tradition that the youth or maiden gazing into theMagic Mirror by moon light, in the month of June, may see therereflected the face of his or her life companion."
"Oh, Aunt West, let us go there!" cried the girl, eagerly.
"What! you don't believe in that silly tradition?" laughed the goodwoman.
"No, no, but to hear the nightingales," cried Leonora. "Is it far,auntie?"
"No; only a short distance further on, at a little bend where two pathsmeet. But we have come so far already--"
"And you are tired," said the girl, with generous compunction. "I oughtto have remembered that." She pushed Mrs. West gently into a low rusticseat by the path, and said, kindly: "Sit here and rest while I go findit myself. The nightingale's voice shall guide me."
"You will not be long?" said Mrs. West, hesitatingly.
"No, no. May I go, Aunt West? Will you wait for me here?" pleadingly.
"Yes," answered the kind, indulgent soul; and Leonora set off ata quick pace, following the sound of the nightingale's voice, andrepeating under her breath those exquisite lines to the nightingalewritten by Sir Walter Scott.
"Beautiful nightingale, who shall portray All the varying turns of thy flowing lay? And where is the lyre whose chords shall reply To the notes of thy changeful melody? We may linger, indeed, and listen to thee, But the link?d chain of thy harmony Is not for mortal hands to unbind, Nor the clew of thy mazy music to find. Thy home is the wood on the echoing hill, Or the verdant banks of the forest rill; And soft as the south wind the branches among, Thy plaintive lament goes floating along."
She went on swiftly through the beautiful night, guided by thenightingale's voice, and with a fast-beating heart; for, with all ayoung girl's folly, she meant to look into the Magic Mirror to see,perchance, the face of her future lord and master.
Louder and nearer grew the notes of the nightingale, as Leonorahastened on. She thought she had never heard anything so sweet. Atfirst it had only been one bird, but now several had joined their notestogether in a medley of intoxicating music that swelled deliciouslyupon the fragrant air of the night. She walked lightly, almost holdingher breath as she came upon the scene, for fear of frightening themaway.
She passed from the shadow of the grand oaks that had overhung herpath, out into an open space, and the Magic Mirror burst upon hersight--a little limpid lake fringed with willows and sweet-brier andwater-lilies, and so clear that the full, white radiance of the moonand stars was mirrored on its tranquil breast, while, hid in thethicket of rose and willow, the night birds were pouring out theirhearts in song.
"Oh, how sweet!" cried the girl. She clasped her hands in an ecstasy.Her heart was touched by the peaceful beauty and enchanting repose ofthe scene. Scarce a ripple stirred the bosom of the quiet lake, and thewater-lilies, drooping to look at their fair reflections, were scarcelyruffled by the soft, light breeze that played around the enchantingspot.
Leonora moved softly forward to the verge of the Magic Mirror, andbending forward, with a slightly quickened heart-beat, gazed down intoits crystal-clear depths. She saw her own face gazing back at her withall its fresh young beauty, its eager eyes and parted lips, the darkveil twisted carelessly about her head, and the loose tresses of herhair flowing beneath it. She saw all this clearly as in a mirror, andfor a moment she remained intently gazing at it, wondering if the oldlegend were indeed true, and if the face of her future husband wouldindeed rise from those mysterious depths by the side of her own.
So absorbed was she in contemplation that she did not detect the faintscent of cigar smoke that suddenly filled the air; she did not hearthe approaching step that was muffled also, not to frighten the birdsaway. She remained gazing intently into the water, half bent forward,her hand grasping the slender branch of a willow, until suddenly, inthe mystic pool, a face looked over her shoulder--the face of her fate.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Something like a startled cry burst from Leonora's lips as she thusbeheld that face beside her own--that fair, strong, handsome face thatwas as familiar as her own--the face of Clive, Lord Lancaster.
She believed for a moment that his face had indeed arisen from thedepths of the enchanted pool, and after that one startled cry she wassilent, watching it with dilated eyes and bated breath, expecting everymoment to see it fade into the nothingness from which it had sprung.
But, instead of fading, it grew clearer to her sight; it changed itsexpression. At first it had a half-mischievous smile upon the lips andin the eyes; this changed to gr
avity, tenderness, and passion. It wasthe face of a lover on which Leonora now gazed with rapt interest,unconscious that--
"His eyes looked love To eyes that spake again."
It was a moment of silent happiness.
The light wind stirred the lily-buds on the bosom of the lake that heldthose two fair faces mirrored in its breast; the nightingale's songpierced their hearts with exquisite pleasure that bordered on pain.
Leonora, wandering for one moment in the Land of Enchantment, wasrecalled to the present and to the actual by the man's folly.
He should have stolen away as he had come, in silence, leaving heralone with her beautiful, strange illusion, to bear its fruit in dueseason; but--
"Men's hearts crave tangible, close tenderness, Love's presence, warm and near."
He yielded to a tender impulse without trying to resist it. He wasclose beside her; his cheek was near her own; his eyes looked into hereyes as they gazed up from the water, and those soft orbs had a lookin them that made him dizzy with delight. He slid his arms around thegraceful bending form and whispered in her ear:
"Leonora, is it fate?"
Alas!
"A touch, a kiss! the charm was snapt!"
Like one startled from a dream, she looked up and saw him holdingher in that strong clasp, gazing into her face with a passion thatfrightened her. She tore herself from his arms.
"How dared you? oh, how dared you?" she cried out, indignantly.
Her angry words, her scornful glance, chilled the fire that burnedwithin him. He realized his folly. Why had he touched her, frightenedher, and so broken the spell of enchantment that held her? She wouldnever forgive him, perhaps, for his temerity.
"Did you think, because you were my Lord Lancaster, forsooth, and Ionly the housekeeper's niece, that you could insult me thus?"
Her voice broke cold and sharp on the stillness. The nightingales hadall flown away at the first sound of her angry tones.
"Insult you?" cried the culprit, agitatedly; he was too much shocked atthe result of his hasty act to speak calmer. "Believe me, Miss West, Imeant no insult. I did not think that you would take it so."
His words were unfortunate. They irritated Leonora even more.
"You did not think so?" she cried, gazing reproachfully at him. "And,pray, sir, what cause had I given you to--to think that your caressescould be agreeable to me?"
He stood gazing at her in silence.
If he told her the real truth--told her that the face in the MagicMirror had fooled him with its soft eyes and tender lips, and led himon to the commission of that impulsive act--she would be more angrythan ever. She would deny that her own looks had tempted him, made afool of him. He would not stoop to exculpate himself from the anger ofone so manifestly unjust.
All the Lancaster pride flushed into his face as he stood looking downat her from his haughty height, his arms folded over his broad breast.
"What cause had I given you," she repeated, stamping her little footangrily on the earth, "to think that your caresses were agreeable tome?"
"She is a little shrew!" he said to himself, with sudden anger. "I willnever give another thought to her."
With that thought he answered, coldly:
"If you were like other women, Miss West, I might exculpate myself inyour eyes. But as it is, I can only say that I meant no harm, and Ihumbly crave your pardon."
"Like other women!" she flashed, haughtily. "What do you mean, LordLancaster? Does the misfortune of my poverty and lowly birth place mebeyond the pale of your respectful consideration? Perhaps, were I LadyAdela Eastwood it would be different."
"What the deuce does she know about the earl's daughter?" he askedhimself, in extreme astonishment; but he answered, eagerly:
"Yes, indeed, it would be different, Miss West. I should not look intothe Magic Mirror over Lady Adela's shoulder, certainly; nor would I putmy arm around her waist, but--"
He could not say another word, for she interrupted him, glowing withangry beauty.
"So you acknowledge the truth to my very face. For shame, LordLancaster! You throw discredit upon your name of gentleman; you make mehate and despise you for those words! No; I will never forgive you aslong as I live!" sobbed Leonora, bursting into angry tears; and thenshe fled away from him in the moonlight, leaving him standing like onedazed by the side of the Magic Mirror.
But it was only for a moment that he remained thus motionless.
He thought apprehensively.
"It was most unwise in Mrs. West to allow her niece to go roaming aboutalone at this hour. Even upon my grounds she may lose her way, or meetwith some unpleasant adventure. I will follow her at a safe distance,and see that she gets back safely to the Hall."
He set out hurriedly, and, turning the bend in the road, almost ranover two figures standing motionless under the tall trees that borderedthe lane--Mrs. West, with Leonora sobbing in her arms.
The good woman, looking up, uttered a cry of relief.
"Oh, Lord Lancaster! I am so glad to see you," she exclaimed. "I am sofrightened. Something must have happened to Leonora. You see how she'scrying. Well, she came out for a breath of fresh air, and then shewanted to hear the nightingales at the Magic Mirror, and so I sat downand waited for her; but she stayed so long, I went to look for her; andthere she came flying into my arms, and crying like some hurt thing.Did you see anything or any person, my lord?" anxiously.
He was intensely annoyed. The sight of Leonora sobbing grievously inthe woman's arms bitterly irritated him.
Why would she misjudge him so persistently? why misunderstand himalways?
He looked at the graceful black figure with its head bowed on Mrs.West's plump shoulder, and said, curtly:
"Miss West is unnecessarily alarmed. She has seen no one or nothing butmyself. It was the sight of me that alarmed her."
"Oh, hush! I did not mean to tell her!" cried Leonora through her sobs.
There was a note of warning in her voice; but in his vexation he didnot heed it.
Mrs. West was looking at him anxiously.
"Of course, she would not have been frightened at the sight of you, mylord!" she exclaimed.
"I--was not frightened at anything--I was only angry," Leonora said,lifting her head at this moment, and hushing her low sobs into silence."He had no right, Aunt West," she added, incoherently.
"No right!" echoed the good woman, looking from one to the other inamazement. "Why, what has he done, my dear?"
"Nothing; only looked over my shoulder into the water--and--andfrightened me. Please don't think me silly, Aunt West. I think I'mnervous to-night. Let us go," said the girl, without looking at thetall, handsome form standing so near her.
"Let me come to-morrow and explain," he said, humbly, coming nearer toher; but she turned her face resolutely from him.
"No," she said, icily; "it is quite unnecessary. Come, Aunt West."
She dragged the good woman away, and left him standing there in themoonlight, with a settled shadow upon his face.
"What a contretemps!" he said to himself, gloomily. "Ah! how little Ithought, when I came out to-night to smoke that solitary cigar, that Ishould meet with such an adventure! How angry she was! Every time wemeet we drift further away from each other!"
He went back to Lady Adela and his guests after awhile. The earl'sdaughter chided him because he had left them for that odious cigar.
"It was most ungallant!" she declared.
"You are mistaken. I went to consult that oracle, the Magic Mirror," hereplied.
Lady Adela had heard the old legend. She smiled and bridled.
"Did you see your fate?" she asked him; and he answered, in a strangetone:
"I saw the woman I love in the Magic Mirror."
The earl's beautiful daughter was a little puzzled by his reply. Shewondered if hers was the face he had seen in the water, but she darednot put the thought into words.
CHAPTER XXV.
Several days passed away very qui
etly after Leonora's first day andnight at Lancaster Park. The girl stayed in the small rooms to whichshe was restricted quite as closely as the housekeeper could havedesired. She did not even offer to go out, seeming to have tacitlyresigned herself to the situation.
She unpacked one of her trunks and showed Mrs. West the sketches shehad promised to show her; she took out all her pretty, simple blackdresses, and hung them on their pegs in the little dressing-closet heraunt assigned her.
When she had nothing else to do she read or embroidered. Her aunt notedwith pleasure that she was seldom idle.
She did not know of the long hours Leonora spent, when alone, curled upin a big easy-chair, with her milk-white hands folded in her lap, hereyes half shut, with the dark lashes drooping against the pink cheeks,and a thoughtful, puzzled expression on the fair face.
If she had seen her, Mrs. West would have wondered much what her niecewas thinking about.
In the meantime, the gay life of the great folks at Lancaster went onfrom day to day.
Leonora saw no more of it, steadily declining the well-meant offers ofher aunt to provide her with surreptitious peeps at it.
"I do not care about it," Leonora would say, with an eloquent glance ather black dress. "Gayety only jars upon me, auntie, dear. I should liketo go out in the fresh air a little; but if I can not do that, I haveno desire for the rest."
But Mrs. West, however willing she was, did not dare advise her nieceto go out into the grounds where the guests might be encountered at anytime, or even old Lady Lancaster herself.
Lancaster's Choice Page 9
