quick, detected the change. She saw that he admired her, and then she felt quite at her ease.
He said something to Mark about the agent who was waiting to see him. Then the door opened, and Lady Estelle entered.
As her eyes fell upon the young girl she started, and her face grew deadly pale – so pale that the duke stepped hastily forward, and cried out:
"Are you ill, Estelle?"
"No," she replied; "the day is warm, and warm weather never suits me. Good-morning, Mr. Brace. Is this your daughter?"
Mark bowed to the pale, stately lady.
"This is my daughter, my lady," he replied.
Lady Estelle Hereford, going nearer to her, looked into the beautiful, radiant face. Doris returned the glance, and the two remained for one minute looking, for the second time in their lives, steadily at each other.
"I am glad to see you," said Lady Estelle, kindly. "I remember having seen you when you were a child."
Doris bowed. There was perfect ease, perfect grace in her manner, and the duke, looking at her, was fairly puzzled; that high-bred, perfect repose, that fascinating charm of manner surprised him. He looked at his daughter to see if she shared his surprise, and felt anxious about her when he saw that her face was still deadly pale.
Then he asked Mark to go and see the agent. Lady Estelle, with her rigid lips, smiled at Doris.
"I will take charge of you," she said. "Come with me." They left the room together. "We will go to the boudoir first," she said. "There are some very fine paintings; you will like to see them."
When they reached the boudoir Lady Estelle seemed to forget why they had gone there. She sat down on the couch, and placed Doris by her side.
"I saw you once when you were quite a little child," she said. "How you have altered; how tall you have grown!" She laid her hands on the shining waves of hair. "What beautiful hair you have!" she continued, and her fingers lingered caressingly on it. "They tell me, child, that you are really promised in marriage – is it true?"
There was no flush on that lovely young face; no sweet, tender coyness in the beautiful eyes; they were raised quite calmly to the questioning face.
"Yes," she replied; "it is quite true."
A look quite indescribable came over Lady Estelle; something yearning, wistful; then she slowly added:
"A love-story always interests me; will you tell me yours?"
"I have none," was the quick reply. "Earle Moray asked me to marry him, and I said yes."
"But you love him?" asked Lady Estelle.
"Yes, I love him – at least I suppose so. I do not know what love is; but I imagine I love him."
"You do not know what love is?" said Lady Estelle, in a tone of suppressed vehemence. "I will tell you. It is a fire that burns and pains – burns and pains; it is a torrent that destroys everything in its way; it is a hurricane that sweeps over every obstacle; it is a tempest in which the ship is forever and ever tossed; it is the highest bliss, the deepest misery! Oh, child! pray, pray that you may never know what love is!"
Who could have recognized the quiet, graceful, languid Lady Estelle? Her face shone like flame, and her eyes flashed fire – the calm, proud repose was all gone. Doris looked at her in wonder.
"There must be many kinds of love. I know nothing of that which you describe, and Earle loves me quite differently."
"How does he love you?" asked Lady Estelle.
"He is always singing to me, and these are his favorite lines:
"'Thou art my life, my soul, my heart,
The very eyes of me;
Thou hast command of every part,
To live and die for thee.'
"And that just expresses Earle's love."
The lady's eyes were riveted on the glorious face; the rich, sweet voice had given such force and effect to the words. Then she said, anxiously:
"You will be very happy in your new life, I hope – even should I never see you again – I hope you will be happy."
"I hope so," replied Doris, in a dubious voice. Then her face brightened as she looked round the magnificent room. "I should be happy enough here," she said. "This is what my soul loves best – this is better than love."
The lady drew back from the girl as though she had been struck.
"Faithless and debonair," she murmured.
Doris looked inquiringly at her.
"This is what you love best?" she said. "You mean luxury and magnificence?"
"Yes, I mean that – it is ten thousand times better than love."
"But," said Lady Estelle, "that is a strange doctrine for one so young as you."
"I am young, but I know something of life," said Doris. "I know that money can purchase everything, can do everything, can influence everything."
"But," said Lady Estelle, drawing still further from her, "you would not surely tell me that of all the gifts of this world you value money most."
"I think I do," said Doris, with a frank smile.
"That is strange in one so young," said Lady Estelle. "I am so sorry." Then she rose, saying, coldly: "You will like to see the pictures. You think it strange that I should speak to you in this fashion. As I told you before, a love-story interests me. I am sorry that you have none."
The change was soon perceived by Doris, and just as quickly understood.
"I do not think," she said, gently, "that you have quite understood me. I do not love money; that is, the actual gold. It is the pleasures that money can purchase which seem to me so enviable, that I long so urgently for."
Lady Estelle smiled.
"I see – I understand. You did not express just what you meant; that is a different thing. There seems to me something hateful in the love of money. So you long for pleasure, my poor child. You little know how soon it would tire you."
"Indeed, it never would," she replied, eagerly. "I should like – oh, how much I should like! – to live always in rooms beautiful as these, to wear shining jewels, rich silks, costly laces! I do not, and never have, liked my own home; in some strange way it never seems to belong to me, nor I to it."
Lady Estelle drew near to her again.
"You do not like it, poor child?" she said. "That is very sad. Yet they are very kind to you."
"Yes, they are kind to me. I cannot explain what I mean. I never seem to think as they think, or do as they do. I am not good either, after their fashion of being good."
"What is your idea of being good?" asked Lady Estelle.
"Pleasing myself, amusing myself, making myself happy."
"It is comfortable philosophy at least. What is he like, this Earle Moray, whom your father calls
