Molly had suddenly sprung upright in bed. The moonlight was shining on her beautiful face, and she was smiling tremulously, while her eyes were wet with tears.
She reached out both her arms with a gesture that was full of an infinite tenderness.
"Yes," she said, "yes, I see." And her glad voice rang and quivered on that note which Love alone can strike. "It"s true, darling. It"s true.
He is richer now than he ever was before, and I--I have found endless riches too. For I love him--I love him--I love him! And--he knows it!"
"Molly!" exclaimed her sister in amazement.
Molly did not turn. She was staring into the moonlight with eyes that saw.
"And nothing else counts in all the world," she said. "He knows that too, as we all know it--we all know it--at the bottom of our hearts."
And with that she laughed--the soft, sweet laugh of Love triumphant--and lay back again by her sister"s side.
Her Freedom
"We have been requested to announce that the marriage arranged between Viscount Merrivale and Miss Hilary St. Orme will not take place."
Viscount Merrivale was eating his breakfast when he chanced upon this announcement. He was late that morning, and, contrary to custom, was skimming through the paper at the same time. But the paragraph brought both occupations to an abrupt standstill. He stared at the sheet for a few moments as if he thought it was bewitched. His brown face reddened, and he looked as if he were about to say something. Then he pushed the paper aside with a contemptuous movement and drank his coffee.
His servant, appearing in answer to the bell a few minutes later, looked at him with furtive curiosity. He had already seen the announcement, being in the habit of studying society items before placing the paper on the breakfast-table. But Merrivale"s clean-shaven face was free from perturbation, and the man was puzzled.
"Reynolds," Merrivale said, "I shall go out of town this afternoon. Have the motor ready at four!"
"Very good, my lord." Reynolds glanced at the table and noted with some satisfaction that his master had only eaten one egg.
"Yes, I have finished," Merrivale said, taking up the paper. "If Mr.
Culver calls, ask him to be good enough to wait for me. And--that"s all,"
he ended abruptly as he reached the door.
"As cool as a cuc.u.mber!" murmured Reynolds, as he began to clear the table. "I shouldn"t wonder but what he stuck the notice in hisself."
Merrivale, still with the morning paper in his hand, strolled easily down to his club and collected a few letters. He then sauntered into the smoking-room, where a knot of men, busily conversing in undertones, gave him awkward greeting.
Merrivale lighted a cigar and sat down deliberately to study his paper.
Nearly an hour later he rose, nodded to several members, who glanced up at him expectantly, and serenely took his departure.
A general buzz of discussion followed.
"He doesn"t look exactly heart-broken," one man observed.
"Hearts grow tough in the West," remarked another. "He has probably done the breaking-off himself. Jack Merrivale, late of California, isn"t the sort of chap to stand much trifling."
A young man with quizzical eyes broke in with a laugh.
"Ask Mr. Cosmo Fletcher! He is really well up on that subject."
"Also Mr. Richard Culver, apparently," returned the first speaker.
Culver grinned and bowed.
"Certainly, sir," he said. "But--luckily for himself--he has never qualified for a leathering from Jack Merrivale, late of California. I don"t believe myself that he did do the breaking-off. As they haven"t met more than a dozen times, it can"t have gone very deep with him. And, anyhow, I am certain the girl never cared twopence for anything except his t.i.tle, the imp. She"s my cousin, you know, so I can call her what I like--always have."
"I shouldn"t abuse the privilege in Merrivale"s presence if I were you,"
remarked the man who had expressed the opinion that Merrivale was not one to stand much trifling.
"Well, but wasn"t it unreasonable?" said Hilary St. Orme, with hands clasped daintily behind her dark head. "Who could stand such tyranny as that? And surely it"s much better to find out before than after. I hate masterful men, Sybil. I am quite sure I could never have been happy with him."
The girl"s young step-mother looked across at the pretty, mutinous face and sighed.
"It wasn"t a nice way of telling him so, I"m afraid, dear," she said.
"Your father is very vexed."
"But it was beautifully conclusive, wasn"t it?" laughed Hilary. "As to the poor old pater, he won"t keep it up for ever, bless his simple heart, that did want its daughter to be a viscountess. So while the fit lasts I propose to judiciously absent my erring self. It"s a nuisance to have to miss all the fun this season; but with the pater in the sulks it wouldn"t be worth it. So I"m off to-morrow to join Bertie and the house-boat at Riverton. As d.i.c.k has taken a bungalow close by, we shall be quite a happy family party. They will be happy; I shall be happy; and you--positively, darling, you won"t have a care left in the world. If it weren"t for your matrimonial bonds, I should quite envy you."
"I don"t think you ought to go down to Riverton without someone responsible to look after you," objected Mrs. St. Orme dubiously.
"My dear little mother, what a notion!" cried her step-daughter with a merry laugh. "Who ever dreamt of the proprieties on the river? Why, I spent a whole fortnight on the house-boat with only Bertie and the Badger that time the poor old pater and I fell out over--what was it? Well, it doesn"t matter. Anyhow, I did. And no one a bit the worse. Bertie is equal to a dozen _duennas_, as everyone knows."
"Don"t you really care, I wonder?" said Mrs. St. Orme, with wondering eyes on the animated face.
"Why should I, dear?" laughed the girl, dropping upon a ha.s.sock at her side. "I am my own mistress. I have a little money, and--considering I am only twenty-four--quite a lot of wisdom. As to being Viscountess Merrivale, I will say it fascinated me a little--just at first, you know.
And the poor old pater was so respectful I couldn"t help enjoying myself.
But the gilt soon wore off the gingerbread, and I really couldn"t enjoy what was left. I said to myself, "My dear, that man has the makings of a hectoring bully. You must cut yourself loose at once if you don"t want to develop into that most miserable of all creatures, a down-trodden wife."
So after our little tiff of the day before yesterday I sent the notice off forthwith. And--you observe--it has taken effect. The tyrant hasn"t been near."
"You really mean to say the engagement wasn"t actually broken off before you sent it?" said Mrs. St. Orme, looking shocked.
"It didn"t occur to either of us," said Hilary, looking down with a smile at the corners of her mouth. "He chose to take exception to my being seen riding in the park with Mr. Fletcher. And I took exception to his interference. Not that I like Mr. Fletcher, for I don"t. But I had to a.s.sert my right to choose my own friends. He disputed it. And then we parted. No one is going to interfere with my freedom."
"You were never truly in love with him, then?" said Mrs. St. Orme, regret and relief struggling in her voice.
Hilary looked up with clear eyes.
"Oh, never, darling!" she said tranquilly. "Nor he with me. I don"t know what it means; do you? You can"t--surely--be in love with the poor old pater?"