Page 91 (1/1)

He looked so tall and beautiful, and his face had no expression of conteer now, only distress and syuard yesterday, and could not get leave I a the first part, "but, oh, I can't bear to see you sitting here alone and looking so, so miserable Mayn't I take you home? You will catch cold in the dao back yet," I said, hardly realizing what I was saying He sat down beside ers, the gentlest, friendliest caress a child ht have made in sympathy It touched some foolish chord in my nature, some want of self-control inherited from mamma's ordinary mother, I suppose; anyway the tears poured down my face I could not help it Oh, the sha in the park, in front of Lord Robert, of all people in the world, too!

"Dear, dear little girl," he said, "tell , war down a sob "I a so very miserable"

"Dear child!" he said "Well, you are not to be--I won't have it Has some one been unkind to you? Tellwith distress

"It's--it's nothing," I mumbled

I dared not look at him, I knew his eyebroould be up in that way that attracts me so dreadfully

"Listen," he whispered almost, and bent over me "I want you to be friends with o back to the tiether God knohat has co But I want to take care of you, dear little girl, to-day It--oh, it hurtshere!"

"I--would like to be friends," I said "I never wanted to be anything else, but I could not help it, and I can't now"

"Won't you tell me the reason?" he pleaded "You have ht all sorts of things You know I am a jealous beast"

There can't in the world be another voice as engaging as Lord Robert's, and he has a trick of pronouncing words that is too attractive; and the way hishis perfectly chiselled lips under the littlethere on the bench going through thrills of e for hihtful to think of I must be bad, after all