'The first love of a woman's heart is a holy thing, Ida--and yours was mine.' 'Let us be friends,' said she, in a painful tone. 'I can never, never be your--mere friend, Ida!' Like that of Clare and Trevor Chute, but a few days before, it was another romance of the drawing-room, the strange intercourse and perilous friendship between these two. She looked wistfully at Vane. 'We know not what God may have in store for us yet,' said she, colouring while she spoke, but only with the desire to soothe and not ignore the passion he was avowing. 'It may be--may be that we have only in our hearts been waiting for each other after all.' Ere Vane could make a response to this speech, which she felt conscious was a rash one, she shivered and grew deadly pale. 'Does the night air chill you, Ida?' he asked. 'I know not--surely no,' said she, in a strange voice: 'it is close, rather; and yet----' 'What, dear Ida?' 'I felt a strange shudder come over me as I spoke.' 'It is nervousness, and will soon pass away.' For a moment she sat with her eyes dropped and her heart palpitating. Whence came that strange, cold, and irrepressible tremor, like the shock of an electric battery, yet so chilly? What could it be? Could she have an affection of the heart? She started from her seat with manifest uneasiness, and taking his arm, said, 'Let us return to the rooms.' And now there occurred an episode which, however trivial then, Jerry Vane recalled with singular and very mingled emotions at a future time. As they came out of the conservatory, Colonel Rakes said, laughingly: 'Who is your friend, Vane, that is so strangely dressed--at least, not in evening costume?' 'Friend! What friend?--where, Colonel?' 'In the conservatory with you and Mrs. Beverley. Ah, Mrs. Beverley, too bad of you to appropriate our friend Vane when you know all the women are in love with him.' 'Colonel--I?' 'You, my dear girl--for I am old enough to call you so. But about your friend----' 'There was no one but ourselves in the conservatory,' said Vane. 'Oh pardon me, Vane, you three were close together.' 'Impossible!' 'As you rose to retire, I saw him slide, as it were, behind the shelves of flowers.' 'We saw no one,' urged Ida. 'Can it be a thief or an intruder? Let us see,' said the Colonel; and he and Vane searched all over the place, which was brilliantly lighted with gas, but without success. 'You must be mistaken, Colonel,' said Jerry, 'as the only other door of the conservatory is locked, and on the inside.' 'Though a little short-sighted, I was not mistaken, Vane.' 'And this man----?' 'Stood close behind Mrs. Beverley's chair, within less than arm's-length of you both.' 'What was he like?' asked Vane, with genuine irritation and astonishment. 'That I can scarcely describe.' 'His face?' 'Was singularly pale, with dark eyes and a dark, heavy moustache.' 'And he actually hung over Ida--Mrs. Beverley, I mean--unseen by me.'