"He would have liked to. He is very patient, and he is very fond of me, you need not be anxious about me, it is just----" "But it is the giving of you up, child, that is so painful, and the want of necessity of the whole thing. Sometimes I declare I am so impatient with----" But what the Duchess meant to say was never finished, for the drawing-room door was opened once more and the footman announced Mr. Fanning. Albert Fanning entered in his usual, half assured, half nervous style. He had a way of walking on his toes, so that his tall figure seemed to undulate up and down as he approached you. He carried his hat in his hand, and his hair was as upright as usual, his face white, his blue eyes hungry. He was so anxious to see me, and this visit meant so much to him, that he did not even notice the Duchess. He came straight up to me, and when he saw that my cheeks were pale and my eyes red from recent crying, he was so concerned that he stooped, and before I could prevent him gave me the lightest and softest of kisses on my cheek. "I could not keep away," he said, "and I--I have a message from the mater. Can you listen?" I was sitting up, my face was crimson, with an involuntary movement I had tried to brush away that offending kiss. He saw me do it, and his face went whiter than ever. "Introduce me, Westenra," said the voice of the Duchess. In my emotion at seeing Albert Fanning, I had forgotten her, but now I stood up and made the necessary introduction. Her Grace of Wilmot gave a distant bow, which Mr. Fanning gravely and with no trace of awkwardness returned. "Won't you sit down?" said the Duchess then; "do you know I have been most anxious to see you?" "Indeed," he replied. He looked amazed and a little incredulous. He kept glancing from the Duchess to me. I do not know why, but I suddenly began to feel intensely nervous. There was a gleam in my old friend's soft brown eyes which I had only seen there at moments of intense emotion. She evidently was making up her mind to say something terrible. I exclaimed hastily-- "Albert, if you wish to speak to me, will you come into the next room. You will excuse us for a moment will you not, Duchess?" "No, Westenra," she replied, and she rose now herself; "I will not excuse you. You must stay here, and so must Mr. Fanning, for I have got something I wish particularly to say to Mr. Fanning." "Oh, what?" I cried. "Oh, you will not"--she held up her hand to stop my torrent of words. "The opportunity has come which I have desired," she said, "and I am not going to neglect it. It need make no difference to either of you, but at least you, Mr. Fanning, will not marry my dear girl without knowing how things really are." "Oh, please don't speak of it, I implore you, you don't know what terrible mischief you will do."