“Quite,” she replied, with a strange gleam as of suppressed triumph in her beautiful eyes. “Only that I am afraid you will find that the burden laid upon you is heavier than you can bear.” “We shall see,” he said, lifting her in his stalwart arms as easily as if she had been a child. “Would you mind putting your arm round my shoulder, just to steady yourself?” Lady Gwendolyn obeyed him with the simplicity that is always such perfect breeding; and when Colonel Dacre looked down at the creamy cheek resting on his shoulder, and felt the warm coil of her arm round his neck, he could hardly resist the mad temptation to press her against his heart, and tell her again and again how he loved her--so passionately that he would have deemed the world well lost for her sweet sake. CHAPTER II. ADIEU. “Are you not a long time getting to the Hall?” inquired Lady Gwendolyn innocently. “It looked so very near when I was at the top of the tree. I am afraid I must be dreadfully heavy, after all. Do let me try to walk.” “Not for the world; you might injure yourself for life,” he replied. “I could have hurried a little more, only that I was afraid of shaking you.” Of course he could. Lady Gwendolyn knew that as well as he did, and smiled to herself. Surely he deserved that she should play with him a little, when for two long years he had kept her in suspense as to the state of his feelings, and had only betrayed them by accident now. “You carry me beautifully,” she said, with her most gracious air. “You must be wonderfully strong.” “I used to be; but I have seen my best days, you know.” “I don’t know. What age are you?” she asked, in her usual downright way. “Nearly thirty-four.” “Say thirty-three; there is no need to anticipate. I shall be twenty next week; but I mean to call myself nineteen until twelve o’clock on Monday night. When I reach twenty-five I shall pause there for four or five years, and then go on as slowly as possible, counting every other year, until I am awfully old, and then I sha’n’t mind.” “Would you really mind now if you were--thirty, say?” “Yes--I should,” she replied, with great decision. “Then how dreadfully you must feel for me, Lady Gwendolyn.” “I don’t think it signifies about a man’s age, unless he is beginning to get infirm. But you have plenty of good years before you yet, Colonel Dacre.” “I hope you are a true prophet, Lady Gwendolyn. I can assure you that, so far, I have only seen the dark side of life.” “And yet to outsiders you always seem such a very fortunate person.” “Do I? Why?” “You have plenty of money, a fine old property, health to enjoy your advantages; and, therefore, as the world argues, you are an exceedingly fortunate person.” “Of course, I forgot,” he said bitterly; “money is everything in this world; and yet how little it can buy--of what one values most, I mean.” “Why, it buys diamonds!” exclaimed Lady Gwendolyn naïvely. “And you value them more than anything?”