Miss Linisfarne, arrayed in black, and thickly veiled, arose to meet her, but did not come forward with any greeting. On the contrary, she stood still as any statue, and looked steadily at the splendid beauty of the young girl. It was so undeniable that she recognized the inferiority of her faded charms at once, and sank back in her chair with a sigh. This Meg interpreted as a sign of sorrow that they had been parted, and with great tenderness took the hand of--as she deemed her to be--her friend. The situation was not without a suspicion of irony. "I am so glad to see you, Miss Linisfarne," she said, kissing the elder woman. "I was afraid you were angry with me, and so kept away from the Court." "It was for your own good, Meg, that I was angry." "For my own good!" repeated Meg, rather astounded at this assertion. "What do you mean, Miss Linisfarne? Did I disobey you in anyway, that you banished me from Farbis Court? Was my conduct distasteful to you, that you so reproved me? What do you mean by saying your anger was for my own good?" Miss Linisfarne smiled under her veil at the indignation of the girl, and uttered only one word in reply. It had not the effect she anticipated. "Dan!" she said, with much significance. "What about Dan?" demanded Meg, in a puzzled tone. "It was on his account I wished you to keep away from the Court." "I don't understand!" "No, poor child!" said Miss Linisfarne, in a pitying tone. "How can you, with your youth and innocence and provincial education, be expected to understand the baseness of man?" "If you mean that Dan is base," replied Meg, bluntly, "I don't believe it. He is as good a man as Mr. Jarner." "I am afraid not, Meg." "You need not be afraid, Miss Linisfarne. I have seen Dan daily for the last three months, and every day I have grown to like him better." "Are you in love with him?" sneered Miss Linisfarne. Meg laughed heartily. Such an idea had never entered her mind, and she thought Miss Linisfarne was joking. "Of course I am not in love with him," she said, smiling; "why, we are like brother and sister." "You think so, but he does not. I tell you, Meg, he is a dishonourable man." "And I tell you he is not!" "He has a brave defender, I see! But what do you say of a man who professes to love two women at the same time?" "I should call him a scoundrel. But such a thing is impossible. No one can love two women at once." "Dan can," retorted Miss Linisfarne, in a taunting manner; "he loves you, and professes to love me." "Stop, stop!" cried Meg, with a bewildered expression of countenance. "What do you say? Dan loves me?" "Yes!" "That is impossible! He has never, in any way, hinted at such a thing." "No! Because he was afraid of my anger." "Of your anger!" "Yes! He came to Farbis Court yesterday and declared that he loved me--that he wished to make me his wife." "Oh, I cannot believe it," said Meg, jealously.