'It will be better not. If I ever succeed, and I have sworn to do it, we may then meet on more equal ground,' he said steadily, and not a sign of the unutterable longing in his heart betrayed itself in his set face. His pride was as cruel as the grave. 'Till then it is good-bye, then, I suppose?' she said quietly. 'Yes, till then; the day will come, or I shall know the reason why.' 'But it may be too late then, Walter, for us both.' With these words, destined to ring their warning changes in his ears for many days, she left him, without touch of the hand or other farewell. 'Well, dear,' said Clara, with a slightly quizzical smile, 'has it made you happier to revive the ghosts of the past?' 'No; you were right, and I wrong,' said Gladys, as she sank into the cushioned seat. 'It was a great mistake.' But even Clara did not know how dark was the shadow which had settled down on the girl's gentle soul. [Illustration] CHAPTER XIX. THE SWEETS OF LIFE. From that day a change was observed in Gladys Graham. It was as if she had suddenly awakened from a dream, to find herself surrounded by the realities of life. Her listlessness vanished, her pensive moods became things of the past. None could be more interested in every plan and project, however small, in which the Fordyce household were concerned. She became lively, merry, energetic; it seemed impossible for her to be still. 'Now, what do you suppose is the matter with Gladys, Clara?' said Mina, the morning of the day they were to leave town. 'You who pretend to be a philosopher and a reader of character ought to be able to solve that mystery.' 'What do you see the matter with her?' inquired Clara, answering the question by another, as was her way when she did not want to commit herself to an expression of opinion. 'Why, she is a different girl. Don't tell me you haven't noticed it. She carries that Len to outrageous lengths, and if you don't call her behaviour at Aunt Margaret's last night the most prominent flirtation, I don't know what it is.' 'Just put it to Gladys, Mina. If she ever heard the word flirtation, I am positive she doesn't know what it means.' 'Oh, fiddle-de-dee!--every woman, unless she is a fool, knows intuitively what flirtation means, and can put it in practice. But it struck me last night that Aunt Margaret rather encouraged George to pay attention to Gladys. Of course it was quite marked.' 'Why should she encourage it?' asked Clara, with a slight inflection of huskiness in her voice. 'Clara, really you are too obtuse, or pretend to be. Of course it would be a fine thing for them. She belongs to an old Ayrshire family, and poor Aunt Margaret adores lineage. If she could with any effrontery assume it herself, she would; but, alas! everybody knows where the Fordyces came from. They'll angle for our dear little ward this summer, and bait the hook with gold.'