He stooped in the darkness and took up the end of her scarf, laid it to his lips, and was gone. A shaft of strong light fell across her face as he opened the door. As he softly closed it, and she was again concealed in soft darkness, she closed her eyes and smiled while the great tears quivered on her lashes. Lord Lyndwood's box stood empty for the rest of the performance. Statira acted like a fury, and afterwards fell into hysterics in the green-room, to the triumph of Miss Fenton and the other ladies performing in _The Rival Queens_. CHAPTER VII "ASPASIA" "I wish you would go and meet them at the lodge," said Susannah Chressham. "'Tis near an hour before they are due," smiled Marius, looking at his watch. "How impatient you are!" "To see her, yes." Miss Chressham unfurled her pink parasol. "I am quite agitated." "Shall we return to the house?" "No, it is very pleasant here; let us go to my rose garden, it will pass the time, and really some of the blooms are beautiful." They took a path that led towards the lake across the cedar-shaded lawn; the sun was strong before its setting and cast a soft glow through the rosy silk of Miss Chressham's parasol on to her bare brown head and white dress; Marius Lyndwood was very exquisitely arrayed in dove-coloured satins; as he walked beside his cousin he played with the red tassels on his ivory-headed cane. "Has Rose written to you of late?" asked Miss Chressham suddenly. "I received a letter from him two days ago, as I was leaving Brereton's," answered Marius half shyly. "I spoke of it to my lady, but she did not encourage me to show it to her." He switched at the thick daisies with his cane. "Rose wrote from Calais--charmingly--he enclosed bills to a large amount, and said he had arranged a captaincy for me in the Blues--'twas all very sweetly worded." "Rose has a chivalrous soul," said Miss Chressham. Marius flushed. "You, with him, make me out a selfish boor, maybe," and the crimson deepened in his cheeks. "I was passionate with my lord, but he hath given me no chance to put it aright." They were now skirting the borders of the lake, and their bright dresses were reflected like painted shadows in the still water. Susannah spoke firmly. "What Rose has done he did because he was the head of the house and because you and my lady made it clear that you expected his duty of him--it was natural that you should----" "Ye make me uneasy with this talk of his sacrifice," cried Marius. "I said duty, not sacrifice," returned Miss Chressham; "this marriage hath saved the estates, the name, my lady and you." It was at the irises growing at the water's edge that Marius struck now with his impetuous cane. "But," he said as if in self-justification, "a man in my lord's position must marry, and 'tis usually an heiress; the thing is done every day; many might have expected Rose to do it sooner, before it came to openly making a bargain of it."