"Then you will not do so while I am the mistress of Lancaster. If he chooses to have such low tastes, it is not for me to indulge him in them. If he must woo the housekeeper's niece, he may woo her in her proper place," cried Lady Lancaster, indignant at his defense of his friend's misplaced admiration, and secretly jealous of the beautiful girl's influence. What if Lancaster, too, had been bewitched by that fair, piquant face and luring smile? A sudden thought came to her. After all, perhaps, it were best for her plans that De Vere should have his way. Who could tell what folly might get into Lancaster's head? She looked at him thoughtfully. "Perhaps I was hasty," she said. "But I had a shock to-day when I first saw the girl, and--she was very impertinent to me. Is it your wish, Clive, that I should put no obstacle in the way of Lieutenant De Vere's designs?" He bowed silently. A swift, sharp, cruel pang of jealousy tore through his heart as he did so. "To see her another's--Oh, God! it would be harder than death!" he said to himself, and yet there was no hope for him. Why should he stand in another's light? Her keen eyes detected the shadow on his face, and she interpreted it aright. She was frightened at the danger that had been so near her, unknown and unsuspected all this while. "I must remove the temptation from him as soon as I can," she thought, anxiously. CHAPTER XXXII. "Lord Lancaster, I want to ask you something," said Lady Adela Eastwood. It was in the evening after the gentlemen had come in from their walnuts and wine. Lord Lancaster had retired rather sulkily to a corner, and the earl's daughter had followed him and sat down near him. She looked very handsome in her dinner-dress of rose-pink satin draped with creamy lace. Her brilliant black eyes searched his face eagerly, as she said: "Lady Lancaster has been telling us the strangest story before the gentlemen came in. I am going to ask you if it is true." He tried to rouse himself to interest in her theme. "Yes," he said, "I know that Lady Lancaster can be very interesting," sarcastically. "What is it all about, Lady Adela?" She lowered her voice, and glanced across the room where Lieutenant De Vere sat with rather a bored look on his face, trying to become interested in the lively chatter of the pretty Miss Dean. "It is about that handsome Lieutenant De Vere," she said; "Lady Lancaster has been telling us that he is infatuated with a ridiculous creature--a servant, I think she said, or something like that. And he is going to propose to her, and it will most likely be a match. Now, you are his friend, Lord Lancaster. Please tell me if it is really so?" "No, it is not," he replied, pulling savagely at the innocent ends of his long mustache. "Then it is not true? Lady Lancaster was only telling it to tease Emma Dean, I fancy. Emma has been setting her cap at the lieutenant, you know. She will be very glad to hear it was all a joke."