"You must not say no," he said, hastily. "I assure you that Lady Lancaster will have no objection to my doing so, if your aunt will permit me. May I come?" Leonora raised her eyes gravely to his face. "Yes, you may come," she answered, and then turned quickly away. CHAPTER XXXV. The impulses of men in love are as various as their natures. Where one will linger around the fatal charmer and hug his pain, another will fly from "The cruel madness of love, The honey of poison-flowers, and all the measureless ill." Lancaster, being wise, chose the latter part. He had an innate conviction that Leonora would accept Lieutenant De Vere. He did not feel strong enough to witness his friend's happiness just yet. He felt that if he remained he might betray his passion and be laughed at for his pains. He sought safety from himself in ignominious flight. What was Lady Lancaster's dismay next morning, when she arose to her late breakfast, to find a note awaiting her from that troublesome nephew. She was in a great rage when she read it. She pushed back her dainty, untasted repast, which had been served in the privacy of her own room, and rang her bell violently. "Present my compliments to Lieutenant De Vere, and ask him to come to me for ten minutes," she said, sharply, to the servant who answered the summons. He came immediately, full of wonder at this abrupt summons, and found her pacing up and down the floor in a great rage which she did not take any pains to conceal. "Did you know of any reason Lord Lancaster could have for going up to London this morning?" she asked him, after they had gone through the preliminaries of a hasty good-morning. "No," he replied, gazing at her in surprise. "Well, he has gone--did you know that?" she demanded. "Yes, I heard from his groom that he went at daylight this morning," he replied. "Here is a note he left for me," she said, angrily. "He says he has been suddenly called away by urgent business--may be detained a week or more, and wishes me to present excuses and regrets to you and the rest of the company." "I am very sorry he had to go," said the lieutenant. "But do you believe that he really has business?" she inquired, peevishly. "Of course he had--or why should he have gone?" inquired the handsome young fellow, staring at her in amazement. "I don't know--but I have my suspicions. I half believe that he has run away from me and Lady Adela. If I were quite sure of it, I'd have my revenge," she muttered, irascibly. "What an old shrew! I don't blame Lancaster for running away. I'm quite sure I should do so, too, if she bullied me as she does Lancaster," said the young fellow to himself, but aloud, he said, with an air of surprise: "My dear Lady Lancaster, I am sure you wrong my friend. Why should he run away from you, his kind friend, and from the beautiful Lady Adela?"