have learned to distinguish them by name and
sight, your friend among the rest."

"And you would like to see my friend?" he said, with malicious emphasis.

"I would like to thank him," retorted the lady, with some asperity:
"you have told me how much I owe him, and it strikes me the desire is
somewhat natural."

"Without doubt it is, and it will save Sir Norman much fruitless labor;
for even now he is in search of you, and will neither rest nor sleep
until he finds you."

"In search of me!" she said softly, and with that rosy glow again
illumining her beautiful face; "he is indeed kind, and I am most anxious
to thank him."

"I will bring him here in two hours, then," said Ormiston, with energy;
"and though the hour may be a little unseasonable, I hope you will
not object to it; for if you do, he will certainly not survive until
morning."

She gayly laughed, but her cheek was scarlet.

"Rather than that, Mr. Ormiston, I will even see him tonight. You will
find me here when you come."

"You will not run away again, will you?" said Ormiston, looking at her
doubtfully. "Excuse me; but you have a trick of doing that, you know."

Again she laughed merrily.

"I think you may safely trust me this time. Are you going?"

By way of reply, Ormiston took his hat and started for the door. There
he paused, with his hand upon it.

"How long have you known Sir Norman Kingsley?" was his careless, artful
question.

But Leoline, tapping one little foot on the floor, and looking down at
it with hot cheeks and humid ayes, answered not a word.

CHAPTER VIII. THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN.

When Sir Norman Kingsley entered the ancient ruin, his head was full of
Leoline--when he knelt down to look through the aperture in the flagged
floor, head and heart were full of her still. But the moment his eyes
fell on the scene beneath, everything fled far from his thoughts,
Leoline among the rest; and nothing remained but a profound and
absorbing feeling of intensest amaze.

Right below him he beheld an immense room, of which the flag he had
raised seemed to form part of the ceiling, in a remote corner. Evidently
it was one of a range of lower vaults, and as he was at least fourteen
feet above it, and his corner somewhat in shadow, there was little
danger of his being seen. So, leaning far down to look at his leisure,
he took the goods the gods provided him, and stared to his heart's
content.

Sir Norman had seen some queer sights