Constance fairly gasped.

"To-night, fair one, on the stroke of nine thou wilt pass through the
postern door of the castle and fall into my arms,--here, take this,
sweet, to pledge thyself." He slipped from his finger a ring of
marvellous beauty and essayed to place it upon her hand.

"Nay, I cannot. I should be seen to go forth at so early an hour,--and
I know thee not!"

"Thou art not afraid of me? Nay, I am one of the most gentle and
tender--"

"But where wilt thou take me, your Grace?"

"I will take thee to my heart, and if thou art unhappy, thou mayest
return when thou desirest; but 'twill be my pleasure to keep thee with
me alway; we will go to London." Constance, having read the letter,
knew it would not do for her to leave the drawing-room at the same
hour with Katherine, and she hardly knew what to do.

"Indeed, I have no wish to see a duel upon my Lord Cedric's grounds,
thou must come later. My love will perhaps wait an hour,--thou mayest
come at twelve."

"And allow him to come first and steal thee; nay, I protest."
Constance felt somewhat dubious. The Duke saw it, and hastened to
reassure her.

"If thou wilt sit near the window on the stroke of nine, I will let
thy lover go; but if thou dost pass from my sight, I will run the
fellow through; and thou mayest come to me at twelve!"

To this Constance agreed, and allowed him to place the ring; and he
kissing her again with fervour, let her go, exultant.

'Twas a glorious, clear, warm night. The castle was aglow and merry.
Lady Bettie Payne and Sir Rodger Mac Veigh and Sir Jasper Kenworthy
and sundry other shire folk had come to while away a spring night. The
gentlemen were playing at cup and ball; Lady Constance and Lady Bettie
were gossiping of Court scandal, when in swept her Grace of Ellswold
with Mistress Penwick, the latter such a vision of loveliness the game
was suspended for a moment, and Constance and Bettie looked up to see
why all eyes were turned from them.

The maid wore a pale-hued brocade gown of sweeping length of skirt,
and short, round bodice and low-neck and long sleeves that tightly
encased her plump, pink arms. Her mother's pearls lay glistening about
her slender neck, and falling low was caught again by some caprice
of mode high where met sleeve and waist, and here a rare bunch of
fragrant violets shone bravely as a shoulder knot.

Lord Cedric saw her first, and was well-nigh drunk with her beauty,
and he advanced and bent