d.

Quite recently she had even allowed him to kiss her. It was unspeakable
bliss, almost distressing in its transcendent quality. He "had such joy
of kissing her," he "had small care to sleep or feed. For the joy to
kiss between her brows time upon time" he "was well-nigh dead." How
could he be deceived by such unequivocal demonstrations of real passion?
In any case it was too wonderful to be wrong, and if wrong--what then?
The Devil was worth a score of heavens!

He had not carelessly overlooked the other sister. He was not
absent-minded where she was concerned. He had resolutely cast her out of
his mind. With conscious deliberation he had banished her far beyond his
horizon. His only remaining difficulty was not to discover the nature
of his next step, but how to take it. He felt an irrevocable destiny
bidding him solicit Leonetta's hand, but he rightly foresaw that there
might be some difficulty where Mrs. Delarayne was concerned.

It was because he happened to be in this mood of conscienceless desire,
unreflecting longing, that he had been able to listen calmly at the
table, the day before, while Wilmott announced Cleopatra's fall. Dimly
he had connected his behaviour with her indisposition; but the
temptation to continue along his present lines was too great to allow
him to dwell profitably upon that aspect of the situation.

Now again, just after he had come down from Brineweald Park to "The
Fastness," as was his wont after breakfast, he had scarcely felt a fibre
of pity or remorse stir in his body while Mrs. Delarayne had described
Cleopatra's second fainting fit to him. He had expressed his sympathy
formally, conventionally, like one who had but a few moments to spare
for such considerations, and even before Mrs. Delarayne had completed
her narrative, had allowed his eyes to wander eagerly all over the
garden for a sign of Leonetta.

Rigid and unmoved, he had seen the stir caused by the arrival of the
doctor, and later by the departure of Stephen Fearwell on his
motor-cycle with an urgent message from Mrs. Delarayne to Sir Joseph to
send one of his cars round at once for her immediate use.

What the car was wanted for, how it was connected with Cleopatra's
illness, he hadn't either the inclination or the interest to discover;
he only deplored the destiny that caused Cleopatra's breakdown when,
suddenly, without Mrs. Delarayne's having made any mention of the plan
to him, Leonetta, dazzling, electrifying,