ady St. Maurice?"

An answering light shot back from her eyes. She was suddenly pale to the
lips. Her voice was hushed as though in fear, but it was firm.

"Yes, I shall go. To-night I shall accept her offer."

CHAPTER XVIII

"I HAVE A FEAR--A FOOLISH FEAR"

"Geoff, it's the most extraordinary thing in the world."

"What is it, dear?" he asked, throwing down his newspaper on the
breakfast table, and lighting a cigarette. "Tell me about it."

"Listen."

She read the letter, which was open in her hands, and he listened
thoughtfully, leaning back in the high-backed oak chair, and watching
the blue smoke from his cigarette curl upward to the ceiling.

"LONDON, _Thursday_.

"DEAR LADY ST. MAURICE: I have delayed answering your letter
for some time, longer than may seem courteous to you, owing to
the illness of a member of the family with whom I have been
living. I trust, however, that you will not consider it too
late for me to thank you heartily for your generous offer to
me, which, if we can agree upon one point, I shall be most
happy and grateful to accept. You have a little girl, you tell
me, and no governess. If you will allow me to fill the latter
position, which I believe that I am quite capable of doing, I
shall be glad to come. I could not feel myself at ease in
becoming one of your household on any other footing. Hoping to
hear from you soon, I am, yours sincerely,

"MARGHARITA BRISCOE."

"Did you ever hear of such a thing?" Lady St. Maurice exclaimed.
"Margharita's child, my governess. I call it very stupid pride."

Lord St. Maurice shook his head.

"I think you are wrong, dear. After all, you must remember that you are
a complete stranger to her."

"That has been her mother's fault. Margharita never exactly blamed me
for what I did at Palermo, but she always felt bitterly for her brother,
and she could not forget that it was my hand which had sent him to
prison. It was very unreasonable of her, but, after all, one can
understand her feeling. Still, this girl of hers can have no such
feeling toward me."

"Of course not; but, none the less, as I said before, you are a complete
stranger to her," Lord St. Maurice answered. "Her parentage is just the
sort to have given her those independent ideas, and I'm inclined to
think that she is quite right."

Lady St. Maurice sighed.

"I would have been only too happy to have w