e I would sue for my rights--ah, and might win then. As it is,
and for the present, I am powerless; but I will have my revenge. Tell
Lucia, Countess of Lanswell, so from me."

The passion, the dramatic force, the eager interest, the power of her
beautiful face, struck him. In his heart he felt sorry for this girl,
who he knew had been cruelly treated.

"I would not think about revenge," he said; "that is a kind of thing one
reads about in novels and plays, but it is all out of date."

"Is it?" she asked, with a slow, strange smile.

"Yes. Take the advice of a sensible man who wishes to see you do well.
Yours is a false position, a cruel position; but make the best of
it--take the thousand per annum, and enjoy your life."

He never forgot the scorn those wonderful eyes flashed at him.

"No," she said, "I thank you; I believe when you give me that advice you
mean well, but I cannot follow it. If I were dying of hunger I would not
touch even a crumb of bread that came from Lady Lanswell. I will never
even return to the house which has been my own. I will take no one
single thing belonging to them. I will leave them my hatred and my
curse. And you tell Countess Lucia, from me, that my hatred shall find
her out, and my vengeance avenge me."

She rose from her chair and took the letter she had brought with her.

"I will never part with this," she said; "I will keep it near me always,
and the reading of it may stimulate me when my energy tires. I have no
message for Lord Chandos; to you I say farewell."

"She is going to kill herself," he thought; "and then, if it gets into
the papers, my lady will wax wroth."

She seemed to divine his thoughts, for she smiled, and the smile was
more sad than tears.

"I shall not harm myself," she said: "death is sweeter than life, but
life holds 'vengeance.' Good-bye."

CHAPTER XXXVI.

AFTER THREE YEARS.

"The question is," said Lord Chandos, "shall we go or not? Please
yourself, Marion, and then," he added, with an air of weariness, "you
will be sure to please me."

"I should like to go, certainly, if you really have no other engagement,
Lance," said Lady Chandos.

"My engagements always give place to your pleasure," replied the young
husband. "If you really desire to see this new star we will go. I will
see about it at once."

Still Lady Chandos seemed irresolute.

"It is quite true," she said, "that all London has gone mad about her,
just as Paris, Vienna, an