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ned so hot at this that he rose quickly, and walked along all four sides of the quadrangle to cool himself before going to the door once more and giving a sharp ring. "Are the servants going to lie in bed all day?" he said peevishly. "They ought to be down before this." But the ring meeting with no response, he sat down again to try and think out what the consequences of the events of the morning would be. Here, however, he found himself confronted by a thick, black veil, which shut out the future. It was easy enough to read the past, but to imagine what was to come was beyond him. At last, when quite an hour had passed, he grew impatient, and rang sharply this time, to hear a window opened somewhere at the top of the house; and when he looked up, it was to see a head thrust forth and rapidly withdrawn. Five minutes or so afterward he heard the shooting of bolts and the rattling down of a chain, the door was opened, and a pretty-looking maidservant, with sleep still in her eyes, confronted him ill-humouredly. "How late you are!" cried Frank. "No, sir; please, it's you who are so early. We didn't go to bed till past one." "Is Lady Gowan up yet?" "Lor' bless you, sir, no! Why--oh, I beg your pardon, I'm sure, sir. I didn't know you at first; it's her ladyship's son, isn't it?" "Yes, of course. I want to see her directly." "But you can't, sir. She won't be down this two hours." "Go and tell my mother I am here, and that I want to see her on important business." "Very well, sir; but I know I shall get into trouble for disturbing her," said the maid ill-humouredly. "She was with the Princess till ever so late." The girl went upstairs, leaving Frank waiting in the narrow passage of the place, and at the end of a few minutes she returned. "Her ladyship says, sir, you are to come into her little boudoir and wait; she'll dress, and come down in a few minutes." Frank followed the maid to the little room, and stood waiting, for he could not sit down in his anxiety. He felt hot and cold, and as if he would have given anything to have hurried away, but there was nothing for it but to screw up his courage and face the matter. "She'll be half an hour yet," he muttered, "and that will give me time to grow cool; then I can talk to her." He was wrong; for at the end of five minutes there was the rustling of garments, and Lady Gowan entered, in a loose morning gown, looking startled at being
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