the great house in park lane was brilliantly lighted up, and passers-by asked themselves what distinguished company lord ravenspur was entertaining tonight. inside the house the master of it all was counting the moments till he should be alone. he was only giving an informal dinner, but the guests numbered upwards of thirty all the same. and now they were disported all over the house. ravenspur sat in the great hall, with its mosaic floor and wonderful marble pillars. it was one of the show places of london, the envy of many whose means were greater than ravenspur's. the veiled lights shone through palm and fern. the sultry evening seemed to be rendered cooler by the murmur of the fountains. it was possible to sit there and see the fish darting hither and thither, so that the effect of being somewhat far away in the seclusion of the woods was complete. a tall, fair woman, marvellously attired, was languidly singing the praises of the place to her host.
"there is nothing like it," she said. "it is absolutely unique. we have tried the same effect in america, but, somehow or another, it seems so artificial, so wanting in repose. you are the most fortunate of individuals, lord ravenspur."
"so my friends tell me," ravenspur smiled. "but you must not always judge by appearances."
if his guest only knew, ravenspur thought. if she could only guess what his feelings were at that moment. the beauty of the place had been a delight to him at one time. he had enjoyed the planning and building, but now he would have changed it for the meanest cottage, if only he could approach to peace and comfort thereby. the house seemed full of omens. danger seemed to lurk everywhere. no doubt those banks of palms behind the water gave a charming effect to the hall, but, then, an assassin might have hidden behind them, for they afforded plenty of cover. the genial smile was still on ravenspur's face. no one would have guessed the grey tenor of his thoughts. even the pretty woman by his side had no idea how anxiously he was watching the clock in the gallery.
meanwhile, the guests flitted from place to place, and ravenspur could hear the click of the balls in the billiard-room. somebody was playing brilliant music in the drawing-room. usually, ravenspur's guests were loth to leave, and tonight was no exception to the rule; but presently they began to drift away, until, at length, ravenspur was alone.
he heaved a deep sigh of relief. he rose and turned in the direction of the studio. as he did so a slim, white figure came down the broad stairs, and vera rayne stood before him. she was looking her very best tonight. there was an extra dash of colour in her cheeks, a sparkle in her eyes. the look that ravenspur turned upon her was half affectionate and half sad.
"you did very well tonight," he said, "considering this is the first time you have done me the honour to act as hostess to my guests. you played your part quite to the manner born, vera. we shall have no occasion to call in the services of lady ringmar any more. you will find yourself paragraphed in the papers now."
vera did not appear to be listening. her beautiful face had a grave look upon it now. she hesitated for a moment before she spoke. there was no hurry about her words, but ravenspur could not fail to see that she was palpably nervous.
"it will not be for long, then," she said. "my dear guardian, can i have a few moments' conversation with you? it is not so very late, and one so seldom gets an opportunity."
"how grave you are," ravenspur smiled. "we will go as far as the library, if you like, and then i can smoke a cigar and listen to your weighty utterances. come along."
it was cosy enough in the library, and much more inviting of confidences than the stately splendour of the pillared hall. ravenspur threw himself back in an armchair and lighted a cigar. then he signified to vera to proceed. her lips were trembling now. something bright and diamond-like twinkled under her lashes.
"you have been very kind to me," she said unsteadily.
"have i really, my dear? nothing out of the common, i am sure. and what have i done? given you a good education and found you a comfortable home; and from first to last you have never caused me a moment's anxiety. i have become as fond of you as if you were my own child. it will be a genuine grief to me when the right man comes along and takes you away from here."
"there is not much fear of that," vera smiled wistfully. "of course, you may think me ungrateful. you may say that i am showing a great deal of dissatisfaction----"
"my dear girl, you are not dissatisfied, surely?"
"i am afraid i am. you see, things cannot go on like this. i hate to have to talk in such a fashion, but the time has come when i must speak. all these years you have been showering benefits upon me. you have been treating me as if i were your own flesh and blood. the money alone that i must have cost you is enormous; and, so far as i know, i have not a penny."
"you will have when i die," ravenspur said lightly.
"oh, please don't talk like that; it makes my task all the more difficult. i have realised for a long time now that i cannot stay here, a dependant on your bounty. i can never feel sufficiently grateful for what you have done for me in the past. i could not possibly put my feelings into words; but i have made up my mind that i must get my own living in the future. it is a very hard thing to say, but i am going to leave you."
"did anybody ever hear anything so foolish?" ravenspur cried. "why, this is your home. is it your fault that you are utterly incapable of getting your own living? when i brought you here--a child in arms--i gave your father a solemn assurance that you should be my own daughter in future. i have made provision for you in my will. some day you will be rich, as things go. and now you talk of leaving me in this cold-blooded fashion. don't you see that i cannot do without you? but let me try and touch that gratitude of which you spoke. surely, after watching over you so carefully all these years, you are not going to leave me at the very moment when you can make something like an adequate return? you are practically mistress of the house now, and my welfare is entirely in your hands. need i say any more after that?"
"oh, you try me sorely," vera cried; "and yet my path is quite plain. even at the risk of incurring your displeasure, i cannot remain here. and now i come to the point. before i go i want you to tell me who i am, and who my parents are."
"yes; i think you have a right to know that," ravenspur said thoughtfully; "but, if you don't mind, we will not go into that tonight. it is too late, and the story is too long. believe me, you will be the happier for asking no questions. there is a dark tragedy behind your young life which is now forgotten, and i am perfectly sure you would bitterly regret it if you stirred the scandal up again. 'let sleeping dogs lie,' vera. be content to know that you are of good family, and leave the rest alone."
the girl's face grew a shade paler. her eyes had a suggestion of pain in them as she turned to the speaker.
"i think i understand," she murmured. "if my suspicions are correct, this is a great blow to me; but, having said so much, i think i must know the rest. and now, now you see how impossible it is that i can remain here much longer."
ravenspur was silent for a moment. he had forgotten the little scene which he had witnessed some time ago between vera and walter lance. so that was why she was going. she had given her heart to walter, and only too late she had discovered that a marriage between them was out of the question.
the same subject was uppermost in vera's mind. they were both looking at the same thing from a different point of view; and it seemed to vera that if ravenspur's words meant anything, it meant that she was not even entitled to the name she bore. every drop of blood appeared to have left her heart. she stood there, white and breathless. yet, amidst all her storm of thoughts, one dominant idea possessed her. the time had come to strike now. there must be no further delay. she must leave the house. she must go out into the world to get her own living. she would stay here no longer under these shameful conditions.
"you have spared my feelings," she began. "i almost wish now that i had not asked you any of these---"
vera broke off abruptly as the door opened, and walter lance came into the room. he looked uneasy and anxious. he started to say something to ravenspur, then he paused, as he saw that vera was standing there. in spite of the girl's utter misery and dejection, she did not fail to see that she was in the way now.
"i am just going," she said. "i am going as far as the drawing-room. when you have finished with your uncle i should like to have a few words with you, walter."
"you had much better go to bed," ravenspur said, with a sudden stern inflection in his voice. "it is getting late, and i am sure that you must be tired, vera."
the girl made no reply. she walked through the door on the far side of the library and made her way into the drawing-room. uncle and nephew stood there facing one another; they could hear the sound of vera's piano softly played.
