Page:Lippincotts Monthly Magazine-40.djvu/525

Rh you, but you never turned your head to listen to them. You do not know the alphabet of love."

"Nonsense!"

"You do not!"

"Very well. I am too old to learn it."

He took my hand in his own. "Let me give you a lesson in what you should say. Now repeat after me: 'Duncan, I know I have I insensible to you, and even now' Go on."

Duncan, I know I have been I obediently began.

Insensible to you, and now

Insensible to you, and now

Even now

Even now

Do not do you justice; but I will believe that you honestly love me.' Go on."

Do not do you justice; but I will believe that you think I am a hopeless idiot.' Is that right?"

"But I am in earnest."

"So am I."

"Janet!"

"Duncan!"

He jumped up. "I am not jesting," he exclaimed. "Never was man more in earnest. Do believe me, Janet. You do not guess how tenderly I regard you. In all your life you have had no chance, for you have always been overshadowed. Come with me, Janet, come, and you shall really live, your life shall have in it vitality and strength. Come!" He stood in front of me and held out his hand; but I shook my head.

"Janet!" he softly repeated; but still I was silent. I could not go to him. Then the quick color came into his face.

"Is it because of Ogden Dal ton that you are so cold, so inflexible? Has he done you this harm?"

At that moment I could have wished to love Duncan, but my heart was like ice to him, and I said, patiently, as one owns to a fault he cannot cure, "Yes. It is because of Ogden."

My curious lover grew white to the lips.

"Damned vampire!" he said, and without another word he went away.

For a week we saw nothing of him, and then he reappeared behaving as usual, and neither Bernard nor Juliet saw any change in him. But I did, and I knew as well as though he had called it out to me when he entered the room, and repeated it when lie left, that he was but biding his time and had not given up. And he was good to me in many little ways which showed how his thoughts hovered around me: yet, although I could not but be kind to him, as any woman must be to the man who attentively loves her, the idea of marrying him was absurd and disagreeable to me.

But Duncan was a man who could wait. His heart might fire his brain, but the brain dominated the heart, keeping it under until its day should come. And no one guessed what had happened, and our family peace was not disturbed by it.