Marion Arleigh's Penance Part 6

"Of course I shall. If I remain in London it will be comparatively easy, and if I go into the country you will be obliged to follow me."

"I wish I could disguise myself as a page and go with you," he said. "I do not see how I am to live without you."

He did another thing which touched her generous heart--he painted a picture, and with the proceeds of the sale of it he purchased a ring for her. It was his sister who told her how the ring was procured.

"It is my belief," said Miss Lyster, "that if he could change his whole heart into one great ruby, he would do so, and offer it to you."

She placed the ring on her finger, and he made her promise never to take it off. It was made of rubies and opals set in pure gold.

"Do not remove that, Marion," he said, "until I can find a plain gold ring and that shall bind you to me for as long as we both shall live."

CHAPTER VIII.

A change came at last--one for which none of the three had been prepared: Lord Ridsdale married.

The first thing the new Lady Ridsdale did was to insist on the removal of Miss Arleigh from school.

"Nearly eighteen," she said, "and still at school! My dear William, the only wonder is that the poor girl has not fallen into some dreadful mischief. She ought to have been presented last year. We must have her home at once."

Lady Ridsdale was a woman of the world; she knew exactly how much eclat and importance would accrue to her from the fact of being chaperone to a wealthy heiress like Miss Arleigh.

"Is the girl pretty?" she asked her husband; and to do him justice, he looked much confused.

"I hardly know what to answer you, Laura. I must confess the truth; I have not seen her for two years and more. When my wife died I was quite at a loss what to do with her, so I sent her to school. Miss Carleton promised to take complete charge of her, and I have not seen her, as I say, for more than two years."

"Was she a pretty girl then?" persisted Lady Ridsdale.

"I think so. Miss Carleton said she was beautiful. She had been crying when I saw her, so that I could hardly judge."

"A beauty, and a wealthy heiress! We must have her at home at once, William. We will fetch her without any delay."

Lord Ridsdale thought some of the servants might go, that it was hardly necessary for him to make the journey. His wife laughed at him.

"You do not know the social importance of your ward," she said. "Before long Miss Arleigh will be one of the queens of society, heiress of Hanton, and of the large fortune left by her father; we shall have some of the first men in England wooing her. She may be a d.u.c.h.ess if she likes." At which intelligence Lord Ridsdale opened his eyes.

He had thought of his ward as of a tiresome responsibility, a child of whom the charge would be very troublesome. He had taken good care of her money, because he was an honorable man, but he had not thought much of what his wife called her social position. As a probable d.u.c.h.ess he felt a great amount of respect for her.

So Lord and Lady Ridsdale went together to bring their beautiful young ward home. Miss Carleton was grieved to lose her.

"She has been a docile pupil, and she is a beautiful, lovable girl.

Though I am sorry indeed to part with her, for her own sake I am glad she is going; it is high time she saw something of the world."

"You have had no trouble with her, I hope?" said Lord Ridsdale. "At seventeen most young girls have begun to think of love and lovers."

Miss Carleton prided herself on the fact that in her establishment such matters were entirely avoided.

"There is nothing of the kind," she replied, earnestly. "I do not believe that Miss Arleigh has even begun to think of such things."

"So much the worse when she does begin," thought Lady Ridsdale.

When the preliminaries had all been discussed, and Miss Arleigh was requested to meet her guardian, Lady Ridsdale could not control her surprise at the sight of the girl's beauty.

"You could not tell whether she was pretty or not?" she said afterwards to her husband. "William you must be blind."

She welcomed the young girl warmly. She kissed the fresh blooming face that had all a woman's beauty with the innocence of a child. She clasped her arms round the slender, girlish figure.

"You must learn to love me," she said, "to look on me in the place of the mother you have lost."

And Marion Arleigh for the first time in her life imagined to herself what a mother's love would be like.

"What a strange idea to keep you so long at school!" said Lady Ridsdale.

"We must do our best to atone for it."

"I should imagine that my guardian did not know what to do with me," she replied, with a smile so bright and sweet that Lord Ridsdale at once fell in love with her, as his wife had done before him.

"Where am I going to live?" asked Marion, after they had been talking for some time.

"We are going to Thorpe Castle," replied Lady Ridsdale, "and I thought you would enjoy being there with us."

"I shall enjoy anything and everything" said Marion. "I have all my life before me, and it will be full of glorious possibilities."

Suddenly she paused, remembering that her life was settled and arranged; it held no more possibilities; they were all at an end. For the first time she felt the weight of the chain that bound her. Lady Ridsdale wondered why the beautiful face suddenly grew pale and grave.

Half an hour afterwards Marion came timidly to her side.

"Lady Ridsdale," she began, in a half-hesitating manner, "of course I never thought such happiness as the marriage of my guardian was in store for me."

"I suppose not," was the smiling reply.

"I used to think that I should go away from here and be so lonely, so sad. I have made a promise and I do not see how I can keep it."

Lady Ridsdale was touched and flattered by the girl's confidence.

"Tell me all about it, Marion; you shall keep the promise, if it be possible."

"There is a governess here, one of the a.s.sistants; her name is Lyster--Adelaide Lyster. She has always been very kind to me; indeed I should have been most lonely but for her, and I--I am very much attached to her."

"Quite natural and quite right," said Lady Ridsdale. "You wish, of course, to make her a very handsome present?"

"No, not quite that," said Marion, looking very uncomfortable; "it is much worse than that. I thought I should be all alone, and I promised that when I left Miss Carleton's she should go with me as my companion, and should live with me."

Lady Ridsdale looked very grave.

"I do not think it possible, my dear," she replied. "Lord Ridsdale has the greatest objection to that kind of thing. Will you not try if you shall like me as a companion?"