And it certainly is not
every woman's fortune to be able to recover a chance which seemed so
nearly lost as yours when we left Hallgrove. By all means nail him to
his proposition, and let him throw over the lovely Paulina. What a fool
the man must be not to know his mind a little better!"
"Madame Durski entrapped him into the engagement," said Lydia,
scornfully.
"Ah, to be sure, women have a way of laying snares of the matrimonial
kind, as you and I know, my dear Lydia. And now, good night. Go and
think about your trousseau in the silence of your own apartment."
Lydia Graham fell asleep that night, secure in the certainty that the
end and aim of her selfish life had been at last attained, and disposed
to regard the interval as very brief that must elapse before Douglas
Dale would come to throw himself at her feet.
For a day or two unwonted peace and serenity were observable in Lydia
Graham's demeanour and countenance. She took even more than the
ordinary pains with her dress; she arranged her little drawing-room
more than ever effectively and with sedulous care, and she remained at
home every afternoon, in spite of fine weather and an unusual number of
invitations. But Douglas Dale made no sign, he did not come, he did not
write, and all his enthusiastic declarations seemed to have ended in
nothing. The truth was that Paulina Durski was ill, and in his anxiety
and uneasiness, Douglas forgot even the existence of Lydia Graham.
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