A Struggle for a Ring — page 348: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

344 ADMIRATION IS NOT LOVE. Lord Carsdale went to the book-shelves, and, after standing there some little time, he took down a book, and crossing the room, laid it before Ailie. ‘You were inquiring about old French costumes, Miss Derwent,” he said; ‘‘look at this.” From the quiet significance of his tone Ailie knew there was more in the few words than they seemed. She took the book from his hands, and saw a folded paper. Five minutes afterward, when she had an opportunity of open- ing it, she did so, and found the words: ‘¢T want to see you particularly. Could you be on the western terrace to-night, after eleven?” ‘¢ How cautious he is,” she thought to herself, first of all; ‘‘there is no name.” Then she began to wonder why he wished to see her. Never did the hours of any day pass so slowly ; it seemed to Ailie that they would never end; she could not have told how they had passed. She saw a crowd of faces, but recognized none of them; she heard voices, but the tones were strange to her ear. She went through her duties _mechanically, her heart was still with wonder and surprise. Why did he want her? Could it possibly be that he had learned to care some little for her, and was going to tell her so? Would the long, cruel hours never pass? She must go through the torture of dinner, of dessert, of music—never, surely, had one day been so long! Then came ten, and Lady Waldrove, tired of a day of— for her—unusual fatigue, began to talk of retiring. The gentlemen, as a rule, always went to the smoking-room when the ladies retired, and left it, each one as his fancy dictated. The young ladies of the party talked over the occurrences of the day in each other’s rooms, so that Ailie knew she should have every chance of what she wanted— eEomicbooks (E(0) mn