A Struggle for a Ring — page 380: what you’re looking at

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

376 A STARTLING ACCUSATION. word; it would seem hard and unkind after her loving little letter to him, yet he could not think of any way in which he could possibly send her a note or a message. ‘‘T must explain it to her when I return,” he said. Then it struck five; the valet and groom were both in attendance ; there was not another moment to be lost if he intended going by the six o'clock train. ‘‘Poor Ailie!” were his last words as he quitted the house. ‘‘I wish that I had time to write one word to her.” . Poor Ailie! was his last thought as he looked up at the grand old walls of the grand house, and then he galloped away in the morning sunshine, without one thought of what was to happen later on, while Ailie slept, through exhaustion—it was so late when she reached her room, and she had suffered so much anxiety. She slept until late in the morning. When at last she woke, and saw from her watch that it was nearly nine, she was frightened. How was it that no one had been to call her? She did not remember that such a thing had ever happened before. Why had the countess not sent for her? She was perplexed, When she opened the door of her room Lady Gertrude’s maid was there. ‘« Just going to rap,” she said, and the message that she had brought was: ‘‘ Lady Waldrove would not require Miss Derwent that morning.” Ailie was more perplexed still. It might be that the countess, seeing how tired she was last night, had taken compassion on her. ‘Does Lady Waldrove think that I am ill?” she asked. And the only answer was a very indifferent ‘‘I do not know.” ‘* Is Lady Waldrove ill herself?” she asked, again. (E(0) Al (C JOO 45) (E(0) m