And suddenly, to her amazement, a streak of light, narrow and faint at first, but afterwards wider and brighter, showed on the partition which separated her room from Lilla’s, and, groping softly her way towards it, she found it came through a division in the skirting-board from the wall, and through this crack also came to her the sound of voices—Lilla’s and Captain Ivie’s.
“I tell you, Ivie,” the former was saying in low but positive tones—“I tell you I know perfectly well what to do without any advice from you. Haven’t I arranged the whole thing from beginning to end, and isn’t it all owing to me that you’ve got on so well so far?”
“Yes, Lilla, quite true,” replied the captain in the same guarded tones, “you’ve made me a bigger villain than I ever thought it was in me to be.”
“Don’t be a fool,” interrupted Lilla. “Wait till you’ve got the girl and thirty thousand a year, and then—”
“Ah, then,” said Ivie with a sneer, “I suppose you think you’ll have the earl and thirty thousand a year.”
“Why, Ivie, you’re getting quite clever,” said Lilla tauntingly; “you’ll be able to manage your own affairs soon. But, instead of standing here quarrelling, you had far better be practising how to make love to the young lady in the morning, for after I’ve gone, everything will rest on your own shoulders. Hark!” she broke off suddenly, “what noise was that? Can the girl be awake and moving about?”
What noise was that? Only a sob from poor Lettice, who, brokenhearted on the other side of the partition, listened to the revelation of her friends’ treachery. Ivie and his sister listened intently for a few seconds, and Lettice held in her breath and her sobs with a strong hand, for now she was determined to know the worst.
“It was your fancy,” said Ivie. “She is so thoroughly worn out, and the dose of brandy I gave her was so strong, she’ll sleep no doubt till the morning.”
“Very well, then, Ivie, for the last time let me tell you my plan, and see if you understand it all thoroughly. Now I shall leave here as soon as that man brings a horse round, go on to Auchterarder and take train to Perth, where I shall stay at the Loders’, at Ingleside. They think I am there at the present moment. No one imagines me here with you. Our little device as to Ingleside will make them lose a great deal of time, more especially as Ellis won’t give any message at all until he sees she’s missed. Then he’ll send up word by someone that Captain Ivie drove her to Ingleside, that she’s there at the present moment, and then he’ll make off as fast as he can. I can fancy the consternation there will be among the two old ladies and their old maid. Miss Judy will go into hysterics, and Aunt Rosamond will try to keep her quiet and hush up matters from Lord Lochiel and the other people in the house till they’ve sent to Ingleside to fetch the young lady. Then, when they come back without her, the old aunts won’t believe she isn’t there, and then they’ll go themselves and cross-question our people, who won’t know anything at all, and there’ll be a lot of time lost and it’ll be nearly ten o’clock at night, and too late to do anything till the morning, which gives the game into your hands, Ivie,” she finished, with a triumphant ring in her voice.
“I’m not so sure of that,” muttered Ivie, with no triumphant ring in his voice.
“Then you ought to be, with everything made straight and plain before you. What! do you mean to tell me that your powers of persuasion are so small that you really can’t talk a girl over when she is already halfway in love with you? Oh, if I had your part to play I’d do it to perfection. Swear to her you’re dying for her and all that sort of thing, tell her you’ve done it all—plotted, lied, sinned—all for her sweet sake, and are ready to do it over and over again to win her, etc., etc., etc., and so on ad infinitum, making the best possible use of your handsome eyes all the time. Frighten her with the terrible anger of her father and relatives, scare her with the thought of the censure society will fling upon her and the way in which she will be talked about if the whole caravanserai from Lochiel Castle come down and find her with you. Meantime have the horses brought round and hurry matters on; tell her you can hear the crack of the Lochiel riding-whips and Aunt Judy’s hysterics; and if in the end you don’t carry her off triumphantly in your chariot, why—”
“Why what?” growled Ivie.
“Why you deserve to lose her. What does it matter even if they overtake you and bring her back, the girl will be fairly compromised, and that they’ll have the sense to see, and they’ll know perfectly well that if you don’t marry her no one else will. You can make your own terms on the matter. As I told you, the game is in your hands entirely now.”
“Lilla,” said her brother, as he opened the door to go downstairs, “I believe you are the fiend himself incarnate!”
“Thanks,” said Lilla indifferently, “your sister. Good night.”
For a few minutes Lettice lay like one stunned on the floor by the side of the partition. Her brain refused at first to take in the whole blackness and treachery of the plot which had been weaved against her, her blinding, choking tears ceased, and she felt almost as though her whole being had been turned into stone. Little by little, however, the truth
