Mr. Revington duly announced his betrothal to the inhabitants of the
villa. Congratulations followed of course, but he could not flatter
himself that there was any heart in them.
Mr. Stuart was openly surprised and inwardly disgusted.
"To think that a girl of such beauty and soul as Irene should stoop to
mate with that weak, guitar-playing dandy," he said to himself.
Brown and Jones were envious of Revington's good luck. The ladies, with
the exception of Mrs. Leslie, thought it quite too good a match for the
mysterious Miss Berlin.
"My dear," said Mrs. Leslie, the first time she could draw Irene aside,
"I do not know how to congratulate you. You have surprised me too much.
I never dreamed that you were in love with Julius Revington."
They were alone on the wide balcony, and the opaline hues of sunset
sparkled on the blue horizon. Irene looked very pale and grave in the
brilliant light. She gazed sadly at her friend.
"Does it follow that I am in love with him because I have promised to be
his wife?" she asked, almost bitterly.
Mrs. Leslie started and gazed keenly at the fair young face.
"It _should_ follow," she said. "No girl should marry a man with whom
she is not in love. It is positively sinful to do so. And, my dear
child, if you are marrying him for money you are sadly mis----" she
paused, for a flood of crimson had drifted into Irene's face.
"Mrs. Leslie, I am quite aware that Mr. Revington's income is extremely
small," she said, with girlish dignity.
"Oh, then, it is for love, after all," said the lady, relieved. "Well,
that is the best, if you are going to marry him. But I must say it is a
great surprise to me. You seemed to belong to me so utterly I never
thought of a lover carrying you off."
Her sigh of genuine regret pierced Irene's tender heart.
She longed to throw her arms around the sweet lady's neck and tell her
all her sad story--to disclaim all interest and love in the wretch who
exacted so costly a price for her mother's happiness; but a feeling of
pride held her back.
"Not now, while the shadow of the old disgrace hangs over me," she said
to herself. "I could not bear for her to pity me. Only in the hour of my
triumph will I tell her my strange story and ask her to rejoice with
me."
Lilia came out on the balcony and Mrs. Leslie said no more. The child
was exquisitely dressed, as usual, in a rich white robe, with a
rose-colored sash. She looked quite pretty with her dark, shining hair
falling over her shoulders, her large black eyes beaming with the fires
of disease, and a deceptive glow of color on her cheeks.
She came and stood by Irene's side, and with one of her rare impulses of
kindness laid her light, fragile hand on her shoulder.
"They tell me you are going to marry my cousin Julius," she said,
abruptly.
"Yes," Irene answered, with a smothered sigh.
Mrs. Leslie looked at the two young girls, admiring their different
types of beauty. Irene's blonde loveliness was matchless; the darker
type of Lilia challenged admiration. Each set off the other, like night
and morning.
But as Mrs. Leslie gazed she suddenly smothered a cry upon her lips--a
cry of amazement!
Something had flashed over her suddenly and without warning as she
watched the two beautiful faces side by side.
It was a subtle, startling, vivid resemblance between the two--the
blue-eyed blonde, the dark-eyed brunette.
As she gazed, the wonderful, startling resemblance grew and grew upon
her consciousness. Though one was fair and the other dark there was a
subtle, haunting likeness in their features strong enough to have
existed between sisters.
"What does it mean?" the lady asked herself, wonderingly. "Is it a mere
chance likeness?"
While she gazed as if fascinated, Mr. Stuart stepped out upon the
balcony. His dark face lighted with pleasure as he noted Lilia's
affectionate attitude toward Irene. He stepped softly to his daughter's
side and gazed at the two fair girls with a gratified smile upon his
lips.
And again Mrs. Leslie suppressed a little cry of wonder.
The subtle likeness between Irene and Lilia was not stronger than that
which existed between Irene and Mr. Stuart. They might have passed for
father and daughter.
He looked up and arrested her gaze fixed upon his face in wonder and
perplexity. He smiled.
"On what weighty subject are you musing so deeply, Mrs. Leslie?" he
inquired.
"If you will come and walk with me, I will tell you," she replied,
lightly.
"Nothing would give me more pleasure," he answered gallantly.