"Would you not rather speak to Miss Lindley alone, Ursula?" said Captain
Valentine. "I can go out for a walk, or to--to buy something--I might
return in a quarter of an hour."
"No, Rupert, you will sit on that chair, just there, please, and
listen."
Captain Valentine sat down at the imperious bidding of Lady Ursula's
voice. I was sure he must have a sensitive nature, he got red so often.
His whole face was scarlet now.
"Now I will begin," said Lady Ursula. She turned towards me. "You
know, Rosamund, you treated me very badly yesterday--very badly, and
very shabbily, and very cruelly. Oh, my dear, I'm not going to reproach
you now--it all turned out for the best, as the good little books say.
Listen, Rosamund, please, to my story. After you left us yesterday, I
told Rupert that I was distracted, that something had happened which I
could not possibly tell him, but that I must instantly go to my
dressmaker, and that it would be best for me to go alone. `By no
means,' answered Rupert, `I will accompany you.' `Oh, don't,' I said.
`I am determined,' he replied. So the carriage was ordered, and we
drove to Madame Leroy's together. When I got there, I said, `I shall be
some little time engaged.' `Very well,' Rupert answered, `I will wait
for you in the carriage.' `Oh, don't,' I said again. But he shook his
head.
"I saw Madame Leroy, and got your home address from her, Rosamund. I
wanted to follow you home, and I wanted Rupert not to come. He did not
mind me; he would come. We took the train, and reached your pretty
cottage in the country. We were shown into the drawing-room, and
presently your mother came into the room. The moment I saw her I burst
out crying. Somehow her face made me feel that I was the most miserable
girl in the world, and that I was just about to lose everything, and
that Rupert never, never had been half so dear to me. Your mother
behaved perfectly to me; she took me out of the room, and said nice,
kind, comforting sort of words, and soon I stopped crying, and told her
that I wanted to see you, and she gave me your present address, and said
she would send you a telegram. She was very sorry for me, but she
wasn't curious; she was too much of a lady to be curious, only she was
just so sweet that the mere fact of my being in trouble made her kind to
me.
"Rupert and I came away. We went back again to Grosvenor Street, and I
felt more sure than ever that all must be up between us. I could not
help it, Rosamund--when I got into the house I began to cry again. Then
Rupert spoke--oh, dear, I can't tell you how--but somehow I suddenly
lost all my terror, and I told him the whole story from the beginning.
You dreadful, but dear little benefactress, I took your advice. And
what was the consequence? Rupert did just say one word of reproof. He
said, `Don't you suppose, Ursula, that I care more for you than for a
ruby ring?' So, of course, after that it was all right, and I have
never, never been half so happy before in all my life."
Captain Valentine, who had fidgeted on his chair, and seemed more or
less on thorns during the recital of Lady Ursula's story, now jumped up,
and went over to the window to look out. He had only a view of Mrs
Ashton's back-yard, and surely the sight could not have been
inspiriting. Lady Ursula, whose eyes were full of tears, bent forward
to kiss me. I put my two arms around her neck and gave her a hug. I
could not help it. I forgot all about her title and her grandeur--she
was just a girl, like any other girl, to me at that moment.
"Now I have something to say," she continued in a changed voice.
"Neither Rupert nor I want your ruby ring, but we are very curious to
see it again, for Rupert has a story to tell you about it."
"A story to tell me about my own ring," I inquired.
"Well, yes," said Captain Valentine, returning, and speaking slowly.
"It so happened that during the week, when Ursula lived in such terror
of me, that she was obliged to hire a ring to prevent my righteous
vengeance falling on her head,"--he laughed merrily as he spoke, and
Lady Ursula gave his hand a vicious pinch,--"during that week," he
continued, "I noticed that the central ruby of the ring was a little
loose. I took it to my jeweller's to have it more firmly riveted. I
therefore had full opportunity of carefully examining your ring, Miss
Lindley, and I can declare that it is in every particular precisely
similar to the one Lady Ursula has lost."
"Similar, perhaps, but a different ring," I retorted.
"Precisely, a different ring, but one of a pair. I think I can tell you
some of the early history of your own ring, Miss Lindley."
"Please, Rosamund, admit that you are very much excited and thrilled
with interest," interrupted Lady Ursula.
"I am interested, undoubtedly," I replied. "Please tell me the story,
Captain Valentine."
"My great-great-grandmother," he began at once, "came from the West
Indies, and brought with her, amongst much valuable gold, some rubies of
great price. Two of the largest and most precious of the rubies were
set in rings of very curious workmanship. I believe the rest of the
gems, with the exception of a few smaller rubies which were used in
perfecting the rings, were sold to meet a financial difficulty in our
family. These rings were given by my great-grandmother to her sons,
with the request that they should be handed down as heirlooms, and worn
as betrothal rings by the girls who should marry their direct
descendants. The rings were made in a very unique fashion, and had a
certain spring which could open at the back, and contain hair or some
other tiny relic. Do you mind fetching your ruby ring and letting me
look at it once again, Miss Lindley?"
"I will fetch it of course," I replied.