"But you don't love him, Eloise, surely--" I arose, the stars whirling
above my head, the great trees soughing as in sorrow. She came up in
the starlight and put her arms around my neck. She tried to laugh and
pull me back to our seat.
"Jack," she said, "I want you to help me--will you not do something--the
last something I shall ever ask you for?"
"I love you enough to give you my life," I said.
"You were always so good to me. It is this, Jack--our secret: Colonel
Goff and I will be married as soon as he can arrange to go back to
England, in a month or two. I don't want any scene with Aunt Lucretia,
and so, and so, Jack, we'll just make-believe--let her believe it is all
right--that we are carrying out her plans up to the very day."
"I'll say nothing," I answered; "you and Aunt Lucretia can arrange it."
"You'll have to act as if you loved me, Jack."
"I cannot act any other way," I said.
She laughed, her voice floating up triumphantly. "And you will have to
send me that diamond ring, you know--"
"Eloise," I said again, after a moment, "this is desecration! You know
you don't love that old man!"
"I like him enough to be the Countess of Carfax. If I've got to be sold
to anyone, Jack," she said with bitterness, "got to be traded off like a
Jersey, why I'd rather be traded off as the Countess of Carfax than any
other way!"