- "Who is catching her death of cold," she laughed, yet for all her light tone her eyes drooped before mine as I obediently wrapped the shawl about her, in the doing of which, my arm being round her, very naturally stayed there, and - wonder of wonders, was not repulsed. And at this very moment, from the shadowy trees behind us, came the rich, clear song of a nightingale.
Oh! most certainly the air was full of magic to-night!
"****," said Lisbeth very softly as the trilling notes died away, "I thought one could only dream such a night as this is.""And yet life might hold many such for you and me, if you would only let it, Lisbeth," I reminded her. She did not answer.
"Not far from the village of Down, in Kent," I began.
"There stands a house," she put in, staring up at the moon with dreamy eyes. "A very old house, with twisted Tudor chimneys and pointed gables - you see I have it all by heart, **** - a house with wide stairways and long pannelled chambers - ""Very empty and desolate at present," I added. "And amongst other things, there is a rose-garden - they call it My Lady's Garden, Lisbeth, though no lady has trod its winding paths for years and years. But I have dreamed, many and many a time, that we stood among the roses, she and I, upon just such another night as this is. So I keep the old house ready and the gardens freshly trimmed, ready for my lady's coming; must I waitmuch longer, Lisbeth?" As I ended the nightingale took up the story, pleading my cause for me, filling the air with a melody now appealing, now commanding, until it gradually died away in one long note of passionate entreaty.
Lisbeth sighed and turned towards me, but as she did so I felt a tug at my coat, and, looking round, beheld the Imp.
"Uncle ****," he said, his eyes studiously averted, doubtless on account of the position of my arm, "here's Mr. Selwyn!"With a sudden exclamation Lisbeth started from me and gathered up her skirts to run.
"Whereaway, my Imp?" "Coming across the lawn.""Reginald," I said, solemnly, listen to me; you must sally out upon him with lance in rest, tell him you are a Knight-errant, wishful to uphold the glory of that faire ladye, your Auntie Lisbeth, and whatever happens you must manage to keep him away from here, do you understand?" "Yes, only I do wish I'd brought my trusty sword, you know," he sighed.
"Never mind that now, Imp." "Will Auntie Lisbeth be quite - " "She will be all right.""I suppose if you put your arm - " "Never mind my arm, Imp, go!""Then fare thee well!" said he, and with a melodramatic flourish of his lance, trotted off.
"What did he mean about your arm, ****?"
"Probably this!" I answered, slipping it around her again.
"But you must get away at once," whispered Lisbeth; "if Mr. Selwyn should see you - ""I intend that he shall. Oh, it will be quite ******; while he is talking to me you can get back to the - ""Hush!" she whispered, laying her fingers on my lips; "listen!" "Hallo, Mr. Selwyn!" came in the Imp's familiar tones.
"Why, good Heavens!" exclaimed another voice, much too near to bepleasant, "what on earth are you doing here - and at this time of night?" "Looking for base varlets!""Don't you know that all little boys - all nice little boys - should have been in bed hours ago?""But I'm not a nice little boy; I'm a Knight-errant; would you like to get a lance, Mr. Selwyn, an' break it with me to the glory of my Auntie Lisbeth?""The question is, what has become of her?" said Mr. Selwyn. We waited almost breathlessly for the answer.
"Oh! I 'specks she's somewhere looking at the moon; everybody looks at the moon, you know; Betty does, an' the lady with the man with a funny name 'bout being bald, an'-""I think you had better come up to the house," said Mr. Se1wyn.
"Do you think you could get me an ice cream if I did?" asked the Imp, persuasively; "nice an' pink, you know, with - ""An ice!" repeated Mr. Selwyn; "I wonder how many you have had already to-night?"The time for action was come. "Lisbeth," I said, "we must go; such happiness as this could not last; how should it? I think it is given us to dream over in less happy days. For me it will be a memory to treasure always, and yet there might be one thing more - a little thing Lisbeth - can you guess?" She did not speak, but I saw the dimple come and go at the corner of her mouth, so I stooped and kissed her. For a moment, all too brief, we stood thus, with the glory of the moonlight about us; then I was hurrying across the lawn after Selwyn and the Imp.
"Ah, Mr. Selwyn!" I said as I overtook them, "so you have found him, have you?" Mr. Selwyn turned to regard me, surprise writ large upon him, from the points of his immaculate, patent-leather shoes, to the parting of his no less immaculate hair.
"So very good of you," I continued; "you see he is such a difficult object to recover when once he gets mislaid; really, I'm awfully obliged." Mr. Selwyn's attitude was politely formal. He bowed.
