The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1893-11-04
CHAPTER XII.

Alan soon forgot Hyacinth's words.
He was Of a singularly bright and hap
Ply temperament. He had a certain
vague idea that all women had highly
strung nerves, and were never to be
properly understood. When Hyacinth
said anything that was not quite COM
prehensible to him, he attributed the
want of %clearness to the fact that she
belonged to the sex supposed to be
swayed by feelings without reason.
He wondered a little sadly and a lit
tie gravely at the word torture"
What could the child mean, when every
hair Of her head was dear to him, II
he worshipped the ground on which she
stood?
1t was n of Lady Fraser's fancies
never to recognize the engagement be-
tween the two lovers. She allud-
ed to it. She never made even the
faintest comment upon it. She gave no
sign of having ever heard o It. She
took no notice when others mentioned
it. If any allusion were made to the
coming marriage, she affected to mis-
understand it.
More than once Hyacinth found her.
self wondering whether she knew of
the engagement or not. Surely she did
not; though they called her a firt, she
must have some notion Of honor, and
no honorable woman would eve seek
the admiration of another Woman's fl
ance. When Lady Rosedene wished to
sreak to Alan, or took him in any way
from Hyacinth, she always made some
laughing apology. When Lady Fraser
. 'ked him to sing with her, or to take
her round the grounds, or to read to
her, as she often did, she never affected
to think that Hyacinth was in the least
concerned.
And, as she found that Alan fell east
ly into the net spread for him, she be-
came more and more encroaching::@ She
totally ignored Hyacinth, and openly
claimed Mr.. Branston. If some of the
guests proposed going out for a drive,
she always asked him to drive her; if
any were walking, and he was with
them, she chose him as her companion;
if the evening was fine, she invited him
to stroll around the grounds with her.
Alan was slightly impatient at first.
Sometimes he excused himself, and
| went away with Hyacinth. Sometimes
| he was irresolute, and a witty jest from
the beautiful siren brought him to her
side-a constant fire of witticisms kept
him there. She was kind to Hyacinth
in q cold, formal way, but never men
toned Alan to her.
The others looked on-Lady Rosedene
with vexation and Impotence; the rest
with amusement. r>
One day Hyacinth, passing the libra
ry windows; which opened upon the
terrace, saw Lady Fraser seated in the
deep bay window; a dark head was
bending over her, and just as Hya-
cinth went by she saw Alan take the
white jeweled hand and kiss it.
1t was not much perhaps to kiss the
hand Of a beautiful woman; and she
could not tell that Lady Fraser had
tempted him-drawn him into doing It
by showing him one Of her rings, and
leaving her warm, soft hand in his.
1t was no wish Of Alan's-he had nc
desire to kiss any, hand save Hya-
cinth's; but, when she left it in his
own, with a plain invitation in hel
eyes, he was but a mortal man, and he
kissed it. There was not much in The
action; but it shot with deadliest pair
Through the girls loving heart; II
smote her with bitterness like death
her face paled; her lips trembled, sht
looked like one whose heart had sud
denly been transfxed with q shaFI
sword.
She went on her way-she was TAX
ing q message to the head gardener
about some flowers that Lady Rosedent
wanted-but over the brightness Of thu