For a few moments'space she stood where he had parted from her,looking as though listening to the sound of his step,as if she would not lose a footfall;then she went to the window,and stood among the flowers there,looking down into the street,and Anne saw that she watched his equipage.
'Twas early summer,and the sunshine flooded her from head to foot;the window and balcony were full of flowers--yellow jonquils and daffodils,white narcissus,and all things fragrant of the spring.
The scent of them floated about her like an incense,and a straying zephyr blew great puffs of their sweetness back into the room.Anne felt it all about her,and remembered it until she was an aged woman.
Clorinda's bosom rose high in an exultant,rapturous sigh.
"'Tis the Spring that comes,"she murmured breathlessly."Never hath it come to me before."Even as she said the words,at the very moment of her speaking,Fate--a strange Fate indeed--brought to her yet another visitor.
The door was thrown open wide,and in he came,a lacquey crying aloud his name.'Twas Sir John Oxon.
Those of the World of Fashion who were wont to gossip,had bestowed upon them a fruitful subject for discussion over their tea-tables,in the future of the widowed Lady Dunstanwolde.All the men being enamoured of her,'twas not likely that she would long remain unmarried,her period of mourning being over;and,accordingly,forthwith there was every day chosen for her a new husband by those who concerned themselves in her affairs,and they were many.One week 'twas a great general she was said to smile on;again,a great beau and female conqueror,it being argued that,having made her first marriage for rank and wealth,and being a passionate and fantastic beauty,she would this time allow herself to be ruled by her caprice,and wed for love;again,a certain marquis was named,and after him a young earl renowned for both beauty and wealth;but though each and all of those selected were known to have laid themselves at her feet,none of them seemed to have met with the favour they besought for.
There were two men,however,who were more spoken of than all the rest,and whose court awakened a more lively interest;indeed,'twas an interest which was lively enough at times to become almost a matter of contention,for those who upheld the cause of the one man would not hear of the success of the other,the claims of each being considered of such different nature.These two men were the Duke of Osmonde and Sir John Oxon.'Twas the soberer and more dignified who were sure his Grace had but to proffer his suit to gain it,and their sole wonder lay in that he did not speak more quickly.
"But being a man of such noble mind,it may be that he would leave her to her freedom yet a few months,because,despite her stateliness,she is but young,and 'twould be like his honourableness to wish that she should see many men while she is free to choose,as she has never been before.For these days she is not a poor beauty as she was when she took Dunstanwolde."The less serious,or less worldly,especially the sentimental spinsters and matrons and romantic young,who had heard and enjoyed the rumours of Mistress Clorinda Wildairs'strange early days,were prone to build much upon a certain story of that time.
"Sir John Oxon was her first love,"they said."He went to her father's house a beautiful young man in his earliest bloom,and she had never encountered such an one before,having only known country dolts and her father's friends.'Twas said they loved each other,but were both passionate and proud,and quarrelled bitterly.Sir John went to France to strive to forget her in gay living;he even obeyed his mother and paid court to another woman,and Mistress Clorinda,being of fierce haughtiness,revenged herself by marrying Lord Dunstanwolde.""But she has never deigned to forgive him,"'twas also said."She is too haughty and of too high a temper to forgive easily that a man should seem to desert her for another woman's favour.Even when 'twas whispered that she favoured him,she was disdainful,and sometimes flouted him bitterly,as was her way with all men.She was never gentle,and had always a cutting wit.She will use him hardly before she relents;but if he sues patiently enough with such grace as he uses with other women,love will conquer her at last,for 'twas her first."She showed him no great favour,it was true;and yet it seemed she granted him more privilege than she had done during her lord's life,for he was persistent in his following her,and would come to her house whether of her will or of his own.Sometimes he came there when the Duke of Osmonde was with her--this happened more than once--and then her ladyship's face,which was ever warmly beautiful when Osmonde was near,would curiously change.It would grow pale and cold;but in her eyes would burn a strange light which one man knew was as the light in the eyes of a tigress lying chained,but crouching to leap.But it was not Osmonde who felt this,he saw only that she changed colour,and having heard the story of her girlhood,a little chill of doubt would fall upon his noble heart.
