Wife in Name Only

one of the wealthiest heiresses in London. He felt some curiosity about her. How would she greet him? How would she receive him? He wrote to her at onc

t his heart was untouched. She was beautiful beyond his fairest dreams of woman--he owned that to himself--but it was not the kind of beauty that he admired it was too vivid, too highly colored, too b

e which shone in her eyes and trembled on her lips--love which made her voice falter and die away--love which caused her to exert every art and grace

e was one of nature's gentlemen, and he would have scorned to exaggerate or to say one word more than he meant. Her welcome had been most graceful, most kind--the beautiful face had softened and changed completely for him. She had devoted herself entirely to him; nothin

She wore her favorite colors--amber and white--a dress of rich amber brocade, trimmed with white lace; the queenly head was circled with diamonds; jewels like fire gleamed on the white bre

not yet high enough for her. She flung a charm so magical around her that he was insensibly attracted by it, yet he was not the least in love--nothing was further from his thoughts. He could not help seeing that, after a fashion, she treated him differ

with which Philippa L'Estrange was concerned. When the visitors ros

said; "it is quite early. S

s quite willing. Where could he feel more at home than in this charmi

d then turned to him with such a s

; "and it seems to me that I have barely

any hours," he re

urs and minutes. I forget it when I am tal

Lord Arleigh, wondering at th

constant,"

silence reigned between them. P

t you used to praise my voice, and

member," h

music," she continued, "in

" he interrogated. "It was k

think, if not of y

ard neither. Had he been as vain as he was proud, he

ear and sweet; it came in now, and seemed to give the flowers

e no turning over to do for me; the songs I love bes

y if I keep them open and

eetest music. It was like no human voice that he remembered; seductive, full of passion and tenderness--a voice that told its own story, that to

rly light of the lamps fell on her glorious face, and seemed to render it more beautiful. He wondered what spell was fast falli

of silent ecstasy, until his face flushed, and his heart beat fast. Suddenly his eyes met hers; the s

ide her confus

, Norman," she said, "when

e less beautiful then, Philippa," he

" she replied, "c

read the words,"

ogether; her dark hair touched his cheek, the perfume from the white lilies she

beautiful

; few women, I think, woul

Norman. I think any woman who loves

passion in her voice--wondering at

ut once enter it, and she becomes a queen; her heart and soul grow grander, the light

k enough to see it, and, with the distrait manner of a true woman of the world, quickly chan

nly ten when mamma took me there the last time; that was rather too

y curiosities to show you. I have sent home t

e said no more. Could it be that he had no thought of eve

utumn," she said. "Lady Peters

ll keep you to your word, Phi

She drew a little nearer to him as he

at you are pleased to see me ag

a, of course I am. Wha

a cloud--a shadow--between us that I d

nd the familiarity of childhood canno

rever than that you should ch

at the only change in me is that I a

t sense of rapture yet they were but commo