A Woman Martyr

								

then he wouldn’t have any sort of claim upon ye, if he has any now,
which I doubt!  He was humbuggin’ of you, dearie! I’m not to talk about
it?  I must!  I can’t die happy till I know ye’re safe with a good man
as’ll take care of ye, my pretty, and that’s a fact.  And I am sick and
tired of all these aches and pains, it’s such a weary world! Now, my
dearie, when he asks ye to be his’n, and he’ll do it, too--ah!  I can
see he’s done it a’ready--just you listen to him.  Be engaged as they
call it, secret-like, for a time.  Then don’t go and tell him about all
that which is dead and done with--never tell living soul a word about
that!  But let him think it’s one of the whimsies beauties like you
are supposed to have.  Make him wait!  And then--find out what’s become
of him!  I’ll help ye!  I’ll help ye!"
"You--you have heard--from--of him!" gasped Joan, wildly.  "Nana!  When!
How?"
"Gawd is my witness, I’ve never set eyes on him, the vagabond, since ye
showed him to me that day when he came with us in the fields, five year
ago, when you was at school, and your poor mar was nearin’ her end," she
said, solemnly.  "Letters?  Not likely!  You’ve had a letter from ’im?
No, I knew you couldn’t ’ave had.  Them convicts--hush? All right, then!
If you’ll listen to me, I’ll hush and welcome."
When Joan rose to go a few minutes later, her thoughts were in a frantic
whirl, but there was a gleam of hope shining upon those dismal memories
which stood between her and happiness.
Still she glanced round as she issued from the cottage, hoping that her
escort would not be in sight, and they would happen to miss each other.
She wanted time to think, to ponder over new possibilities suggested by
her old nurse’s words, possibilities which seemed to her, numbed by her
long battle royal to overcome her passion for Vansittart, too
magnificent ever to become probable.  And she mounted, and after a
pretence of waiting about for him as they walked their horses slowly
uphill, she said to her groom, "We had better go on, Simms," and
quickening her pace, was presently trotting homewards.
But Vansittart was calmly awaiting them at the cross roads, and reined
round and accompanied her as a matter of course.  She gave him a
desperate glance as their eyes met, and it caused him to change his
tactics.  He had meditated an onslaught upon her emotions during their
homeward ride.  "It will keep," he sagely told himself, and after an
uneventful canter and a little ordinary small talk he left her at her
door without even an allusion to a next meeting.

                              CHAPTER III

She went to her room somewhat heavy-hearted.  She was no woman of the
world, and was taken aback by his unexpected change of manner.  Her maid
Julie was busy with a charming toilette de bal just arrived from
Paris: a gauzy robe over satin, richly sewn with flowers and foliage