They
promised to be gentle and kind to Dora, not to scold or reproach
her, and to allow some little time to elapse before urging Ralph
Holt's claims.
When Lady Earle rose, she placed a twenty-pound banknote in the
hands of Stephen Thorne, saying:
"You are sending Dora to Eastham; that will cover the expenses."
"I could not do that, my lady," said Stephen, refusing to take
the money. "I can not sell poor Dora's love."
Then Lady Earle held out her delicate white hand, and the man
bowed low over it. Before the sun set that evening, Stephen
Thorne had taken Dora to Eastham, where she was to remain until
Ronald had gone abroad.
For a few days it seemed as though the storm had blown over.
There was one angry interview between father and son, when Ronald
declared that sending Dora away was a breach of faith, and that
he would find her out and marry her how and when he could. Lord
Earle thought his words were but the wild folly of a boy deprived
of a much-desired toy. He did not give them serious heed.
The story of Earlescourt might have been different, had not
Ronald, while still amazed and irritated by his father's cool
contempt, encountered Ralph Holt.
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