He was her constant shadow, never happy out of
her sight, thinking of her all day, dreaming of her all night,
yet half afraid to risk all and ask her to be his wife, lest he
should lose her.
To uninterested speculators Lord Airlie was a handsome, kindly,
honorable young man. Intellectual, somewhat fastidious, lavishly
generous, a great patron of fine arts; to Beatrice Earle he was
the ideal of all that was noble and to be admired. He was a
prince among men. The proud heart was conquered. She loved him
and said to herself that she would rather love him as a neglected
wife than be the worshiped wife of any other man.
She had many admirers; "the beautiful Miss Earle" was the belle
of the season. Had she been inclined to coquetry or flirtation
she would not have been so eagerly sought after. The gentlemen
were quite as much charmed by her utter indifference and haughty
acceptance of their homage as by her marvelous beauty.
At times Beatrice felt sure that Lord Airlie loved her; then a
sudden fit of timidity would seize her young lover, and again she
would doubt it. One thing she never doubted--her own love for
him.
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