"What do you mean, my dear Le? And yet I need not ask you, for I know."

"Odalite!" breathed the youth, in low, yet thrilling, tones.

"Ah, would to Heaven, my boy, that none had ever come between you!" sighed Abel Force.

"But the intruder has gone now, and left no trace behind."

"Ah, would to Heaven he had left no trace behind! But a heart like Odalite's does not easily recover from such a shock as she has sustained."

"I know. And yet I think she is already recovering. Pride, duty, honor, all will help her to recover. And of this I wish to speak to you, dear sir."

"Le, you have the most forgiving soul I ever met! Why should you take any further interest in your unhappy cousin?"

"Because I love her. And it is on this subject that I wish to speak to you. I am under sailing orders for the Pacific Coast, and----"

"Le! you under sailing orders? Why, I thought you were going to resign from the navy?"

"I should have resigned, if I could have married Odalite; but, as I could not, I did not."

"But, even so, I thought you were now ent.i.tled to three years home service?"

"So I was, but I could not rest after I thought I had lost Odalite, and so I applied for sailing orders on the week before Odalite was to have been married. I received them one hour ago. They came on the evening mail. If I had happened to be at Greenbushes, I should not have got the letter so soon, for, you know, my mail was always sent with yours, and I have never changed the address."

"And when do you go, Le?"

"I must join my ship at New York on the fourth of January. I must leave here on the second."

"The day after New Year's Day. That is very sudden."

"Yes; and I do regret it. If I had known--if I could have foreseen events--I should have carried out my first intentions, and resigned from the service, instead of applying for sailing orders; but now that I have applied, and have received them, I must go, much as I regret to do so. I must not seem to trifle with the department or shirk my duty."

"Certainly not, lad. And, under present circ.u.mstances, perhaps it is best that you go. You and Odalite are young, lad, and can well afford to wait a little longer. When you return from your voyage, Le, the disgraceful drama which has been enacted by this man Anglesea will have been forgotten.

Odalite will have long recovered the shock to her spirit, and will be in a better condition to listen to a proposal from you, which it would be indiscreet, to say the least, for you to make her at present."

"I see that, sir; I feel it; and that reconciles me to the idea of going to sea again. The utmost favor I plead for now is that you will permit me to see Odalite, to have a private interview with her. I shall not wound her by hinting at the hope hidden in the bottom of my heart--the hope of winning her hand some day; but I wish to ask her to correspond with me during my absence, as with a trusted relation or a true brother. Do you think, sir, that there can be any objection to my making such a request of my cousin?"

"None whatever, my dear boy. You have my fullest approval of your course, and my warmest wishes for your success."

"Thank you, Uncle Abel."

"And we will yet hope that the dream of your love and of my ambition may be fulfilled in the union of yourself and Odalite in a happy marriage, and the consolidation of Mondreer and Greenbushes in one great manor."

"May Heaven grant it, Uncle Abel!"

"But, my boy, I wish you to speak to Odalite's mother also on this subject. She must be taken into our counsels."

"Oh, most certainly. I shall speak to Aunt Elfrida. But I wish to see Odalite first of all. I have not seen her since I saw her at the altar of All Faith Church on that broken wedding day. Why does she seclude herself so strictly? She is not indisposed. Aunt Elfrida told me she was better and brighter than she had been for many weeks. Why, then, does she keep her room?" inquired Le.

"I think, my dear lad, that she is indisposed, in one sense, at least--very much indisposed to meet a mixed company. She joined us yesterday both at dinner and at tea."

"But I was not here!" exclaimed Le.

"No, you were not here, or you would have seen her. To-day she has kept her room to avoid our visitors. It is a very natural reserve, under the circ.u.mstances, as you must admit, Le."

"Yes; but now they have all gone. Will she be in the parlor this evening, do you suppose?"

"No, my lad. I asked that question of her mother, who told me that Odalite was busily engaged and much interested in making things for the Sunday-school Christmas tree, and so would not come down this evening.

But, Le, you may see her to-morrow morning. You will stay all night here, of course," said Mr. Force.

"I believe they will expect me home at Greenbushes to-night; but, after all, they are too much accustomed to my eccentric comings and goings to be the least uneasy at my absence; so I think I will please myself and stay, thank you, Uncle Abel," replied the youth.

"That is settled, then," said Mr. Force, as he arose to lead the way back to the drawing room.

CHAPTER x.x.xVII

LEONIDAS AND ODALITE AGAIN

Leonidas arose on the morning of Christmas Eve with one thought predominant in his mind: He should see Odalite--see her for the first time since that eventful day when her marriage with Angus Anglesea was broken at the altar.

How would she appear? How would she receive him? Would she consider his friendly and most delicate advance an intrusion?

He could not answer this question to himself.

Was she really reconciled to her fate? Or was she only, from a sense of honor and of duty, repressing her emotions?

He could not judge.

Her mother had told him that she was better in health and brighter in spirits than she had been for many weeks.

Was this real or a.s.sumed on her part?

He did not know; but he felt sure that he should discover the truth when he should see her.

Now that the villain who had come between them was entirely out of the way--forever and forever out of the way--there need be no reserve, no false shows, between hearts which had never ceased to trust each other, though hers might have ceased to love.

Full of these anxious speculations, Le dressed himself and went downstairs to the parlor, where all the family and friends a.s.sembled before breakfast.

There he found them all, standing around the fire and chatting merrily while waiting for the bell to ring.

He gave them all a general good-morning as he entered the room.

And then he saw Odalite!

She separated herself from the group around the fire, came to meet him, placed both her hands in his, and--smiled!