The Midnight Queen [35]
will be afraid to stay
here alone?"
"Oh no, I am used to being alone," she said, with a little sigh,
"but where" - hesitating and blushing vividly, " where is - I
mean, I should like to thank sir Norman Kingsley."
Ormiston saw the blush and the eyes that dropped, and it puzzled
him again beyond measure.
"Do you know Sir Norman Kingsley?" he suspiciously asked.
"By sight I know many of the nobles of the court," she answered
evasively, and without looking up: "they pass here often, and
Prudence knows them all; and so I have learned to distinguish
them by name and sight, your friend among the rest."
"And you would like to see my friend?" he said, with malicious
emphasis.
"I would like to thank him," retorted the lady, with some
asperity: "you have told me how much I owe him, and it strikes me
the desire is somewhat natural."
"Without doubt it is, and it will save Sir Norman much fruitless
labor; for even now he is in search at you, and will neither rest
nor sleep until he finds you."
"In search of me!" she said softly, and with that rosy glow again
illumining her beautiful face; "he is indeed kind, and I am most
anxious to thank him."
"I will bring him here in two hours, then," said Ormiston, with
energy; "and though the hour may be a little unseasonable, I hope
you will not object to it; for if you do, he will certainly not
survive until morning."
She gayly laughed, but her cheek was scarlet.
"Rather than that, Mr. Ormiston, I will even see him tonight.
You will find me here when you come."
"You will not run away again, will you?" said Ormiston, looking
at her doubtfully. "Excuse me; but you have a trick of doing
that, you know."
Again she laughed merrily.
"I think you may safely trust me this time. Are you going?"
By way of reply, Ormiston took his hat and started for the door.
There he paused, with his hand upon it.
"How long have you known Sir Norman Kingsley?" was his careless,
artful question.
But Leoline, tapping one little foot on the floor, and looking
down at it with hot cheeks and humid ayes, answered not a word.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN.
When Sir Norman Kingsley entered the ancient ruin, his head was
fall of Leoline - when he knelt down to look through the aperture
in the flagged floor, head and heart were full of her still. But
the moment his eyes fell on the scene beneath, everything fled
far from his thoughts, Leoline among the rest; and nothing
remained but a profound and absorbing feeling of intensest amaze.
Right below him he beheld an immense room, of which the flag he
had raised seemed to form part of the ceiling, in a remote
corner. Evidently it was one of a range of lower vaults, and as
he was at least fourteen feet above it, and his corner somewhat
in shadow, there was little danger of his being seen. So,
leaning far down to look at his leisure, he took the goods the
gods provided him, and stared to his heart's content.
Sir Norman had seen some queer sights daring the four-and-twenty
years he had spent in this queer world, but never anything quite
equal to this. The apartment below, though so exceedingly large,
was lighted with the brilliance of noon-day; and every object it
contained; from one end to the other, was distinctly revealed.
The floor, from glimpses he had of it in obscure corners, was of
stone; but from end to end it was covered with richest rugs and
mats, and squares of velvet of as many colors as Joseph's coat.
The walls were hung with splendid tapestry, gorgeous in silk and
coloring, representing the wars of Troy, the exploits of Coeur de
Lion among the Saracens, the death of Hercules, all on one side;
and on the other, a more modern representation, the Field of the
Cloth of Gold. The illumination proceeded from a range of wax
tapers in silver candelabra, that encircled
here alone?"
"Oh no, I am used to being alone," she said, with a little sigh,
"but where" - hesitating and blushing vividly, " where is - I
mean, I should like to thank sir Norman Kingsley."
Ormiston saw the blush and the eyes that dropped, and it puzzled
him again beyond measure.
"Do you know Sir Norman Kingsley?" he suspiciously asked.
"By sight I know many of the nobles of the court," she answered
evasively, and without looking up: "they pass here often, and
Prudence knows them all; and so I have learned to distinguish
them by name and sight, your friend among the rest."
"And you would like to see my friend?" he said, with malicious
emphasis.
"I would like to thank him," retorted the lady, with some
asperity: "you have told me how much I owe him, and it strikes me
the desire is somewhat natural."
"Without doubt it is, and it will save Sir Norman much fruitless
labor; for even now he is in search at you, and will neither rest
nor sleep until he finds you."
"In search of me!" she said softly, and with that rosy glow again
illumining her beautiful face; "he is indeed kind, and I am most
anxious to thank him."
"I will bring him here in two hours, then," said Ormiston, with
energy; "and though the hour may be a little unseasonable, I hope
you will not object to it; for if you do, he will certainly not
survive until morning."
She gayly laughed, but her cheek was scarlet.
"Rather than that, Mr. Ormiston, I will even see him tonight.
You will find me here when you come."
"You will not run away again, will you?" said Ormiston, looking
at her doubtfully. "Excuse me; but you have a trick of doing
that, you know."
Again she laughed merrily.
"I think you may safely trust me this time. Are you going?"
By way of reply, Ormiston took his hat and started for the door.
There he paused, with his hand upon it.
"How long have you known Sir Norman Kingsley?" was his careless,
artful question.
But Leoline, tapping one little foot on the floor, and looking
down at it with hot cheeks and humid ayes, answered not a word.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE MIDNIGHT QUEEN.
When Sir Norman Kingsley entered the ancient ruin, his head was
fall of Leoline - when he knelt down to look through the aperture
in the flagged floor, head and heart were full of her still. But
the moment his eyes fell on the scene beneath, everything fled
far from his thoughts, Leoline among the rest; and nothing
remained but a profound and absorbing feeling of intensest amaze.
Right below him he beheld an immense room, of which the flag he
had raised seemed to form part of the ceiling, in a remote
corner. Evidently it was one of a range of lower vaults, and as
he was at least fourteen feet above it, and his corner somewhat
in shadow, there was little danger of his being seen. So,
leaning far down to look at his leisure, he took the goods the
gods provided him, and stared to his heart's content.
Sir Norman had seen some queer sights daring the four-and-twenty
years he had spent in this queer world, but never anything quite
equal to this. The apartment below, though so exceedingly large,
was lighted with the brilliance of noon-day; and every object it
contained; from one end to the other, was distinctly revealed.
The floor, from glimpses he had of it in obscure corners, was of
stone; but from end to end it was covered with richest rugs and
mats, and squares of velvet of as many colors as Joseph's coat.
The walls were hung with splendid tapestry, gorgeous in silk and
coloring, representing the wars of Troy, the exploits of Coeur de
Lion among the Saracens, the death of Hercules, all on one side;
and on the other, a more modern representation, the Field of the
Cloth of Gold. The illumination proceeded from a range of wax
tapers in silver candelabra, that encircled