Ma foi, if _I_ had such a lover!" Mrs.Costello was gone, and Lucia sat alone, and very dreary.

At Maurice's entrance she rose quickly; but kept her eyes averted so that his paleness did not strike her as it had done others.

She coloured vividly, with a mixture of shame, pride, and gladness, at his coming; but she only said "Good morning," in a low undemonstrative tone, and they both sat down in silence.
She had some little piece of work in her hands, but she did not go on with it, only kept twisting the thread round her fingers, and wondering what he would say; whether now that they were alone, he would refer to Percy; whether he would use his old privilege of blaming her when she did wrong.
But she was not struck down helplessly now as she had been at first yesterday.

She had begun to feel the stings of mortified pride, and was ready to turn fiercely upon anybody who should give her provocation.
Maurice spoke first.
"I came to say good-bye," he said.

"I am obliged to go home." His words sounded curt and dry, just because he had such difficulty in making them steady at all, and she looked at him in her surprise, for the first time.
"Not to-day?
Is anything the matter ?" "Nothing is the matter there.