others should discover and comment upon the little deficiencies
she felt so acutely.

The visit to Lady Charteris was duly paid--a day that Ronald
enjoyed, and Dora thought would never end. She could not feel at
home with these fine ladies, although Lady Charteris was kind to
her and Valentine laid herself out to please; not even when
Valentine, pitying her shy, timid manner and evident constraint,
took her out into the garden and tried hard to win her
confidence. Dora's heart seemed to close against the beautiful,
brilliant lady who knew her husband and all his friends so well.
A fierce, hot breath of jealousy stirred the simple nature.
Ronald talked to Miss Charteris of things all unknown to her;
they seemed to have the same thoughts and feelings, while she was
outside the charmed circle, and could never enter it. She
watched the growing admiration on Ronald's face when Valentine
played and sang, and her restless heart grew weary and faint.
She had never felt jealous before. When Countess Rosali talked
and laughed with her husband, treating him sometimes as a captive
and again as a victor, Dora never cared; but every smile on this
woman's fair face pained her--she hardly knew why.

When Miss Charteris, under pretense of showing her favorite
flower, took Dora away from the others, and condescended to her
as she had never done to any other, actually caressing the
anxious little face and herself offering to be Mrs. Earle's true
friend, Dora's heart closed against her. She only replied by
faint monosyllables, and never raised her dark eyes to the face
turned so kindly upon her.