He, too, looked round the room to see whether Lady Desmond was there, and not finding her, was surprised.

He had hardly hoped that such an opportunity would be allowed to him for declaring the strength of his passion.
She got up, and taking his hand, muttered something; it certainly did not matter what, for it was inaudible; but such as the words were, they were the first spoken between them.
"Lady Clara," he began; and then stopped himself; and, considering, recommenced--"Clara, a report has reached my ears which I will believe from no lips but your own." She now sat down on a sofa, and pointed to a chair for him, but he remained standing, and did so during the whole interview; or rather, walking; for when he became energetic and impetuous, he moved about from place to place in the room, as though incapable of fixing himself in one position.
Clara was ignorant whether or no it behoved her to rebuke him for calling her simply by her Christian name.

She thought that she ought to do so, but she did not do it.
"I have been told," he continued, "that you have engaged yourself to marry Herbert Fitzgerald; and I have now come to hear a contradiction of this from yourself." "But, Mr.Fitzgerald, it is true." "It is true that Herbert Fitzgerald is your accepted lover ?" "Yes," she said, looking down upon the ground, and blushing deeply as she said it.
There was a pause of a few moments, during which she felt that the full fire of his glance was fixed upon her, and then he spoke.
"You may well be ashamed to confess it," he said; "you may well feel that you dare not look me in the face as you pronounce the words.

I would have believed it, Clara, from no other mouth than your own." It appeared to Clara herself now as though she were greatly a culprit.

She had not a word to say in her own defence.