His ambition seemed but patriotism, his ardent and overwhelming courtship the impulse of a powerful nature.

As Lord Windlehurst had said, he carried her off her feet, and, on a wave of devotion and popular encouragement, he had swept her to the altar.
The Duchess held both her hands for a moment, admiring her, and, presently, with a playful remark upon her unselfishness, left her alone with Lord Windlehurst.
As they talked, his mask-like face became lighted from the brilliant fire in the inquisitorial eyes, his lips played with topics of the moment in a mordant fashion, which drew from her flashing replies.
Looking at her, he was conscious of the mingled qualities of three races in her--English, Welsh, and American-Dutch of the Knickerbocker strain; and he contrasted her keen perception and her exquisite sensitiveness with the purebred Englishwomen round him, stately, kindly, handsome, and monotonously intelligent.
"Now I often wonder," he said, conscious of, but indifferent to, the knowledge that he and the brilliant person beside him were objects of general attention--"I often wonder, when I look at a gathering like this, how many undiscovered crimes there are playing about among us.
They never do tell--or shall I say, we never do tell ?" All day, she knew not why, Hylda had been nervous and excited.

Without reason his words startled her.

Now there flashed before her eyes a room in a Palace at Cairo, and a man lying dead before her.

The light slowly faded out of her eyes, leaving them almost lustreless, but her face was calm, and the smile on her lips stayed.