The Queen of the Regiment

Chapter I. An Unexpected Return

TT ED WORTH VILLARS was to accom *--*- pany his mother sister, and Cecil, to the Guards' ball, and liked the idea of his evening's entertainment very well indeed. It is some thing to escort the belle of the room, and to be on the best possible terms with her, even when you know perfectly well, in your inmost heart, that she cares no more for you than for the merest stranger. But with Villars the case was different. He knew perfectly well he occupied a high place in her esteem, both as a valser and otherwise, so that he might count with VOL. II. 1! certainty on enjoying one or two of the best dances with her. He was, therefore, very well pleased with himself, and disposed to be on good terms with the rest of the world, as he strolled into his club the afternoon preceding the ball. Being well connected, and owner of a large fortune, he belonged to two or three of the best clubs in London and as he entered White's this particu lar afternoon, noticed, amongst many other men known to him by sight — though, owing to his short residence in London, heknewfewpersonally — the Duke of Dumbleton, whose fiat on Cecil's beauty had raised her so highly in the opinion of the swell in the Row.

This young nobleman was the catch of the season — a man for whom manoeuvring mothers and guileless daughters alike angled. A wary fish he was, too ; if the bait was fair and tempt ing, delighting to play around it, rousing extra vagant hopes in girlish and maternal hearts ; then, just as the hook seemed about to land the precious prize, slipping off, and beginning the same game over again in a different cpaarter. He was a tall, fair young fellow, older than he looked, with a handsome face, rather spoiled by want of expression. A physiognomist would have easily understood Dumbleton's flirtations, seeing by his countenance that, though easily attracted, he had no strength of feeling. Seated by the window, reading the newspaper as Vil lars entered, was a tall, dark, stern-looking man. His features were very perfect, but the whole expression of the face was so cold and unbend ing that, without actually being repellent, or having evil very clearlymarked on it, it forbade confidence and inspired distrust.

He was very well made, activity and power being equally ex pressed in his long, shapely^ limbs. Altogether he was a striking person, and Villars's attention was irresistibly drawn to him, from the first moment he perceived him reading in the window. Some friends of Villars soon engaged his attention, and presently one of them exclaimed, " Oh ! by-the-by, Flouston is y-our Colonel, and B you haven't made his acquaintance yet. I'll in troduce you to him ; he was somewhere here just now." Villars glanced in the direction indicated, and knew, by the way in which the stranger he had before noticed looked up at this speech, he must be the man. Before, however, he had time to accept his friend's offer, or make any re mark. Colonel Houston, laying aside his paper, rose, and joined them. " I hear you are in my regiment," he observ d, as he came up.

" I am delighted to meet some of my new brother officers ; as yet, curiously enough, I have seen none of them. I hope we shall be good friends ; but I hear y-ou liked Mere dith, your late Colonel, so well, that I fear you will think me a bad exchange." His manner was veryr friendly, frank, aud taking, spoilt only by an imperceptible some thing that prevented the feeling of trust and confidence such words should have excited. Perhaps it was that, though he smiled as he spoke, and really no doubt intended to be very good-natured, his eyes never lost their cold, stern look. His lips smiled, never his eyes, which gave a strange double expression to his dark handsome face. Villars couldn't help feeling the half dislike, half admiration, this man al ways inspired; but he was very willing to respond in a friendly manner to friendly advances. and answered accordingly.

" Come over here," said Houston, " and tell me the names of the others. I may know some of them, though I think I don't. We're going to Dublin, you know." " Yes, I heard that," answered Villars ; and then he repeated the names of his brother offi cers ; when he came to Captain Leveston, the Colonel interrupted him. " Isn't that the man that has the pretty daughter? We must get him to exchange." " But why ?" asked young Villars, greatly as tonished. " We should all miss Leveston dreadfully ; we couldn't possibly get on without our Queen." " That's just it," answered Houston, with his cold smile. " I don't want two authorities in my regiment, and I hear the way you all go on about this girl is most extravagant. She and her father must leave." " I'm afraid, Colonel, you will have some trouble in getting ' ours ' to see it in that light; Far from letting her leave, we have been plan ning a grand ball for her, as soon as we are comfortably settled in Dublin, to introduce her to the society there."

Young Villars spoke hotly. He was angry at the mere idea of her leaving them, in the first place, and still more so at the matter being discussed in public, manyof those present now beginning to look up at the Colonel's determined tone and his own excited manner of answering. " I suppose you are one of the young lady's special favourites — you seem such a warm champion," laughed Houston ; and this time his eyes did answer the expression of his mouth, but in such a disagreeable fashion that the sub altern felt at once his instinctive dislike to the man had been w-ell-founded. There was a cynical disbelief in all purity and goodness expressed in his manner as he went on, " She will be sorry to lose such a field for her flirtations and coquetries, I have no doubt ; and you young fellows will be equally sorry to lose so amiable a mistress in the art of flirting ; but it can't be helped.

I am determined not to en courage such a state of affairs, and shall try to persuade Captain Leveston to see the matter in a proper light." "You have no right, Colonel," replied young Villars, angrily, " to accuse Miss Leveston of flirting or coquetry. You know nothing what ever of her, and your speaking about her in that way simply shows your ignorance of her character." Houston frowned slightly ; he evidently^ thought his subordinate was speaking out his mind a little too plainly, but seeing the subject annoyed the young man, he pursued it with a scornful laugh. " If Miss Leveston is the being your chivalry would describe her, she will no doubt see the impropriety of continuing in the regiment against the wishes of the commanding officer. When people think badly of her, if she persists in that mode of life, she can't complain.

She'll have to choose between her flirtations and the good opinion of those about her." " She has the good opinion of all those Avho know her already. It says something for her that she has lived so long in the regiment without having the smallest imputation cast on her, and without having caused the slightest dispute or awkwardness. I should like to see you try and flirt with her ; you might then find that a girl can be merry and pleasant, friendly and charming, without a thought of making victims of those around." So saying, Villars walked out of the room, im mensely ruffled aud discomposed. It was such rank treason to him for any one to speak of his liege lady in that manner that he could not get over it, and went off on the spot to Leves ton's house, to repeat all he had heard and so lace himself in her society.

As he left the room, Dumbleton remarked — " I say, Houston, weren't you and that young fellow talking about the pretty Miss Leveston, to whom I was introduced to-day? They call her the Queen of the Regiment, or some such absurd name — makes one think of that Opera, you know. But she's the most charming little lady I've met for some time. If I were you, I should use every means to keep her in the regiment. I'm going to the ball to-night, on purpose to get a dance with her." Houston laughed lazily. " So you're bitten too, Dumbleton ? Well, I haven't seen this paragon yet, but I don't fancy an Anglo-Indian can be so very charming, and I am sure she can't be well-bred, so Flljleave her to men like you, who can admire such unculti vated beauties. For my part, I prefer high civi lization, as exhibited in Lady Edythe Vavasour.

The Colonel's flirtation with that young lady being well known in all polite circles, Dumble ton laughed. " You needn't tell us that, Houston ; but I'll bet you a pony, before you have taken com mand of your corps for a week, you will vow Miss Leveston as far surpasses the Lady Edythe as that lady does her sister Lady Maud ; and you know we all declare that Maud has been REGDIENT. brought forward as a foil to her sister's beauty." " Done," answered Houston. " I'll book yrour bet, and I think I'm pretty safe to win. The young lady will accomplish a very hard task if she subjugate me ; and I must say 1 don't fear her wiles. That young fellow who went out just now is dreadfully soft about her ; she's going out with his mother and sister." As he spoke he drew out a little betting book, and carefully made an entry of his wager with the Duke of Dumbleton, relative to Cecil Leveston.

That done, he rose, and strolled to the window, from which, after gazing for a few minutes, he turned, and took his depar ture, saying, " I must be off now ; Lady Mount Falcon asked me to look in at her five-o'clock tea. I shall see you at the ball to-night, Dumbleton." In the meantime young Villars had a quiet chat with Cecil and her father, telling them the Colonel had determined on making them leave the regiment. Leveston only smiled and said, "I shall be sorry to have to do that ;" but Cecil exclaimed, " What shall we do ? He will make it so disagreeable for you, papa dear — you will have to go. I shall be dreadfully sorry if we are obliged to leave ; " and her eyes filled with tears as the prospect rose before her of the long separation, not from the young man who sat beside her, and who sympathised so truly with her in her troubles, but from another cold er and sterner nature, who yet loved her well, and for whom she felt the deep devotion that women rarely bestow on more than one man during their lives.

" Cheer up, Queen, don't be down-hearted," Villars said, when he saw how the news affect ed her. " We will all stand by you, and I think he will hardly persist in his resolution against the wishes of the whole regiment." She looked up at him quickly ; it was the first time since she had known him that he had called her queen. A certain feeling that he liked to have a particular name for his own use had hitherto prevented him from doing so, and instead he had always addressed her as Miss Cecil. Her ear caught the change, and her heart told her the reason of it. It was because he felt her power and title menaced that he be came at once a staunch supporter of the threat ened dignity, and adopted the proper form to signify his intention. He saw her look, aud laughed a little as he said, " You notice the change in my address.

I will persevere in it until our Colonel is convert ed, which will be before long. He will be at the ball to-night, and I shall introduce him to you, if I can." She put on a comical look of terror. " I am afraid of him," she said, " he is so determined not to like me. However, I shall have to know him sooner or later, and it is better to meet him in a ball-room than anywhere else ; so do as you like, and defend me from his machinations afterwards." She looked her very best that night when she appeared before Villars's enraptured sight as he awaited his party at the cloak-room door. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, a slight pink flush was in her cheek, and her whole dress and get up was such as to heighten and enchance in every possible way her charming style of beauty. " If she don't bring down the Colonel to night." thought Villars, " he is a tougher old fellow than I give him credit for!

By Jove! there isn't a girl to be compared with her in the whole room." Thinking thus, he lost no time in claiming her hand for a dance, and when that was over said, " Come into this little room; I want to show you the greatest treasures the Guards possess, a trophy of their Dublin campaign a few months ago." He led her off as he spoke into a small apart ment, beautifully fitted up for the convenience of sentimental people, of whom one or two couples were already there, pursuing, in a low tone, the flirtations commenced during the preceding dances. Any such object was far enough from Cecil's mind, and her companion, however much he might have liked it, knew well it would be worse than hopeless to attempt that line. But for the mischief and ill it occasioned that poor girl, she might as well have been indulging in the most reprehensible coquetries.

She had not long set out for the ball when Anstruther called suddenly at Captain Leve ston's house. He had returned from the country sooner than he had expected, and of course, im mediately he found himself in London, his feet carried him in the direction to which his heart was always turning. He was grievously disappointed when he heard from Guy that the Queen was out ; but his disappointment was increased and embittered tenfold when he knew with whom she went. It didn't take him long, how ever, to determine on a course of action. Chol mondeley, of the Guards, a great friend, indeed a relative of his, was on the committee. He determined to send in for him, and get himself passed into the ball through his means. No sooner thought of than he prepared to put tin scheme into execution. So, bidding a hurried farewell to Leveston, he returned to his hotel, to make himself presentable, and before very long had seen his friend and obtained admittance to the ball-room.

His eyes sought her eagerly in all directions throughout the room, but she was not there. It was one of the pauses between two dances, when each one promenades about with his partner, or, in particular cases, seeks some quiet. retired nook where tender sentimental conver sation may be indulged in without fear of in terruption. Thinking of Villars with savage dislike, while yet confident his love would never be unfaithful to him in thought or deed, he made sure she had been led into some such isolated corner by her partner ; for he had no doubt who that partner was, and the certainty only increased his indignation. Roaming round, lookiug into every ante-room and passage, he at last came upon the object of his search, standing at a table, and looking over a book, her laugh ing, radiant face turned towards Villars, who was beside her, with quite sufficient devotion and love written on his countenance to be very legible to Anstruther's jealous eyes.

At the look and manner of these two unconscious beings, all his trust and faith in her affection for himself vanished, and Anstruther, at once transformed into the cold hard man he had been when he first avowed his love for Cecil, but of which coldness and hardness all trace had lately disappeared, advanced towards them, his stern est, gloomiest look on his dark handsome face. As he approached, Cecil looked round suddenly and recognized him. A vivid blush over spread her face as he appeared thus unexpect edly before her ; but she betrayed no other sign of emotion, and turned towards him with a bright welcoming smile and outstretched hand. She saw immediately something had gone wrong, and after asking what had hap pened, and being answered stiffly nothing was the matter, it struck her that her being with Villars might be the reason of his gloomy man ner.

Turning again to the table, and taking up the book she and Villars had been looking at as Anstruther came up, she went on a little nervously — " Have you seen this ? It is most amusing. But first I must tell you we are going to Dub lin as soon as the regiment lands, and this is a trophy or souvenir of the Guards' season in Dublin that Villars was showing me." Villars laughed ; he had kept rather aloof, after exchanging greetings with Anstruther, but he now came forward again. " Yes," he said, " I had just begun to tell our Queen how all these letters you see so beauti fully bound here are written by a lady, begging for an invitation to the ball they gave before leaving Dublin. She hadn't been asked, it ap pears, but not thinking that a sufficient reason for staying away, she badgered her friends and acquaintances, all day and every day for weeks beforehand, to get her an invitation ; and she didn't even confine herself to those she knew pretty well, but wrote to many with whom she had hardly any connection.

Queer state of things, isn't it 1 The Guards thought these letters too good to be lost, so collected them, and had them bound in this Album for exhibition. See, they have placed Miss Baxter's photograph in the first page, and young De Veaux has illuminated some lines underneath. Let's see what they are." VOL. II. C " Yes, this is my photo — the best I've had taken, I send it to show you the belle you are losing ; When you leave this young beauty among the forsaken, Good looks, wit, and dancing alike your'e refusing. Let me hear from you soon, for my dress wants repairing, Before I can show at your illigant ball ; I've looked for your note till I've nearly been swearing ; Next time I'll not write, but I'll pay you a call." Cecil laughed. " How terribly they mu6t have made fun of her ! She must indeed have been longing to go to the ball, before she could have done such a thing as that."

" Oh !" answered Villars, " the lines are not hers. I think Captain Mounteagle wrote them, just as a sort of explanatory preface ; but these fellows do say that Dublin girls will do any thing for a dance, though perhaps, as you can see, the lady here is not in her premiere jeunesse. They accuse the younger portion wrongfully. At any rate, they told the battalion who took their place to look out for Miss Baxter as soon as they went over, but more as a matter of curi osity than from any wish to cultivate her ac quaintance ; for I think, if I remember the end of the story right, she did not get her invita tion after all." Here Anstruther, who had glanced at the album, and listened to the conversation with a dull, indifferent look, asked Cecil for the next dance that was just beginning. She knew very few people in the room, still her card was quite full, her great, beauty having speedily attracted much admiration, and Mrs. Villars having intro duced her to everyone whom she thought worthy of that honour.

But the young Queen was not one to allow any engagement with strangers to stand between her and her friends— above all. Anstruther ; so she gladly gave him that waltz. and they went off together, before her promised partner had succeeded in making out her where abouts. c

Chapter II. At The Guards' Ball

/"CECIL'S instinct that something was wrong had not deceived her ; she felt it more and more with every turn they took, to the old yet spirit-stirring strains of the Guards' waltz. They moved as well together as in the old days of their pleasant careless friendship, before Anstruther had yielded to jealous fears, or Cecil had known the name of her heart's feeling ; but somehow there was constraint over them, caused on her side by fear, seeing in his face displeasure, and not daring to ask its cause ; and on his side, by anger, jealous rage, and pained love, which made him move with less of the light free step of former days than usual. They spoke little, and on indifferent subjects, whilst the dance lasted, but as soon as it was over Anstruther led her into a deep window recess in the little ante-room before mentioned, where he seated her, and placed himself beside her.

There was no one then in the room, and even had there been, screened as they were behind heavy curtains, they would have escaped observation from any uninquisitive eyes. For a few minutes neither spoke, but Cecil, frightened now, by very reason of her love, but who had never been afraid before she knew what love was, played nervous ly with her bouquet, and wondered what he was going to say, and what her offence could be ; for that she had again offended was plainly to be seen, and though her heart told her she was guiltless of all known cause of quarrel, she greatly feared it might be some other strange unreasonable charge, like the last, he was about to bring against her. At length he spoke, and his voice sounded stern and deep to her troubled ears as he said, " How is it I find you again alone with young Villars, knowing the trouble into which your intercourse with him has already brought you, aud the great cause I have for disliking your intimacy with him ?

Must I order you, as you care for me, and hope to retain my love, to cease all communication with him V The blood mounted hotly to her cheeks, and she looked up haughtily. " Do you think, Gerald," she said in a low but very firm voice, from which, if her lover had been a better judge of character, he might have received warning, and desisted in time from his attempt to com mand her, " that because I love you, and have told you so, I will separate myself from all friends that have been kind and true to me, simply because you disapprove of them ?" She went on : " If you show me good and reasonable cause for your dislike, you will always find me ready to acquiesce in your wishes, even whilst matters remain on their present footing between us, but you have no right to demand obedience from me."

" Good and reasonable cause," he interrupted, speaking in the low tone of intense emotion. " Have I not reason enough in the fact of your former flirtation with Villars, your present plainly shown liking for him, and his admiration for you f Many would cease to love you under circumstances such as these. I, to my misery, can not, though I am doomed always to doubt your truth, and think I ask but a small proof of your love in demanding the renunciation of this man's friendship." She looked at him very sadly, and slow large tears filled her eyes as she answered, " It must be so, then ; we must part. Do you never think of our proud old motto, ' Honi soit qui mal y pense V I have given you my word I am guilt less of what you suspect, and have stooped to defend myself to yrou, as I would have done to none other, because I loved you well enough to submit to humiliation even at your hands.

Do you indeed care for me so little that you will not give me the mere credence of courtesy that you would accord to the wildest subaltern in the regiment? You think you love me," she continued with flashing eyes ; " but you are mistaken — that is not love which has no faith or trust in its composition. I see more clearly every day that we can never be happy together, and we must part entirely. You will go your way, and in a few short weeks or months this idle fancy of yours will have passed, and you will wonder how you ever entertained it ; whilst I," she added with a suppressed sob, " I shall never forget; for I love and trust, and, once you leave me, have nothing to which I can turn for comfort. My heart will follow you always, though you may not know it is near you." He took her trembling hands, and held them for a moment, looking fixedly into her troubled face.

" If I dare believe you, if I only dare — but no ! I am a fool," he went on, dropping her hands again, "trusting a woman's faith and honour, forsooth ! Yes, so I did once, when I thought you the most perfect of your sex ; but you taught me a lesson, unknown to yourself, and that has cut away the root of all confi dence in me. You say I do not care for you, and that we must part. It is just because I care for you so well that I cannot believe you. If I did not know every ring in your laugh, every note in your voice, even when I see you not, I might doubt the evidence of my senses ; if I did not love you so fondly that I could not stain my lips with falsehood to you, I might pretend you had convinced me, but I cannot do that. I love you so well I am ready to take you with all your faults this minute ; but I will not pretend I don't see them — there would be no affection in that.

Don't leave me for this, but try to calm my doubts and fears. Avoid the man who has been the cause of so much trouble to you ; and if my faithful, earnest devotion can repay you for the loss of his friendship, y-ou will never regret the sacrifice. For you know well we can never part ; it is not in my power to leave you unless you desire it ; and surely, my own love, after all the sweet words your lips have spoken to me, you will not be so cruel as to let them utter such a com mand !" He leant towards her as he spoke, but she drew back, saying, in a low, broken voice, " You tempt me sorelyr, and I would so will ingly do as you ask me. How much sorrow and anguish it would save me ! But I know well, a woman who ceases to respect herself would win no respect from others ; and even you, for whose sake I did it, would soon despise me, even more than you do now, if I came to you on those terms.

Therefore, if my heart breaks in uttering it, I must bid you go. I shall always trust you, and if sorrow and suspicion come to you, one at least you may be sure will grieve with you, and believe in you ; but until you can say to me, 4 1 have wronged you, henceforth your word is enough for me,' I cannot consent to be your wife. Even this friendship of ours must cease as much as possible ; it troubles and pains us, and leads to no good. To-night we will say good-bye to the old happy days, and begin life anew. Think of me as kindly as you can ; that is all I ask." " You never cared for me," he whispered hoarsely. " Hard-hearted coquette ! y-ou have played with me, and led me on, only to plunge me into this misery. May you repent it bitterly some day, when this new flame of yours shall have got weary of your Circeau beauty, and shall find some fresher face, fairer and more bewitching than yours ; for he will do so, I warn you.

Then, when it happens, think of me — whom you have crushed and thrown aside as a broken toy. The Queen of Hearts, men call you. But beware, hearts trampled on, not reigned over, are a fatal empire, and will overwhelm the tyrant in their ruin." His wild tone and look frightened her. She shuddered, tried to rise and escape, but he saw her movement, aud suddenly changing his tone, whilst he offered his arm tore-conduct her to the dancing-room he went on gently, " Forgive me — I have alarmed you, but I didn't mean to do so. I don't know what I say or do," he continued, pressing his hand to his head. " Perhaps it is better we should part, and that it should be all over ; all the doubts, the hopes, the fears, the agonies of suspense, the torments of despair — all will be over ! Better so, no doubt — better so, if I could only see it in that way\ Perhaps patience will come in time."