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Mr. Otis was a good deal distressed at Lord Canterville's refusal, and

begged him to rec onsider his decision, but the good-natured peer w as quite

firm, and finally induced the Minister to allow his daughter to reta in the

present the ghost had given her, and when, in the spring of 1890, t he young

Duchess of Cheshire wa s presented at the Queen's first drawing-room on

the occa sion of her marriage, her jew els were the universal theme of

admiration. For Virginia received the c oronet, w hich is the rewa rd of all

good little American girls, and wa s married to her boy-lover as soon as he

came of age. They we re both so charming, and they loved eac h other so

much, that every one was delighted at the match, except the old

Marchioness of Dumbleton, who had tried t o cat ch the Duke for one of her

seven unmarried daughters, and had given no less than t hree ex pensive

dinner-parties for that purpose, and, strange to say, Mr. Otis himself. Mr.

Otis wa s ext remely fond of the young Duke personally, but, theoretically,

he objected to t itles, and, to use his own w ords,'wa s not without

apprehension lest, a mid the enervating influences of a pleasure-loving

aristocracy, the true principles of Republican simplicity should be

forgotten.' His objections, howe ver, we re complete ly overruled, and I

believe that whe n he w alked up the aisle of St. George's, Hanover Square,

wit h his daughter leaning on his arm, there w as not a prouder man in the

whole le ngth and breadth of England.

< 25 >

The Duke and Duchess, after the honeymoon was over, went dow n to

Canterville Chase, and on the day a fter their arrival they w alked over in the

afternoon to the lonely churchyard by the pine-woods. There had bee n a

great deal of difficulty at first about the inscription on Sir Simon's

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tombstone, but finally it had been decided to e ngrave on it simply the

initials of the old gentleman's name, and t he verse from the library window.

The Duchess had brought w ith her some lovely roses, which she strew ed

upon the grave, and after they had stood by it for some time the y strolled

into the ruined chancel of the old abbey. There the Duchess sat down on a

fallen pillar, w hile her husband lay at her feet smoking a cigarette and

looking up at he r beautiful eyes. Suddenly he threw his cigarette a w ay,

took hold of her hand, and said to her,'Virginia, a wife should have no

secrets from her husband.

'Dear Cecil! I have no secrets from you.'

'Yes, you have,' he answered, smiling, 'you have never told me whathappened to you w hen you were locked up w ith t he ghost.'

'I have never told any one, Cecil,' said Virginia gravely.

'I know that , but you might tell me .'

'Please don't ask me, Cecil, I cannot tell you. Poor Sir Simon! I owe him

a great deal. Yes, don't laugh, Cecil, I really do. He ma de me see w hat Life

is, and what Death signifies, and w hy Love is stronger than both.'

The Duke rose and kissed his wife lovingly.

'You can have your secret as long as I have your heart,' he murmured.

'You have alw ays had that, Cecil.

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'And you will tell our children some day, won't you?'

Virginia blushed.

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