'Ardshiel,' she remarked, 'is your purse still wide open?'
'But I want it to be wide open for another,' said Holly.
'Well, I must do as you wish, Hollyhock, my blessing. I suppose you want me to'----
'Hark and I 'll tell you,' said Hollyhock, putting her pretty mouth to the old man's ear.
The result of that whisper was that two boxes of clothes arrived from the most expensive dressmaker in London, and the old Duke, who had a passion for dress and for good taste in all respects, presented the contents of one box to his beloved Holly, and the contents of the other to Leucha.
'There, lass; there,' he said. 'Your mother won't mind your wearing a present from the Duke of Ardshiel. Take them and wear them while you are here. They were chosen by Holly, who has the best taste in the whole country round.'
Leucha forced herself to admire the rich, quiet clothing which the Duke and Hollyhock had chosen for her, and wonderful was the change for the better in her appearance. She had her own maid, too, while at the Castle, who managed to make the most of her scanty locks.
On the whole Leucha was not quite unhappy while at this noble mansion, but neither was she quite happy. The Duke had a piercing eye, and when it flashed on her she seemed to shrink into herself.
Young Cameron, the next heir but one to the dukedom, endeavoured to be polite to her, but found the task too much for him; whereas Hollyhock's gay black eyes and more than merry peals of delight charmed the young man's heart.
Before long Hollyhock was strong enough to go out of doors; and then, in a very few days, to her exquisite delight, she was permitted to ride once again on Lightning Speed. Oh, the joy of mounting her beloved horse! Oh, the joy of the meeting between that horse and his mistress!
The Duke was, as he expressed it, in high feather. The young Lennoxes--that is, the rest of them--and the young Constables were all invited to spend many days at the Castle, until at last the Christmas holidays passed by, and Leucha went back to school; and the Duke, the Duke's nephew, that nephew's son, and dear, gentle Jasmine, as well as Hollyhock, all went off on an expedition to the Riviera. There, at the favoured spot called Beaulieu, the Duke had a villa--a most magnificent place. Never, never had Hollyhock even dreamed of such splendour, such sunshine, such joy.