Louisa could not restrain her laughter when she thought of the ludicrous
scene that had just taken place, but she suddenly stopped in the midst
of her merriment, for she felt as if a soft hand had just taken hers,
and as if a pair of dark eyes were looking at her affectionately.
Perhaps this thought may have come into her head because she caught
sight of Frank coming toward her from the distance. The next moment it
flashed into her mind that it was Frank on whom Fred wished to be
revenged, and so when they met a deep blush overspread her face, and
feeling that that was the case made her so angry with herself that she
blushed even deeper than before. Frank spoke to her in his usual
courteous manner about indifferent things, but she was strangely shy,
and answered him at cross-purposes, for her mind was full of Fred and
his vows of vengeance.
"Heaven knows what's the matter," thought Frank as he was returning home
after having walked a short way with her, "she isn't at all like herself
today. Is it my fault? Has she had anything to vex or annoy her? What
was that piece of paper she was tearing up?" Meanwhile he had reached
the place where he had met her. Some of the bits of paper were still
lying on the ground, and he saw on one of them, without picking it up:
"_Revenge!_ I'll seek for evermore. Frederic Triddelfitz." This made him
curious, for he knew Fred's handwriting, so he looked about and found
two more bits of paper, but when he put them together he could make
nothing more out of them but "clinging grows * * * that witching hour *
* * meet in my lady's bow'r.
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