"I wish she were my daughter," he said to himself; "what a comfort
and delight a girl like that would be to me!"
And while these thoughts filled the man's heart the Baroness paced
her room with all the jealous passions of her still ungoverned nature
roused into new life and violence at the remembrance of Joy Irving's
fresh young beauty and Preston Cheney's admiring looks and words.
"I could throttle her," she cried, "I could throttle her. Oh, why is
she sent across my life at every turn? Why should the only two men
in the world who interest me to-day, be so infatuated over that girl?
But if I cannot remove so humble an obstacle as she from my pathway,
I shall feel that my day of power is indeed over, and that I do not
believe to be true."
CHAPTER XIII
Two weeks later the organ loft of St Blank's Church was occupied by a
stranger. For a few hours the Baroness felt a wild hope in her heart
that Miss Irving had been sent away.
But inquiry elicited the information that the young musician had
merely employed a substitute because her mother was lying seriously
ill at home.
It was then that the Baroness put into execution a desire she had to
make the personal acquaintance of Joy Irving.
The desire had sprung into life with the knowledge of the rector's
interest in the girl.
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