of
her dark eyes. She set her teeth, and her face suddenly hardened as if
carved in flint. Her voice, which had been full of rippling laughter
before, now fell to a lower pitch, and she spoke with strange force and
gravity.

"John, whatever thou hearest on that score, believe it not. I will die
sooner than be wedded to that man. I hate him. I fear him -- yes, I do
fear him, I will not deny it -- I fear him for his wickedness, his evil
practices, his diabolic cruelty, of which I hear fearful whispers from
time to time. He may be rich beyond all that men credit. I doubt not he
has many a dark and hideous method of wringing gold from his wretched
victims. Basildene holds terrible secrets; and never will I enter that
house by my own free will. Never will I wed that man, not if I have to
plunge this dagger into mine own heart to save myself from him. I know
what is purposed. I know that he and his father have some strange power
over my sire and my brother, and that they will do all they can to bend
my will to theirs. But I have two hopes yet before me. One is appeal to
the King, through his gentle and gracious Queen; another is the Convent
-- for sooner would I take the veil (little as the life of the recluse
charms me) than sell myself to utter misery as the wife of that man.
Death shall call me its bride before that day shall come. Yet I would
not willingly take my life, and go forth unassoiled and unshriven. No; I
will try all else first. And in thee, good John, I know I shall find a
trusty and a stalwart friend and champion."

"Trusty in all truth, fair lady, but stalwart I fear John de Brocas will
never be. Rather enlist in thy service yon gallant youth, who has
already distinguished himself in helping to save the Prince in the
moment of peril. I trow he would be glad enough to be thy champion in
days to come. He has, moreover, a score of his own to settle one day
with the present Master of Basildene."

Joan's bright eyes turned quickly upon Raymond, who had flushed with
boyish pride and pleasure and shame at hearing himself thus praised. He
eagerly protested that he was from that time forward Mistress Joan's
loyal servant to command; and at the prompting of John, he revealed to
her the fact of his own claim on Basildene (without naming his kinship
with the house of De Brocas), and gave an animated account of the recent
visit to the woodman's hut, and told the story of his cruel wrongs.

Joan listened with flashing