nuity which always
accompanies jealousy, he tortured every circumstance of the last few
weeks so as to make it square with this belief. From this vein of
thought he naturally passed to a consideration of every possible method
by which the issue he feared might be avoided.

Mr. Richard talked very plain language with himself in all these inward
colloquies. Supposing it came to the worst, what could be done then?
First, an accident might happen to the schoolmaster which should put a
complete and final check upon his projects and contrivances. The
particular accident which might interrupt his career must, evidently, be
determined by circumstances; but it must be of a nature to explain itself
without the necessity of any particular person's becoming involved in the
matter. It would be unpleasant to go into particulars; but everybody
knows well enough that men sometimes get in the way of a stray bullet,
and that young persons occasionally do violence to themselves in various
modes,--by firearms, suspension, and other means,--in consequence of
disappointment in love, perhaps, oftener than from other motives. There
was still another kind of accident which might serve his purpose. If
anything should happen to Elsie, it would be the most natural thing in
the world that his uncle should adopt him, his nephew and only near
relation, as his heir. Unless, indeed, uncle Dudley should take it into
his head to marry again. In that case, where would he, Dick, be? This
was the most detestable complication which he could conceive of. And yet
he had noticed--he could not help noticing--that his uncle had been very
attentive to, and, as it seemed, very much pleased with, that young woman
from the school. What did that mean? Was it possible that he was going
to take a fancy to her?

It made him wild to think of all the several contingencies which might
defraud him of that good-fortune which seemed but just now within his
grasp. He glared in the darkness at imaginary faces: sometimes at that
of the handsome, treacherous schoolmaster; sometimes at that of the
meek-looking, but no doubt, scheming, lady-teacher; sometimes at that of
the dark girl whom he was ready to make his wife; sometimes at that of
his much respected uncle, who, of course, could not be allowed to peril
the fortunes of his relatives by forming a new connection. It was a
frightful perplexity in which he found himself, because there was no one
single life an accide