orgive me: I am a wretched girl. I am to blame. I
ought to have dismissed them both, or else decided between them. But who
would have thought it would go this length? I did not think Griffith was
brave enough. Have pity on me, and help me. Stop this fearful fighting."
And now the young creature clung to the man-of-business, and prayed and
prayed him earnestly to avert bloodshed.

Mr. Houseman was staggered by this passionate appeal from one who so
rarely lost her self-command. He soothed her as well as he could, and
said he would do his best,--but added, which was very true, that he
thought her interference would be more effective than his own.

"What care these young bloods for an old attorney? I should fare ill,
came I between their rapiers. To be sure, I might bind them over to keep
the peace. But, Mistress Kate, now be frank with me; then I can serve
you better. You love one of these two: that is clear. Which is the
man?--that I may know what I am about."

For all her agitation, Kate was on her guard in some things.

"Nay," she faltered, "I love neither,--not to say love them: but I pity
him so!"

"Which?"

"Both."

"Ay, Mistress; but which do you pity most?" asked the shrewd lawyer.

"Whichever shall come to harm for my sake," replied the simple girl.

"You could not go to them to-night, and bring them to reason?" asked
she, piteously.

She went to the window to see what sort of a night it was. She drew the
heavy crimson curtains and opened the window. In rushed a bitter blast
laden with flying snow. The window-ledges, too, were clogged with snow,
and all the ground was white.

Houseman shuddered, and drew nearer to the blazing logs. Kate closed the
window with a groan.

"It is not to be thought of," said she, "at your age, and not a road to
be seen for snow. What shall I do?"

"Wait till to-morrow," said Mr. Houseman.

(Procrastination was his daily work, being an attorney.)

"To-morrow!" cried Catharine. "Perhaps to-morrow will be too late.
Perhaps even now they have met, and he lies a corpse."

"Who?"

"Whichever it is, I shall end my days in a convent praying for his
soul."

She wrung her hands while she said this, and still there was no catching
her.

Little did the lawyer think to rouse such a storm with his good news.
And now he made a feeble and vain attempt to soothe her, and ended by
promising to start the first thing in the morning and get both her
testators bound over to keep t