ement of his ancient name. Upon his daughter he had hitherto
scarcely bestowed a thought. She would marry--honourably of course,
richly if possible; but even in this last respect he would not be
inflexible, for where his pride of birth did not interfere, Villabuena
was not an unkind father. But the death of his sons brought about
great changes. The next heir to his title and estates was a distant
and unmarried cousin, and to him the count determined to marry his
daughter, whose beauty and large fortune in money and unentailed
estates, rendered any objection to the match on the part of her
kinsman a most improbable occurrence. As a first step towards the
accomplishment of this scheme, the count resolved to put an end at
once to what he considered the childish attachment existing between
Rita and Luis. Within a week after the death of his sons, he had a
conversation with young Herrera, in which he informed him of his
intentions with regard to his daughter, and pointed out to him the
necessity of forgetting her. In vain did Luis declare this to be
impossible, and plead the strength which his attachment had acquired
by his long permitted intercourse with Rita. The count cared little
for such lover-like arguments; he assured Luis that he was mistaken,
that time and absence brought oblivion in their train, and that after
a few months, perhaps weeks, of separation, he would wonder at the
change in his sentiments, and laugh at the importance he had attached
to a mere boyish fancy. It so happened, that on the day preceding the
one upon which this conversation took place, a letter had been
received from Don Manuel Herrera, announcing his speedy return to
Spain, the much-desired permission having at length been obtained. In
order to give Luis an opportunity of speedily testing the effects of
absence, the count proposed that he should at once set out for the
French frontier to meet his father. Under the existing circumstances,
he said, it was undesirable that he should remain under the same roof
with his daughter longer than could be avoided.

Although bitterly deploring the prospect of an immediate and lasting
separation from Rita, Luis had no choice but to adopt the course
proposed; nor would his pride have allowed him to remain in the
count's house an instant longer than his presence there was
acceptable. He feared that the count would prevent his having a last
interview with Rita; but this Villabuena did not think it worth whil