d upon hers. "By what arts
have you well nigh slain my son? Come here, and tell me."

"None, madam!" gasped Aurelia, trembling, so that she grasped her
chair-back with her free hand for support. "I never saw him till
to-night."

"Lies will not serve you, false girl. Come here this instant! I _know_
that you have been shamelessly receiving my son here, night after
night."

"I never knew!"

"Missie Madam never knew," chimed in Jumbo. "All in the dark. She
thought it old mas'r."

Lady Belamour looked contemptuously incredulous; but the negro's
advocacy gave a kind of courage to Aurelia, and availing herself of
a slight relaxation of the fingers she withdrew her hand, and coming
forward, said, "Indeed, madam, I know nothing, I was entirely deceived.
Only hearing two voices in the dark alarmed me, so that I listened to my
sister, and struck a light to discover the truth. Then all caught fire,
and blazed up, and--"

"Then you are an incendiary as well as a traitor," said her Ladyship,
with cold, triumphant malignity. "This is work for the constable. Here,
Loveday," to her own woman, who was waiting in the outer room, "take this
person away, and lock her into her own room till morning, when we can
give her up to justice."

"Oh, my Lady," cried Aurelia, crouching at her feet and clinging to her
dress, "do not be so cruel! Oh! let me go home to my father!"

"Madam!" cried a voice from the bed, "let alone my wife! Come, Aurelia.
Oh!"

Then starting up in bed had wrenched his broken arm, and he fell back
senseless again, just as Aurelia would have flown back to him, but his
mother stood between, spurning her away.

Another defender, if she could so be called, spoke for her. "It is true,
please your Ladyship," said Mrs. Aylward, "that Mr. Belamour called her
the wife of this poor young gentleman."

Jumbo too exclaimed, "No one knew but Jumbo; His Honour marry pretty
missie in mas'r's wig and crimson dressing-gown."

"A new stratagem!" ironically observed the incensed lady. "But your game
is played out, miss, for madam I cannot call you. Such a marriage cannot
stand for a moment; and if a lawyer like Amyas Belamour pretended it
could, either his wits were altogether astray or he grossly deceived
you. Or, as I believe, he trafficked with you to entrap this unhappy
youth, whose person and house you have, between you, almost destroyed.
Remove her, Loveday, and lock her up till we can send for a magistrate
to take depos