r not sign and address the note in
full; and that he presumed his Excellency was not quite so timid as to
fancy that the woman would follow him all the way to Germany, when his
diplomatic duties would be ended; as they would soon.

The receipt of this billet caused such a flush of joy and exultation to
unhappy happy Mrs. Catherine, that Wood did not fail to remark it, and
speedily learned the contents of the letter. Wood had no need to bid the
poor wretch guard it very carefully: it never from that day forth left
her; it was her title of nobility,--her pass to rank, wealth, happiness.
She began to look down on her neighbours; her manner to her husband grew
more than ordinarily scornful; the poor vain wretch longed to tell her
secret, and to take her place openly in the world. She a Countess, and
Tom a Count's son! She felt that she should royally become the title!

About this time--and Hayes was very much frightened at the prevalence
of the rumour--it suddenly began to be about in his quarter that he was
going to quit the country. The story was in everybody's mouth; people
used to sneer when he turned pale, and wept, and passionately denied it.

It was said, too, that Mrs. Hayes was not his wife, but his
mistress--everybody had this story--his mistress, whom he treated most
cruelly, and was about to desert. The tale of the blow which had felled
her to the ground was known in all quarters. When he declared that the
woman tried to stab him, nobody believed him: the women said he would
have been served right if she had done so. How had these stories gone
abroad? "Three days more, and I WILL fly," thought Hayes; "and the world
may say what it pleases."

Ay, fool, fly--away so swiftly that Fate cannot overtake thee: hide so
cunningly that Death shall not find thy place of refuge!

CHAPTER XIII. BEING A PREPARATION FOR THE END.

The reader, doubtless, doth now partly understand what dark acts of
conspiracy are beginning to gather around Mr. Hayes; and possibly hath
comprehended--

1. That if the rumour was universally credited which declared that Mrs.
Catherine was only Hayes's mistress, and not his wife,

She might, if she so inclined, marry another person; and thereby
not injure her fame and excite wonderment, but actually add to her
reputation.

2. That if all the world did steadfastly believe that Mr. Hayes intended
to desert this woman, after having cruelly maltreated her,

The direction which his journe