placed herself immediately in
front of the judge, saying:

"But there is a word that I would speak to your honor."

"Say on, young lady," said the judge.

And as she stood there in her deep mourning dress, with her fair hair
unbound and floating softly around her pale, sweet face, every eye in
that court was spellbound by her almost unearthly beauty. Before
proceeding with what she was about to say, she turned upon Traverse a
look that brought him immediately to her side.

"Your honor," she began, in a low, sweet, clear tone, "I owe it to
Doctor Rocke here present, who has been sadly misrepresented to you, to
say (what, under less serious circumstances, my girl's heart would
shrink from avowing so publicly) that I am his betrothed wife--sacredly
betrothed to him by almost the last act of my dear father's life. I
hold this engagement to be so holy that no earthly tribunal can break
or disturb it. And while I bend to your honor's decision, and yield
myself to the custody of my legal guardian for the period of my
minority, I here declare to all who may be interested, that I hold my
hand and heart irrevocably pledged to Doctor Rocke, and that, as his
betrothed wife, I shall consider myself bound to correspond with him
regularly, and to receive him as often as he shall seek my society,
until my majority, when I and all that I possess will become his own.
And these words I force myself to speak, your honor, both in justice to
my dear lost father and his friend, Traverse Rocke, and also to myself,
that hereafter no one may venture to accuse me of clandestine
proceedings, or distort my actions into improprieties, or in any manner
call in question the conduct of my father's daughter." And, with
another gentle bow, Clara retired to the side of her old friend.

"You are likely to have a troublesome charge in your ward," said the
sheriff apart to the colonel, who shrugged his shoulders by way of
reply.

The heart of Traverse was torn by many conflicting passions, emotions
and impulses; there was indignation at the decision of the court; grief
for the loss of Clara, and dread for her future!

One instant he felt a temptation to denounce the guardian as a villain
and to charge the judge with being a corrupt politician, whose
decisions were swayed by party interests!

The next moment he felt an impulse to catch Clara up in his arms, fight
his way through the crowd and carry her off! But all these wild
emotions, passions and