the outward appearance of respect at least.

"Has that man Varleigh lied?" he asked; "or have you given _him_ hopes,
too--after what you said to me yesterday?"

"I said nothing to you yesterday which gives you any right to put that
question to me," I rejoined. "You have entirely misunderstood me, if you
think so."

My aunt attempted to say a few temperate words, in the hope of soothing
him. He waved his hand, refusing to listen to her, and advanced closer
to me.

"_You_ have misunderstood _me_," he said, "if you think I am a man to be
made a plaything of in the hands of a coquette!"

My aunt interposed once more, with a resolution which I had not expected
from her.

"Captain Stanwick," she said, "you are forgetting yourself."

He paid no heed to her; he persisted in speaking to me. "It is my
misfortune to love you," he burst out. "My whole heart is set on you. I
mean to be your husband, and no other man living shall stand in my way.
After what you said to me yesterday, I have a right to consider that you
have favored my addresses. This is not a mere flirtation. Don't think
it! I say it's the passion of a life! Do you hear? It's the passion of
a man's whole life! I am not to be trifled with. I have had a night of
sleepless misery about you--I have suffered enough for you--and you're
not worth it. Don't laugh! This is no laughing matter. Take care,
Bertha! Take care!"

My aunt rose from her chair. She astonished me. On all ordinary
occasions the most retiring, the most feminine of women, she now
walked up to Captain Stanwick and looked him full in the face, without
flinching for an instant.

"You appear to have forgotten that you are speaking in the presence of
two ladies," she said. "Alter your tone, sir, or I shall be obliged to
take my niece out of the room."

Half angry, half frightened, I tried to speak in my turn. My aunt signed
to me to be silent. The Captain drew back a step as if he felt her
reproof. But his eyes, still fixed on me, were as fiercely bright as
ever. _There_ the gentleman's superficial good-breeding failed to hide
the natural man beneath.

"I will leave you in undisturbed possession of the room," he said to my
aunt with bitter politeness. "Before I go, permit me to give your niece
an opportunity of reconsidering her conduct before it is too late." My
aunt drew back, leaving him free to speak to me. After considering for
a moment, he laid his hand firmly, but not roughly, on my arm. "Y