she had never truly seen until he was
lost to her forever.

So long as he had lived on earth Cora had cherished a hope to meet him,
"sometime, somehow, somewhere."

But now he had left this planet. Oh! where in the Lord's universe was
he? In what immeasurably distant sphere? Oh! that her spirit could reach
him where he lived! Oh, that she could cause him to hear her cry--her
deep cry of repentance and anguish!

But no; he never heard her; he never came near her in spirit, even in
her dreams, as the departed are sometimes said to come and comfort the
loved ones left on earth.

During these moods of dark despair Cora was so gloomy and reserved that
she seemed to treat her unwelcome guest worse than ever, when, in truth,
she was not even seeing or thinking of the intruder.

The Iron King, however, noticed his granddaughter's coldness and
reserve, and he deeply resented it.

One very rainy, dismal Sunday they were all at home and in the drawing
room. Cora had sat for hours in silence, or replying to Mrs.
Stillwater's frequent attempts to draw her into conversation in brief
monosyllables, until at last the visitor arose and left the room, not
hurt or offended, as Mr. Rockharrt supposed, but simply tired of staying
so long in one place.

But the Iron King turned on his granddaughter and demanded:

"Corona Rothsay! why do you treat our visitor with such unladylike
rudeness?"

Cora, brought roughly out of her sad reverie, gazed at the old man
vaguely. She scarcely heard his question, and certainly did not
understand it.

"Father," ventured Mr. Clarence, "I do not believe Cora could treat any
one with rudeness, and surely she could never be unladylike. But you see
she is absent-minded."

"Hold your tongue, sir! How dare you interfere?" sternly exclaimed the
despot. "But I see how it is," he added, with the savage satisfaction of
a man who has power to crush and means to do it--"I see how it is! That
oppressed woman will never be treated by either of you with proper
respect until I give her my name and make her my wife and the mistress
of my house."

CHAPTER XIV.

IN THE WEB.

"Yes, sir and madam, you may stare; but I mean to place my guest in a
position from which she can command due honor. I mean to give her my
name and make her the mistress of my house," said old Aaron Rockharrt;
and he leaned back in his chair and drew himself up.

Had a thunderbolt fallen among them, it could hardly have caused g