sed into the willing woman's
ear and heart, and now that I recollect it, often on my return home
have I seen her, pale, dejected, and full of thought--he has
entreated her to fly with him--to suffer him to be the sole, the
undivided sharer of her love--she has hesitated, struggled, and
finally consented. By the same means by which his entrance has been
effected, the trunks of Hardscrabble have been removed, and all
was prepared for her evasion yesterday, had she not been baffled
in her object by your sudden appearance. Oh, I see it all!"

CHAPTER IX.

"Ronayne, Ronayne!" resumed Mrs. Headley, after the strong excitement
of her feeling had been in some measure calmed, "how rapidly you
arrive at conclusions. Much of what you say is probable--for your
sake, I would it were all so, but let us be guided in our judgment
by circumstances and facts alone. If it had at first been arranged
that the plan adopted with such success to-day, why the visit to,
and detention in, the vault of the summer-house where every
preparation had been made for a long concealment?"

"That," replied Ronayne, "is a mystery which time alone can unravel.
I confess that it involves a contradiction susceptible of explanation
only by themselves. This, in all human probability we shall never
know; but then, again, forgive me, Mrs. Headley, for thus detaining
you with any selfish interests, but your voice, your counsel, your
very knowledge of the facts--all breathe peace to my wounded spirit;
but, I ask again, why the scream she gave--why the emotion, the
grief, she evinced when, on opening the trap-door, you saw her
reclining exhausted on that rude couch? I would reason the matter
so as to convince myself _thoroughly_ that her flight has been her
own wilful act, for then I shall the less regret, even though I
should not be able to banish her image wholly from my mind. You
have said that you saw Wau-nan-gee leave the summer-house with an
excitement in his eye and manner you had never witnessed before,
and that this corresponded with the state in which you found Maria
a few moments later. Now, is it probable that if she had purposed
anything wrong she would have asked you to accompany her, or that
she should have asked you to wait for her, while visiting a spot
whence she knew she never would return? Oh, no! this could never
be. Her mode of evasion, if such had been intended, would have been
very different; she would have chosen a moment when you w