r cousin is here under my father's roof, I entreat you to
retire as you came."

"I cannot, Marian," says I, very firm. "I am charged to take that
traitor and villain, and I will do it, dead or alive."

In spite of his bravado I could see Gurney wince under these words,
though he affected to make light of them.

"Leave us together, girl," he said to Marian. "I will tame this young
cockerel, as I would have done before if he had fought me fairly, with
the weapons agreed to be used by us."

My blood boiled to hear this shameful taunt.

"You coward!" I cried, "I spared your life once, as you well know, and
then you would have murdered me in cold blood because the cutlass
broke that I had of a Jew! But I will fight you now with sword,
pistol, or both, and this time I swear that you shall not escape with
your life."

But Marian would not consent to this.

"You are not to fight," she exclaimed. "Do you hear me, Athelstane
Ford? Your cousin wants nothing but to be allowed to go away in
safety; and would you be the one to deliver your own blood up to
justice? For shame!"

"Shame, indeed!" I retorted bitterly, all the anguish that was pent up
in my heart breaking out. "Shame that I who have loved and served you,
and delivered you out of the prison where this very man had put you,
should be asked to spare him now by you, whom he has never truly
loved, whom he has betrayed and slighted, and is ready to betray
again. I know not, though I can guess, by what wheedling tale he has
cozened you to forgive him, and to lend him shelter and protection in
his base designs; but do you think, Marian, that that villain standing
there will care for you one moment longer than you can be of use to
him, and that he will not leave you to a worse fate than before when
he has done with you, and that without the least compunction? I have
loved you a long time, Marian, but I have never understood you, and if
this is your intention then I think you cannot be in your true mind."

I looked to see her break out and weep, but she did not. She cast her
eyes to the ground, and said, when I had finished, speaking low--

"I think you are right, and that perhaps I am not in my true mind. For
there are times when I know and see all the falsehood and wickedness
of this man's heart as well as ever you can tell it me, and yet I tell
you, to my own bitter shame, that I love him so that if he bids me
follow him into any disgrace or crime, God help me, I can