l that they sounded like a school-girl's recitation--a long,
dull monotone--the monotony of despair. Her face drooped--her eyes
were fixed on the floor--her white hands clasped each other, and she
sat thus--an image of woe. Hilda looked at her steadily. For a moment
there flashed over her lips the faintest shadow of a smile--the lips
curled cruelly, the eyes gleamed coldly--but it was for a moment.
Instantly it had passed, and as Zillah ceased, Hilda leaned toward
her and drew her head down upon her breast.

"Ah, my poor, sweet darling! my friend! my sister! my noble Zillah!"
she murmured. "I will say no more. I see you are fixed in your
purpose. I only wished you to act with your eyes open. But of what
avail is it? Could you live to be scorned--live on sufferance? Never!
_I_ would die first. What compensation could it be to be rich, or
famous, when you were the property of a man who loathed you? Ah, my
dear one! what am I saying? But you are right. Yes, sooner than live
with that man I would kill myself."

A long silence followed.

"I suppose you have not yet made any plans, darling," said Hilda at
last.

"Yes I have. A thousand plans at once came sweeping through my mind,
and I have some general idea of what I am to do," said Zillah. "I
think there will be no difficulty about the details. You remember,
when I wished to run away, after dear papa's death--ah, how glad I am
that I did not--how many happy years I should have lost--the question
of money was the insuperable obstacle; but that is effectually
removed now. You know my money is so settled that it is payable to my
own checks at my bankers', who are not even the Chetwyndes' bankers;
for the Earl thought it better to leave it with papa's men of
business."

"You must be very careful," said Hilda, "to leave no trace by which
Lord Chetwynde can find you out. You know that he will move heaven
and earth to find you. His character and his strict ideas of honor
would insure that. The mere fact that you bore his name, would make
it gall and wormwood to him to be ignorant of your doings. Besides,
he lays great stress on his promise to your father."

"He need not fear," said Zillah. "The dear old name, which I love
almost as proudly as he does, shall never gain the lightest stain
from me. Of course I shall cease to use it now. It would be easy to
trace Lady Chetwynde to any place. My idea is, of course, to take an
assumed name. You and I can live quietly and raise n