answered almost fiercely, "I am quite well." And then, with a
change to wistfulness, she added, "Oh, I would I had come with you!"

"Matters had been no different," Ruth assured her. "It was a bargain
Mr. Wilding drove. It was the price I had to pay for Richard's life and
honour." She swallowed hard, and let her hands fall limply to her sides.
"Where is Richard?" she inquired.

It was her aunt who answered her. "He went forth half an hour agone with
Mr. Vallancey and Sir Rowland."

"Sir Rowland had returned, then?" She looked up quickly.

"Yes," answered Diana. "But he had achieved nothing by his visit to Lord
Gervase. His lordship would not intervene; he swore he hoped the cub
would be flayed alive by Wilding. Those were his lordship's words, as
Sir Rowland repeated them. Sir Rowland is in sore distress for Richard.
He has gone with them to the meeting."

"At least, he has no longer cause for his distress," said Miss
Westmacott with her bitter smile, and sank as one exhausted to a chair.
Lady Horton moved to comfort her, her motherliness all aroused for this
motherless girl, usually so wise and strong, and seemingly wiser and
stronger than ever in this thing that Lady Horton had deemed a weakness
and a folly.

Meanwhile, Richard and his two friends were on their way to the moors
across the river to the encounter with Mr. Wilding. But before they
had got him to ride forth, Vallancey had had occasion to regret that he
stood committed to a share in this quarrel, for he came to know Richard
as he really was. He had found him in an abject state, white and
trembling, his coward's fancy anticipating a hundred times a minute the
death he was anon to die.

Vallancey had hailed him cheerily.

"The day is yours, Dick," he had cried, when Richard entered the library
where he awaited him. "Wild Wilding has ridden to Taunton this morning
and is to be back by noon. Odsbud, Dick!--twenty miles and more in the
saddle before coming on the ground. Heard you ever of the like madness?
He'll be stiff as a broom-handle--an easy victim."

Richard listened, stared, and, finding Vallancey's eyes fixed steadily
upon him, attempted a smile and achieved a horrible grimace.

"What ails you, man?" cried his second, and caught him by the wrist. He
felt the quiver of the other's limb. "Stab me!" quoth he, "you are in no
case to fight. What the plague ails you?"

"I am none so well this morning," answered Richard feebly. "Lord
Gervase's cl