ment me," she faltered.

"Torment you! I! It isn't in me to do that. Torment! I do not know what
it is."

"Well, what do you want of me then?"

"What do I want, Elsie, dear? What do I want? Nothing but God's truth,
and that I will have!"

Elsie's eyes grew larger, and the flush of shame left her face.

"I can't--I can't tell you the truth, Tom Fuller, now. Elizabeth can say
enough to make you ready to kill me, but I would rather die than talk of
it."

"I know all that Elizabeth can tell me," said Tom, resolutely.

"What did you come for, then?"

"To ask this one question: Did you love that man?"

A shiver of disgust ran through her and broke out in her voice:

"Love him! No! At first it seemed as if I did; but after I saw what he
was and how he lived, it was dreadful, I hated him so."

"But how came you married to him?"

"I don't know; I never could tell. It was when we went on that picnic.
He asked me to walk with him. It was good fun to set you all wondering,
and I went. He took me down the hill and towards the beach, close by the
tavern. We had been flirting for weeks then in New York and here, for he
always met me when I went out to walk or ride, or anything; but I never
thought of marrying him in earnest, upon my sacred word. Well, that day,
just as we came to the tavern, he said, 'Let us stop a moment and get
married; there is a clergyman in here.'

"I didn't believe him, and said so. 'Come in and see for yourself,' was
his answer. I went in laughing. A gentleman sat in one of the rooms, and
Mr. North's mulatto servant, who was sauntering about the door when we
came up, followed us in. I don't know what possessed me. Perhaps for the
minute I loved him; it seemed to me that I must stand up when the
strange man rose. He only said a few words, and before I really believed
it was a true ceremony the man said I was Mr. North's wife, and wrote
out a paper, which I dropped, thinking that I should be really married
if I took it, but which Mr. North picked up, saying I did not know its
value."

"The scoundrel! The infamous, double-dyed scoundrel!" cried Tom. "But
you didn't love him--you didn't love him?"

"No," said Elsie, shaking her head. "I tried my best to get away from it
all, but it was of no use. Then he petted me so, and told me how
beautifully we would live somewhere in Europe, and I thought him so
rich. But it was my money he meant to use. He thought that half of
uncle's property was mine, and