were the
admiration of the whole court, and there was a little round of
applause as it came out that she had ventured so far and braved so
much out of love for the gallant soldier who was leaning on his
crutches close by her side.

Valetta Joe was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment for four
years, and with his conviction the reader's interest in him will
probably cease. It disposed of the last of McKay's active enemies;
Benito, as we have seen, had died in Balaclava hospital, and Cyprienne
Vergette and her accomplice were in the grip of the French law.

The enemies had disappeared; friends only remained. When he landed at
Gibraltar numbers came to greet him, from the Governor himself to the
Tio Pedro and the old crone his wife. Letters had already assured them
of Mariquita's safety, and they wept crocodile tears of joy as they
clasped her once more in their arms.

They were her only relatives, and as such McKay was compelled to
surrender his love to them for a time. But only for the very briefest
time. He measured their affections at its true value, and had no
compunction in asserting his claim over theirs to protect and cherish
her.

He easily persuaded them and Mariquita, but with some tender
insistence, to hurry on the marriage, and it took place within a few
short weeks of their return to the Rock. Why should he wait? He was
his own master; the only relative whose consent and approval he
coveted--his mother--had already promised gladly to accept the girl of
his choice.

His great relatives, the Essendines, might question the propriety of
the match, anxious that he should look higher, and find his future
bride amongst the aristocracy to which he now rightly belonged.

That was a point on which he meant to please himself, and did.

When, after a short honeymoon at Granada, the young married couple
returned to Gibraltar and travelled leisurely homewards, Lord
Essendine was one of the first to welcome him on arrival, and to
congratulate him on the beauty of his bride.

By-and-by, when the days of mourning were ended, Lady Essendine came
out of her strict retirement to present Mrs. McKay at Court; and the
handsome Spanish girl with the strange romantic history was one of the
greatest successes of the next London season. Ere long the future
succession of the Essendine title was assured beyond doubt. McKay was
blessed with a numerous family--many sons came to satisfy the head of
the house that the title