n-stairs.

But it was harder navigation below-stairs than above. The instant they
set foot in the parlour the quick, womanly eye detected that there was
something wrong. Kitty exclaimed, frightened, as she ran to her lover's
side, "Alfred! What's the matter?" Mrs. Raybrock cried out to the
captain, "Gracious! what have you done to my son to change him like this
all in a minute?" And the young widow--who was there with her work upon
her arm--was at first so agitated that she frightened the little girl she
held in her hand, who hid her face in her mother's skirts and screamed.
The captain, conscious of being held responsible for this domestic
change, contemplated it with quite a guilty expression of countenance,
and looked to the young fisherman to come to his rescue.

"Kitty, darling," said Young Raybrock, "Kitty, dearest love, I must go
away to Lanrean, and I don't know where else or how much further, this
very day. Worse than that--our marriage, Kitty, must be put off, and I
don't know for how long."

Kitty stared at him, in doubt and wonder and in anger, and pushed him
from her with her hand.

"Put off?" cried Mrs. Raybrock. "The marriage put off? And you going to
Lanrean! Why, in the name of the dear Lord?"

"Mother dear, I can't say why; I must not say why. It would be
dishonourable and undutiful to say why."

"Dishonourable and undutiful?" returned the dame. "And is there nothing
dishonourable or undutiful in the boy's breaking the heart of his own
plighted love, and his mother's heart too, for the sake of the dark
secrets and counsels of a wicked stranger? Why did you ever come here?"
she apostrophised the innocent captain. "Who wanted you? Where did you
come from? Why couldn't you rest in your own bad place, wherever it is,
instead of disturbing the peace of quiet unoffending folk like us?"

"And what," sobbed the poor little Kitty, "have I ever done to you, you
hard and cruel captain, that you should come and serve me so?"

And then they both began to weep most pitifully, while the captain could
only look from the one to the other, and lay hold of himself by the coat
collar.

"Margaret," said the poor young fisherman, on his knees at Kitty's feet,
while Kitty kept both her hands before her tearful face, to shut out the
traitor from her view,--but kept her fingers wide asunder and looked at
him all the time,--"Margaret, you have suffered so much, so
uncomplainingly, and are always so care