ed him before man, and with a strong exertion strove to smother
the commotion which swelled his breast. He dashed away the drop that
fain would soften the lurid expression of his eye. His pride succeeded
in the conflict: soon that lip recovered its sardonic curl, and his
features relapsing into their calm and gloomy ferocity, he then
proceeded--

"Gomez Arias, upon whom nature had lavished her choicest gifts, only as
the means of following with greater success his licentious
courses--Gomez Arias saw the beautiful Anselma. Her attractions and
innocence could not escape his observation, and he marked her out for
his prey. Curse the day his wily smile first lighted on the unfortunate
girl!"

"She did not then," interrupted Caneri, "fall into the snare of the
seducer?"

"No," firmly replied the renegade, "she did not; but the gentle creature
knew too well how boundless was the power of her persecutor, and
trembled to provoke its influence--not for her own sake, but for mine.
Our mutual inclination was no longer a secret; and my presumption in
crossing the will of my arrogant master, would have been attended with
inevitable ruin. Anselma, sensible of our dangerous position, carefully
endeavoured to avoid the threatened storm. It was all in vain; her tears
fell fast, and her prayers were uttered in all the fervour of desolate
grief; but the barbarian saw those tears unmoved, and heard her piteous
expostulations with the coldness of a villain. Nay, he felt exasperated
at the resistance with which his wishes were opposed by one whom his
pride naturally led him to consider as affording an easy conquest. He
had been accustomed, in his shameful career, to meet with little or no
opposition; he was base enough to doubt the very existence of female
virtue; and was it for a poor humble girl, born his dependant, an orphan
from her childhood, and clinging to no other protection than that which
could be afforded by such a thing as I, to contradict the vile opinion
which the proud patrician entertained?

"Caneri, I will no longer dwell on this subject. Gomez Arias at length
resolved to accomplish by a vile contrivance, what he could not obtain
by seductive persuasion. I was despatched on a trifling commission to
one of his estates, my presence being an obstacle to his designs; for
poor and despised as I was, Gomez Arias nevertheless looked upon me with
a feeling of dread. He could crush the reptile, but he feared the sting.
I was str