unnerved at the presence of Harry. But then she had
been strengthened by her new love for Brooke; now she was weakened by the
remembrance of her lost love for Harry. This was an ordeal for which there
was no outside inspiration. The remembrance of her passionate words to
Brooke, so lately uttered, so ardently answered, was strong within her.
And yet here was one who held her promise, who could claim her as his own,
who could take her away from Brooke; and what could she do?

Harry, on the other hand, had dared death for Katie; for her he had tried
to fling away his life. This had been done in the presence of his Sydney.
Had she understood that? She could not have understood it. Could he
explain? Impossible! Could he tell the story of his falsity to this noble
lady, whom he had known only to love, whom he had known also to revere?
And this proud, this delicately nurtured girl had come from her home for
his sake, to suffer, to risk her life, to become a miserable captive! Was
there not in this a stronger reason than ever why he should be true to
her? And yet, if he loved another better, would it not be wrong to marry
Sydney?

All the tenderness of his heart rose up within him in one strong, yearning
thought of--Oh, Katie! But all his honor, his pride, his manliness--all
his pity, too, and his sympathy--made itself felt in a deep undertone of
feeling--Oh, Sydney! true and faithful!

At last he was able to speak.

"Oh, Sydney," said he, "what bitter, bitter fortune has brought you here
to this horrible place--to so much misery?"

Talbot looked down. She could not look in his face. She felt unworthy of
him. He seemed faithful still. She had seen the act of his in attacking
Lopez, but had not understood it. She thought him faithful, in spite of
all.

"Bitter!" said she, slowly. "Bitter! yes, bitter indeed--bitter was the
fortune that brought me here!"

She could say no more. She was thinking only of that bitter fortune which
had brought her to a place where she might be forever torn from Brooke;
where Brooke, too, had found one who might tear him from her.

But Harry understood this differently. He detected in these words a
reflection upon himself. He thought she alluded to her long journey to
him--when she had come so far, and had reached her destination only to
find him absent; when she had waited for days without finding any trace of
him or hearing any word from him, and at last had turned about on her
lonely, hom