ch had prompted her to give herself to the young sailor,
though of sudden origin, had grown and grown during the days of absence
and confinement, till, in depth and intensity, it matched his own. She
was not now so sure that, among the other objects of her adoration, he
would have to take the second place; that, in case of division, her
heart would lead her to think first of her country. Insensibly had his
image supplanted every other, and with all the passionate devotion of
her generous southern nature she loved him.

Lord Desborough had ample opportunity for ascertaining this fact. He
had seen her risk her life for Seymour's own. He could never forget
the glorious picture she made standing across the prostrate form of
that young man, pistol in hand, keeping the mob at bay, never wavering,
never faltering, clear-eyed, supreme. He would be almost willing to
die to have her do the like for him. He could still hear the echo of
that bitter cry,--"Seymour! Seymour!"--which rang through the house
when they had dragged her away. These things were not pleasant
reminiscences, but, like most other unpleasant memories, they would not
down. In spite of all this, however, he had allowed himself--nay, his
permission he vowed had not been asked--to fall violently in love with
this little colonial maiden, and a country maiden at that! Not being
psychologically inclined, he had never attempted to analyze her charm
or to explain his sensations. Realizing the fact, and being young and
therefore hopeful, he had not allowed himself to despair. Really, he
had some claims upon her. Had he not interfered, she would have been
murdered that night in the dining-room. He had earned the gratitude
then and there of her father, and of herself as well; and he had earned
more of it too when he had shot dead a certain brutal marauding
blackguard by the name of Johnson, at the first convenient opportunity,
having received incidentally, in return for his message of death, a
bullet in his own breast to remind him that there are always two
persons and two chances in a duel. A part of the debt of the Wiltons
had been paid by the assiduous and solicitous care with which
they--Katharine chiefly, of course--had nursed him through the long and
dangerous illness consequent upon his wound. It was his interest which
had prevented further ill treatment of them by the brutal and tyrannous
Dunmore, and, had Katharine so elected, would have secured her