\"Ownsboththemrabbit—hutches，doeshe？\"
commentedyoungHagberd，scornfully；\"justthethinghewouldbeproudof。Canyoutellmewho’sthatchapcomingto—morrow？Youmustknowsomethingofit。Itellyou，it’saswindleontheoldman——nothingelse。\"
Shedidnotanswer，helplessbeforeaninsur—
mountabledifficulty，appalledbeforethenecessity，theimpossibilityandthedreadofanexplanationinwhichsheandmadnessseemedinvolvedtogether。
\"Oh——Iamsosorry，\"shemurmured。
\"What’sthematter？\"hesaid，withserenity。
\"Youneedn’tbeafraidofupsettingme。It’stheotherfellowthat’llbeupsetwhenheleastexpectsit。Idon’tcareahang；buttherewillbesomefunwhenheshowshismugto—morrow。Idon’tcareTHATfortheoldman’spieces，butrightisright。
Youshallseemeputaheadonthatcoon——whoeverheis！\"
Hehadcomenearer，andtoweredaboveherontheothersideoftherailings。Heglancedatherhands。Hefanciedshewastrembling，anditoc—
curredtohimthatshehadherpartperhapsinthatlittlegamethatwastobesprungonhisoldmanto—morrow。Hehadcomejustintimetospoiltheirsport。Hewasentertainedbytheidea——scornfulofthebaffledplot。Butallhislifehehadbeenfullofindulgenceforallsortsofwomen’stricks。Shereallywastremblingverymuch；herwraphadslippedoffherhead。\"Poordevil！\"hethought。
\"Nevermindaboutthatchap。Idaresayhe’llchangehismindbeforeto—morrow。Butwhataboutme？Ican’tloafaboutthegatetilthemorn—
ing。\"
Sheburstout：\"ItisYOU——youyourselfthathe’swaitingfor。ItisYOUwhocometo—morrow。\"
Hemurmured。\"Oh！It’sme！\"blankly，andtheyseemedtobecomebreathlesstogether。Ap—
parentlyhewasponderingoverwhathehadheard；
then，withoutirritation，butevidentlyperplexed，hesaid：\"Idon’tunderstand。Ihadn’twrittenoranything。It’smychumwhosawthepaperandtoldme——thisverymorning……Eh？what？\"
Hebenthisear；shewhisperedrapidly，andhelistenedforawhile，mutteringthewords\"yes\"
and\"Isee\"attimes。Then，\"Butwhywon’tto—
daydo？\"hequeriedatlast。
\"Youdidn’tunderstandme！\"sheexclaimed，impatiently。Theclearstreakoflightunderthecloudsdiedoutinthewest。Againhestoopedslightlytohearbetter；andthedeepnightburiedeverythingofthewhisperingwomanandtheattentiveman，exceptthefamiliarcontiguityoftheirfaces，withitsairofsecrecyandcaress。
Hesquaredhisshoulders；thebroad—brimmedshadowofahatsatcavalierlyonhishead。\"Awk—
wardthis，eh？\"heappealedtoher。\"To—morrow？
Well，well！Neverheardtellofanythinglikethis。
It’sallto—morrow，then，withoutanysortofto—day，asfarasIcansee。\"
Sheremainedstillandmute。
\"Andyouhavebeenencouragingthisfunnynotion，\"hesaid。
\"Inevercontradictedhim。\"
\"Whydidn’tyou？\"
\"WhatforshouldI？\"shedefendedherself。
\"Itwouldonlyhavemadehimmiserable。Hewouldhavegoneoutofhismind。\"
\"Hismind！\"hemuttered，andheardashortnervouslaughfromher。
\"Wherewastheharm？WasItoquarrelwiththepooroldman？Itwaseasiertohalfbelieveitmyself。\"
\"Aye，aye，\"hemeditated，intelligently。\"I
supposetheoldchapgotaroundyousomehowwithhissofttalk。Youaregood—hearted。\"
Herhandsmovedupinthedarknervously。
\"Anditmighthavebeentrue。Itwastrue。Ithascome。Hereitis。Thisistheto—morrowwehavebeenwaitingfor。\"
Shedrewabreath，andhesaid，good—humour—
edly：\"Aye，withthedoorshut。Iwouldn’tcareif……Andyouthinkhecouldbebroughtroundtorecogniseme……Eh？What？……Youcoulddoit？Inaweekyousay？H’m，Idaresayyoucould——butdoyouthinkIcouldholdoutaweekinthisdead—aliveplace？Notme！Iwanteitherhardwork，oranall—firedracket，ormorespacethanthereisinthewholeofEngland。I
havebeeninthisplace，though，oncebefore，andformorethanaweek。Theoldmanwasadvertisingformethen，andachumIhadwithmehadano—
tionofgettingacouplequidoutofhimbywrit—
ingalotofsillynonsenseinaletter。Thatlarkdidnotcomeoff，though。Wehadtoclearout——andnonetoosoon。ButthistimeI’veachumwaitingformeinLondon，andbesides……\"
BessieCarvilwasbreathingquickly。
\"WhatifItriedaknockatthedoor？\"hesug—
gested。
\"Try，\"shesaid。
CaptainHagberd’sgatesqueaked，andtheshad—
owofthesonmovedon，thenstoppedwithanotherdeeplaughinthethroat，likethefather’s，onlysoftandgentle，thrillingtothewoman’sheart，awakeningtoherears。
\"Heisn’tfrisky——ishe？Iwouldbeafraidtolayholdofhim。ThechapsarealwaystellingmeIdon’tknowmyownstrength。\"
\"He’sthemostharmlesscreaturethateverlived，\"sheinterrupted。
\"Youwouldn’tsaysoifyouhadseenhimchas—
ingmeupstairswithahardleatherstrap，\"hesaid；
\"Ihaven’tforgottenitinsixteenyears。\"
Shegotwarmfromheadtofootunderanothersoft，subduedlaugh。Attherat—tat—tatoftheknockerherheartflewintohermouth。
\"Hey，dad！Letmein。IamHarry，Iam。
Straight！Comebackhomeadaytoosoon。\"
Oneofthewindowsupstairsranup。
\"Agrinning，informationfellow，\"saidthevoiceofoldHagberd，upinthedarkness。\"Don’tyouhaveanythingtodowithhim。Itwillspoilevery—
thing。\"
SheheardHarryHagberdsay，\"Hallo，dad，\"
thenaclangingclatter。Thewindowrumbleddown，andhestoodbeforeheragain。
\"It’sjustlikeoldtimes。Nearlywallopedthelifeoutofmetostopmegoingaway，andnowI
comebackhethrowsaconfoundedshovelatmyheadtokeepmeout。Itgrazedmyshoulder。\"
Sheshuddered。
\"Iwouldn’tcare，\"hebegan，\"onlyIspentmylastshillingsontherailwayfareandmylasttwo—
penceonashave——outofrespectfortheoldman。\"
\"AreyoureallyHarryHagberd？\"sheasked。
\"Canyouproveit？\"
\"CanIproveit？Cananyoneelseproveit？\"
hesaidjovially。\"Provewithwhat？WhatdoI
wanttoprove？Thereisn’tasinglecornerintheworld，barringEngland，perhaps，whereyoucouldnotfindsomeman，ormorelikelywoman，thatwouldremembermeforHarryHagberd。IammorelikeHarryHagberdthananymanalive；andIcanproveittoyouinaminute，ifyouwillletmestepinsideyourgate。\"
\"Comein，\"shesaid。
HeenteredthenthefrontgardenoftheCarvils。
Histallshadowstrodewithaswagger；sheturnedherbackonthewindowandwaited，watchingtheshape，ofwhichthefootfallsseemedthemostmate—
rialpart。Thelightfellonatiltedhat；apower—
fulshoulder，thatseemedtocleavethedarkness；
onalegsteppingout。Heswungaboutandstoodstill，facingtheilluminatedparlourwindowatherback，turninghisheadfromsidetoside，laughingsoftlytohimself。
\"Justfancy，foraminute，theoldman’sbeardstuckontomychin。Hey？Nowsay。Iwastheveryspitofhimfromaboy。\"
\"It’strue，\"shemurmuredtoherself。
\"Andthat’saboutasfarasitgoes。Hewasal—
waysoneofyourdomesticcharacters。Why，Ire—
memberhowheusedtogoaboutlookingverysickforthreedaysbeforehehadtoleavehomeononeofhistripstoSouthShieldsforcoal。Hehadastandingcharterfromthegas—works。Youwouldthinkhewasoffonawhalingcruise——threeyearsandatail。Ha，ha！Notabitofit。Tendaysontheoutside。TheSkimmeroftheSeaswasasmartcraft。Finename，wasn’tit？Mother’suncleownedher……\"
Heinterruptedhimself，andinaloweredvoice，\"Didheevertellyouwhatmotherdiedof？\"heasked。
\"Yes，\"saidMissBessie，bitterly；\"fromimpa—
tience。\"
Hemadenosoundforawhile；thenbrusquely：
\"TheyweresoafraidIwouldturnoutbadlythattheyfairlydrovemeaway。Mothernaggedatmeforbeingidle，andtheoldmansaidhewouldcutmysouloutofmybodyratherthanletmegotosea。Well，itlookedasifhewoulddoittoo——soI
went。ItlookstomesometimesasifIhadbeenborntothembyamistake——inthatotherhutchofahouse。\"
\"Whereoughtyoutohavebeenbornbyrights？\"BessieCarvilinterruptedhim，defiantly。
\"Intheopen，uponabeach，onawindynight，\"
hesaid，quickaslightning。Thenhemusedslowly。
\"Theywerecharacters，bothofthem，byGeorge；
andtheoldmankeepsitupwell——don’the？A
damnedshovelonthe——Hark！who’sthatmak—
ingthatrow？’Bessie，Bessie。’It’sinyourhouse。\"
\"It’sforme，\"shesaid，withindifference。
Hesteppedaside，outofthestreakoflight。
\"Yourhusband？\"heinquired，withthetoneofamanaccustomedtounlawfultrysts。\"Finevoiceforaship’sdeckinathunderingsquall。\"
\"No；myfather。Iamnotmarried。\"
\"Youseemafinegirl，MissBessie，dear，\"hesaidatonce。
Sheturnedherfaceaway。
\"Oh，Isay，——what’sup？Who’smurderinghim？\"
\"Hewantshistea。\"Shefacedhim，stillandtall，withavertedhead，withherhandshangingclaspedbeforeher。
\"Hadn’tyoubettergoin？\"hesuggested，afterwatchingforawhilethenapeofherneck，apatchofdazzlingwhiteskinandsoftshadowabovethesombrelineofhershoulders。Herwraphadslippeddowntoherelbows。\"You’llhaveallthetowncomingoutpresently。I’llwaithereabit。\"
Herwrapfelltotheground，andhestoopedtopickitup；shehadvanished。Hethrewitoverhisarm，andapproachingthewindowsquarelyhesawamonstrousformofafatmaninanarm—
chair，anunshadedlamp，theyawningofanenor—
mousmouthinabigflatfaceencircledbyaraggedhaloofhair——MissBessie’sheadandbust。Theshoutingstopped；theblindrandown。Helosthimselfinthinkinghowawkwarditwas。Fathermad；nogettingintothehouse。Nomoneytogetback；ahungrychuminLondonwhowouldbegintothinkhehadbeengiventhego—by。\"Damn！\"
hemuttered。Hecouldbreakthedoorin，cer—
tainly；buttheywouldperhapsbundlehimintochokeyforthatwithoutaskingquestions——nogreatmatter，onlyhewasconfoundedlyafraidofbeinglockedup，eveninmistake。Heturnedcoldatthethought。Hestampedhisfeetonthesod—
dengrass。
\"Whatareyou？——asailor？\"saidanagitatedvoice。
Shehadflittedout，ashadowherself，attractedbytherecklessshadowwaitingunderthewallofherhome。
\"Anything。Enoughofasailortobeworthmysaltbeforethemast。Camehomethatwaythistime。\"
\"Wheredoyoucomefrom？\"sheasked。
\"Rightawayfromajollygoodspree，\"hesaid，\"bytheLondontrain——see？Ough！Ihatebeingshutupinatrain。Idon’tmindahousesomuch。\"
\"Ah，\"shesaid；\"that’slucky。\"
\"Becauseinahouseyoucanatanytimeopentheblameddoorandwalkawaystraightbeforeyou。\"
\"Andnevercomeback？\"
\"Notforsixteenyearsatleast，\"helaughed。
\"Toarabbithutch，andgetaconfoundedoldshovel……\"
\"Ashipisnotsoverybig，\"shetaunted。
\"No，buttheseaisgreat。\"
Shedroppedherhead，andasifherearshadbeenopenedtothevoicesoftheworld，sheheard，beyondtherampartofsea—wall，theswellofyester—
day’sgalebreakingonthebeachwithmonotonousandsolemnvibrations，asifalltheearthhadbeenatollingbell。
\"Andthen，why，aship’saship。Youloveherandleaveher；andavoyageisn’tamarriage。\"Hequotedthesailor’ssayinglightly。
\"Itisnotamarriage，\"shewhispered。
\"Inevertookafalsename，andI’veneveryettoldalietoawoman。Whatlie？Why，THElie——。
Takemeorleaveme，Isay：andifyoutakeme，thenitis……\"Hehummedasnatchverylow，leaningagainstthewall。
Oh，ho，hoRio！
Andfaretheewell，Mybonnieyounggirl，We’reboundtoRioGrande\"Capstansong，\"heexplained。Herteethchat—
tered。
\"Youarecold，\"hesaid。\"Here’sthataffairofyoursIpickedup。\"Shefelthishandsabouther，wrappingherclosely。\"Holdtheendsto—
getherinfront，\"hecommanded。
\"Whatdidyoucomeherefor？\"sheasked，re—
pressingashudder。
\"Fivequid，\"heanswered，promptly。\"Weletourspreegoonalittletoolongandgothardup。\"
\"You’vebeendrinking？\"shesaid。
\"Blindthreedays；onpurpose。Iamnotgiventhatway——don’tyouthink。There’snothingandnobodythatcangetovermeunlessIlike。Icanbeassteadyasarock。Mychumseesthepaperthismorning，andsayshetome：’Goon，Harry：
lovingparent。That’sfivequidsure。’Sowescrapedallourpocketsforthefare。Devilofalark！\"
\"Youhaveahardheart，Iamafraid，\"shesighed。
\"Whatfor？Forrunningaway？Why！hewantedtomakealawyer’sclerkofme——justtopleasehimself。Masterinhisownhouse；andmypoormothereggedhimon——formygood，Isup—
pose。Well，then——solong；andIwent。No，I
tellyou：thedayIclearedout，Iwasallblackandbluefromhisgreatfondnessforme。Ah！hewasalwaysabitofacharacter。Lookatthatshovelnow。Offhischump？Notmuch。That’sjustexactlylikemydad。Hewantsmeherejusttohavesomebodytoorderabout。However，wetwowerehardup；andwhat’sfivequidtohim——onceinsixteenhardyears？\"
\"Oh，butIamsorryforyou。Didyouneverwanttocomebackhome？\"
\"Bealawyer’sclerkandrothere——insomesuchplaceasthis？\"hecriedincontempt。\"What！iftheoldmansetmeupinahometo—day，Iwouldkickitdownaboutmyears——orelsedietherebe—
forethethirddaywasout。\"
\"Andwhereelseisitthatyouhopetodie？\"
\"Inthebushsomewhere；inthesea；onablamedmountain—topforchoice。Athome？Yes！theworld’smyhome；butIexpectI’lldieinahospitalsomeday。Whatofthat？Anyplaceisgoodenough，aslongasI’velived；andI’vebeenevery—
thingyoucanthinkofalmostbutatailororasoldier。I’vebeenaboundaryrider；I’veshearedsheep；andhumpedmyswag；andharpoonedawhale。I’veriggedships，andprospectedforgold，andskinneddeadbullocks，——andturnedmybackonmoremoneythantheoldmanwouldhavescrapedinhiswholelife。Ha，ha！\"
Heoverwhelmedher。Shepulledherselfto—
getherandmanagedtoutter，\"Timetorestnow。\"
Hestraightenedhimselfup，awayfromthewall，andinaseverevoicesaid，\"Timetogo。\"
Buthedidnotmove。Heleanedbackagain，andhummedthoughtfullyabarortwoofanout—
landishtune。
Shefeltasifshewereabouttocry。\"That’sanotherofyourcruelsongs，\"shesaid。
\"LearneditinMexico——inSonora。\"Hetalkedeasily。\"ItisthesongoftheGambucinos。Youdon’tknow？Thesongofrestlessmen。Nothingcouldholdtheminoneplace——notevenawoman。
Youusedtomeetoneofthemnowandagain，intheolddays，ontheedgeofthegoldcountry，awaynorththerebeyondtheRioGila。I’veseenit。A
prospectingengineerinMazatlantookmealongwithhimtohelplookafterthewaggons。A
sailor’sahandychaptohaveaboutyouanyhow。
It’salladesert：cracksintheearththatyoucan’tseethebottomof；andmountains——sheerrocksstandinguphighlikewallsandchurchspires，onlyahundredtimesbigger。Thevalleysarefullofbouldersandblackstones。There’snotabladeofgrasstosee；andthesunsetsmoreredoverthatcountrythanIhaveseenitanywhere——blood—redandangry。ItISfine。\"
\"Youdonotwanttogobackthereagain？\"
shestammeredout。
Helaughedalittle。\"No。That’stheblamedgoldcountry。Itgavemetheshiverssometimestolookatit——andwewereabiglotofmentogether，mind；buttheseGambucinoswanderedalone。
Theyknewthatcountrybeforeanybodyhadeverheardofit。Theyhadasortofgiftforprospect—
ing，andthefeverofitwasonthemtoo；andtheydidnotseemtowantthegoldverymuch。Theywouldfindsomerichspot，andthenturntheirbacksonit；pickupperhapsalittle——enoughforaspree——andthenbeoffagain，lookingformore。
Theyneverstoppedlongwheretherewerehouses；
theyhadnowife，nochick，nohome，neverachum。
Youcouldn’tbefriendswithaGambucino；theyweretoorestless——hereto—day，andgone，Godknowswhere，to—morrow。Theytoldnooneoftheirfinds，andtherehasneverbeenaGambucinowelloff。Itwasnotforthegoldtheycared；itwasthewanderingaboutlookingforitinthestonycountrythatgotintothemandwouldn’tletthemrest；sothatnowomanyetborncouldholdaGam—
bucinoformorethanaweek。That’swhatthesongsays。It’sallaboutaprettygirlthattriedhardtokeepholdofaGambucinolover，sothatheshouldbringherlotsofgold。Nofear！Offhewent，andsheneversawhimagain。\"
\"Whatbecameofher？\"shebreathedout。
\"Thesongdon’ttell。Criedabit，Idaresay。
Theywerethefellows：kissandgo。Butit’sthelookingforathing——asomething……SometimesIthinkIamasortofGambucinomyself。\"
\"Nowomancanholdyou，then，\"shebeganinabrazenvoice，whichquaveredsuddenlybeforetheend。
\"Nolongerthanaweek，\"hejoked，playinguponherveryheartstringswiththegay，tendernoteofhislaugh；\"andyetIamfondofthemall。Anythingforawomanoftherightsort。
Thescrapestheygotmeinto，andthescrapestheygotmeoutof！Ilovethematfirstsight。I’vefalleninlovewithyoualready，Miss——Bessie’syourname——eh？\"
Shebackedawayalittle，andwithatremblinglaugh：
\"Youhaven’tseenmyfaceyet。\"
Hebentforwardgallantly。\"Alittlepale：itsuitssome。Butyouareafinefigureofagirl，MissBessie。\"
Shewasallinaflutter。Nobodyhadeversaidsomuchtoherbefore。
Histonechanged。\"Iamgettingmiddlinghungry，though。Hadnobreakfastto—day。
Couldn’tyouscareupsomebreadfromthatteaforme，or——\"
Shewasgonealready。Hehadbeenonthepointofaskinghertolethimcomeinside。Nomatter。
Anywherewoulddo。Devilofafix！Whatwouldhischumthink？
\"Ididn’taskyouasabeggar，\"hesaid，jest—
ingly，takingapieceofbread—and—butterfromtheplatesheheldbeforehim。\"Iaskedasafriend。
Mydadisrich，youknow。\"
\"Hestarveshimselfforyoursake。\"
\"AndIhavestarvedforhiswhim，\"hesaid，tak—
ingupanotherpiece。
\"Allhehasintheworldisforyou，\"shepleaded。
\"Yes，ifIcomeheretositonitlikeadam’toadinahole。Thankyou；andwhatabouttheshovel，eh？Healwayshadaqueerwayofshowinghislove。\"
\"Icouldbringhimroundinaweek，\"shesug—
gested，timidly。
Hewastoohungrytoanswerher；and，holdingtheplatesubmissivelytohishand，shebegantowhisperuptohiminaquick，pantingvoice。Helistened，amazed，eatingslowerandslower，tillatlasthisjawsstoppedaltogether。\"That’shisgame，isit？\"hesaid，inarisingtoneofscathingcontempt。Anungovernablemovementofhisarmsenttheplateflyingoutofherfingers。Heshotoutaviolentcurse。
Sheshrankfromhim，puttingherhandagainstthewall。
\"No！\"heraged。\"Heexpects！ExpectsME
——forhisrottenmoney！……Whowantshishome？Mad——nothe！Don’tyouthink。Hewantshisownway。Hewantedtoturnmeintoamiserablelawyer’sclerk，andnowhewantstomakeofmeablamedtamerabbitinacage。Ofme！Ofme！\"Hissubduedangrylaughfrightenedhernow。
\"Thewholeworldain’tabittoobigformetospreadmyelbowsin，Icantellyou——what’syourname——Bessie——letaloneadam’parlourinahutch。
Marry！Hewantsmetomarryandsettle！Andaslikelyasnothehaslookedoutthegirltoo——
dashmysoul！AnddoyouknowtheJudy，mayIask？\"
Sheshookalloverwithnoiselessdrysobs；buthewasfumingandfrettingtoomuchtonoticeherdistress。Hebithisthumbwithrageatthemereidea。Awindowrattledup。
\"Agrinning，informationfellow，\"pronouncedoldHagberddogmatically，inmeasuredtones。
AndthesoundofhisvoiceseemedtoBessietomakethenightitselfmad——topourinsanityanddis—
asterontheearth。\"NowIknowwhat’swrongwiththepeoplehere，mydear。Why，ofcourse！
Withthismadchapgoingabout。Don’tyouhaveanythingtodowithhim，Bessie。Bessie，Isay！\"
Theystoodasifdumb。Theoldmanfidgetedandmumbledtohimselfatthewindow。Suddenlyhecried，piercingly：\"Bessie——Iseeyou。I’lltellHarry。\"
Shemadeamovementasiftorunaway，butstoppedandraisedherhandstohertemples。
YoungHagberd，shadowyandbig，stirrednomorethanamanofbronze。Overtheirheadsthecrazynightwhimperedandscoldedinanoldman’svoice。
\"Sendhimaway，mydear。He’sonlyavaga—
bond。Whatyouwantisagoodhomeofyourown。
Thatchaphasnohome——he’snotlikeHarry。Hecan’tbeHarry。Harryiscomingto—morrow。Doyouhear？Onedaymore，\"hebabbledmoreex—
citedly；\"neveryoufear——Harryshallmarryyou。\"
Hisvoiceroseveryshrillandmadagainsttheregulardeepsoughingoftheswellcoilingheavilyabouttheouterfaceofthesea—wall。
\"Hewillhaveto。Ishallmakehim，orifnot\"
——hesworeagreatoath——\"I’llcuthimoffwithashillingto—morrow，andleaveeverythingtoyou。
Ishall。Toyou。Lethimstarve。\"
Thewindowrattleddown。
Harrydrewadeepbreath，andtookonesteptowardBessie。\"Soit’syou——thegirl，\"hesaid，inaloweredvoice。Shehadnotmoved，andshere—
mainedhalfturnedawayfromhim，pressingherheadinthepalmsofherhands。\"Myword！\"hecontinued，withaninvisiblehalf—smileonhislips。
\"Ihaveagreatmindtostop……\"
Herelbowsweretremblingviolently。
\"Foraweek，\"hefinishedwithoutapause。
Sheclappedherhandstoherface。
Hecameupquiteclose，andtookholdofherwristsgently。Shefelthisbreathonherear。
\"It’sascrapeIamin——this，anditisyouthatmustseemethrough。\"Hewastryingtouncoverherface。Sheresisted。Helethergothen，andsteppingbackalittle，\"Haveyougotanymoney？\"heasked。\"Imustbeoffnow。\"
Shenoddedquicklyhershamefacedhead，andhewaited，lookingawayfromher，while，tremblingalloverandbowingherneck，shetriedtofindthepocketofherdress。
\"Hereitis！\"shewhispered。\"Oh，goaway！
goawayforGod’ssake！IfIhadmore——more——
Iwouldgiveitalltoforget——tomakeyoufor—
get。\"
Heextendedhishand。\"Nofear！Ihaven’tforgottenasingleoneofyouintheworld。Somegavememorethanmoney——butIamabeggarnow——andyouwomenalwayshadtogetmeoutofmyscrapes。\"
Heswaggereduptotheparlourwindow，andinthedimlightfilteringthroughtheblind，lookedatthecoinlyinginhispalm。Itwasahalf—sovereign。
Heslippeditintohispocket。Shestoodalittleononeside，withherheaddrooping，asifwounded；
withherarmshangingpassivebyherside，asifdead。
\"Youcan’tbuymein，\"hesaid，\"andyoucan’tbuyyourselfout。\"
Hesethishatfirmlywithalittletap，andnextmomentshefeltherselfliftedupinthepowerfulembraceofhisarms。Herfeetlosttheground；
herheadhungback；heshoweredkissesonherfacewithasilentandover—masteringardour，asifinhastetogetatherverysoul。Hekissedherpalecheeks，herhardforehead，herheavyeyelids，herfadedlips；andthemeasuredblowsandsighsoftherisingtideaccompaniedtheenfoldingpowerofhisarms，theoverwhelmingmightofhiscaresses。
Itwasasifthesea，breakingdownthewallpro—
tectingallthehomesofthetown，hadsentawaveoverherhead。Itpassedon；shestaggeredback—
wards，withhershouldersagainstthewall，ex—
hausted，asifshehadbeenstrandedthereafterastormandashipwreck。
Sheopenedhereyesafterawhile；andlisteningtothefirm，leisurelyfootstepsgoingawaywiththeirconquest，begantogatherherskirts，staringallthetimebeforeher。Suddenlyshedartedthroughtheopengateintothedarkanddesertedstreet。
\"Stop！\"sheshouted。\"Don’tgo！\"
Andlisteningwithanattentivepoiseofthehead，shecouldnottellwhetheritwasthebeatoftheswellorhisfatefultreadthatseemedtofallcruellyuponherheart。Presentlyeverysoundgrewfainter，asthoughshewereslowlyturningintostone。Afearofthisawfulsilencecametoher——
worsethanthefearofdeath。Shecalleduponherebbingstrengthforthefinalappeal：
\"Harry！\"
Noteventhedyingechoofafootstep。Noth—
ing。Thethunderingofthesurf，thevoiceoftherestlessseaitself，seemedstopped。Therewasnotasound——nowhisperoflife，asthoughshewerealoneandlostinthatstonycountryofwhichshehadheard，wheremadmengolookingforgoldandspurnthefind。
CaptainHagberd，insidehisdarkhouse，hadkeptonthealert。Awindowranup；andinthesilenceofthestonycountryavoicespokeaboveherhead，highupintheblackair——thevoiceofmad—
ness，liesanddespair——thevoiceofinextinguish—
ablehope。\"Ishegoneyet——thatinformationfellow？Doyouhearhimabout，mydear？\"
Sheburstintotears。\"No！no！no！Idon’thearhimanymore，\"shesobbed。
Hebegantochuckleuptheretriumphantly。
\"Youfrightenedhimaway。Goodgirl。Nowweshallbeallright。Don’tyoubeimpatient，mydear。
Onedaymore。\"
IntheotherhouseoldCarvil，wallowingregallyinhisarm—chair，withaglobelampburningbyhissideonthetable，yelledforher，inafiendishvoice：
\"Bessie！Bessie！youBessie！\"
Sheheardhimatlast，and，asifovercomebyfate，begantotottersilentlybacktowardherstuffylittleinfernoofacottage。Ithadnoloftyportal，noterrificinscriptionofforfeitedhopes——shedidnotunderstandwhereinshehadsinned。
CaptainHagberdhadgraduallyworkedhimselfintoastateofnoisyhappinessupthere。
\"Goin！Keepquiet！\"sheturneduponhimtearfully，fromthedoorstepbelow。
Herebelledagainstherauthorityinhisgreatjoyathavinggotridatlastofthat\"somethingwrong。\"Itwasasifallthehopefulmadnessoftheworldhadbrokenouttobringterroruponherheart，withthevoiceofthatoldmanshoutingofhistrustinaneverlastingto—morrow。