doorway have i your permission to enter he asked then knowing that the moment of trial had come herself for the encounter you are master here she answered in a voice cold as the falling snow without why then do you mock me he to the women to leave the room and when they had gone replied i have little thought of such a thing lady the matter ill hand is too serious for smart sayings and with another bow he sat himself down on a chair near the hearth where a fire was burning rose and stood over against him for upon her feet she seemed to feel stronger the bridegroom and the bride will you be so good as to set out this matter am i brought here to be tried for even so for against the god of love and the sentence of the court is that you must your sin not at the stake but at the altar i do not understand then i will explain my son a worthy young man on the whole � you know that he is my son do ou not � has had the misfortune or i should say the good fortune to fall earnestly in love with you whereas you have the bad taste � or perhaps the good taste � to give your affections elsewhere under the circumstances being a youth of spirit and resource has fallen back upon primitive methods in order to bring his suit to a successful conclusion he is here you are here and this evening i understand that the priest will be here i need not dwell upon the obvious issue indeed it is a private matter upon which i have no right to intrude except of course as a relative and a well made an impatient movement with her hand as though to brush aside all this web of words why do you take so much trouble to force an unhappy girl into a hateful marriage she asked how can such a thing advantage you ah answered briskly i perceive i have tc do with a woman of business one who has that oi gifts � common sense i will be frank your esteemed father died possessed of a very large fortune which to day is your property as his sole issue and under the marriage laws which i myself think unjust that fortune will pass into the power of any husband whom you choose to take therefore so soon as you are made his wife it will pass to i am s father and as it happens he is indebted to me to a considerable amount so that in the as he himself has pointed us out more than once this alliance will provide for both of us but business details are wearisome so i need not the fortune you speak of is lost it is lost but i have reason to hope that it will be found you mean that this is purely a matter of money so far as i am concerned purely for s feelings i cannot speak since who knows the mystery of another s heart then if the money were � or a clue to it � there need be no marriage so far as i am concerned none at all and if the money is not and i refuse to marry the or he to marry me � what then that is a riddle but i think i see an answer at any rate to half of it then the marriage would still take place but with another bridegroom another bridegroom who your humble and devoted shuddered and a step ah he said i should not have bowed you saw my white hairs � to the young a hateful sight s indignation rose and she answered it is not your white hair that i shrink from which in some would be a crown of honour but in my case suggests to you other reflections be gentle and spare me them in a world of rough actions what need to them with rough words for a few minutes there was silence which glancing out of the broke by remarking that the was heavy for the time of year then followed another silence i understood you just now dear lady to make some sort of suggestion which might lead to an arrangement sat the bridegroom and the bride to both of us the exact locality of this wealth is at present obscure � you mentioned some clue are you in a position to furnish such a clue if i am in a position what then then perhaps after a few days visit to an interesting but little rt of holland you might return to your friends as you left them � in short as a single woman a struggle shook and do what she would some trace of it appeared in her face will you swear that she whispered most certainly you swear before god that if you hare this clue you will not force me into a marriage with the or with yourself � that you will let me go i swear it � before god knowing that god will be upon you if you break the oath you still swear i still swear why these needless then � then and she towards him in a hoarse whisper believing that you even you will not dare to be false to such an oath for you even you must fear death a miserable death and vengeance eternal vengeance i give you the clue it lies in the of the sword silence the sword silence what sword is that the great sword of red martin stirred out of his self control struck his hand upon his knee and to think he said that for over twelve hours i had it hanging on the wall of the well i fear that i must ask you to be more explicit 