Year: 1866

| And and you did not expect your faith
er back so soon ?" he said, mimicking hel
tone with a sneer Is it not so, you white
} faced jade ?"


Indeed, papa, /" pleaded the trem
bling Lenore.


Don't prevaricate, girl p he said, with
savage stamp of the foot. Come, now,
you will tell me next that you have had no
visitors-eh 2"


Indeed, no, papa" said Lenore, with
painful eagerness.


Been quite alone ever since left home
this afternoon !"


"Qute alone, papa"


A faint dash of color was coming back
into her cheeks by this time she began,
perhaps, to hope that after all this ques-
tioning his suspicious would be allayed,
and he would go to his own room. If such
were the case his next words must have
undeceived her terribly


" You lie, girl--you lie !" he said, in a
voice whose sternness was not without a
tremble in it and as he spoke he touched
VarrePs hat cOntemptuously with his foot
which up to that moment had lain unheed-
ed on the floor Oh, that child of mine
should ever live to deceive me thus |" His





to appeal TO Heaven against the falsehood
that had just been told him but next in
slant the look Of anguish died from off his
face, and his features settled back into
more than their former harshness as he
strobe across the floor and flung back the
curtain, behind whose folds VarreI was
concealed. Behold the proof !" he cried
Behold the damning proof Oh, Lenore p


For moment the two men stood eying
each other in silence. Lenore, with pitt
full cry, fell at her fathers feet, but he heed
ed her no more than if she had been stone


In the father of Lenore beheld the orig
inal Of the picture over the drawing-room
mantle-piece {; only he seemed older and
more grizzled, and his features more deep
| ly marked with the carving of Times chisel
than in his portrait. He had on sort of
military undress suit, with pair of heavy
riding.boots and spurs, and short heavy
whip in his hand.


This, Sir Derwent Vcrrel, is an unex-
pected honor" said Colonel Lomond, in
tone of unconcealed irony, as he made the
baronet a sweeping and ceremonious bow
Pray-pray let me. beg of you to emerge
from an obscurity so uncongenaI to one of
your enterprising disposition That is bet
ter, Lenore, child let us have a little more
light on the scene-it is a pleasure to look
on the face of an honest man--and we may,
perchance, need it all before we have done.
More light girl, do you hear ! And now,
perhaps, Sir Derwent Varrel will favor us
with some explanation--any the most sim
pie, will, Of course, do for me-of how he
came to be hidden, like common thief be-
hind the curtains of my drawing-room
VarrePs pale olive cheek flushed deeply
at this little speech and a dangerous light
began to glitter in his eyes as he stepped
out Of his hiding-place, and advanced into
the room.


Colonel Lomond shall have an explana-
ton as simple as he desires" he said Then
he stopped to refresh his nerves with a
pinch of snuff


You are aware, Sir" he resumed, "that
| love your daughter =; that several months
ago | would fain have made her my wife
and that your consent alone was wanting
to such a union"


Precisely So" said Colonel Lomond in
the iciest Of tones, as he balanced the
handle of his riding whip between his
thumb and finger.


You might prevent our marriage, Sir,
but you could not keep US from loving one
another" said Sir Derwent, proudly


In other words my daughter had still
sufficient respect left for me to refuse to
wed you without my consent but you had
not sufficient respect for her to refrain from
using your influence over her weak girls
will to induce her TO deceive her father
and consent to nocturnal designations with
libertine like yourself. Love The word
is sullied in coming from such lips as yours
You and l, Sir Derwent Varrel, had high
words together six months ago, and told
you then that would rather see my daugh-
ter lying in her coffin than welded to such
| a one as you and those words | repeat
again tonight. Come hither, girl" he ad-
ded, seizing Lenore roughly by the wrist,
come hither, and choose at once and for
ever between me and this man, who has
taught thee to lie to thy father What do
| say Nay, there can be no choice be-
tween such as this man and me. tell
thee, girl, that thy ignorance can not faith
ON the depths Of such iniquity as his. A
gambler so deeply tainted that in no socie-
| ty of gentlemen is he allowed to play a
| libertine so vile, that to couple woman's
name with his is passport to dishonor a
sharper and blackleg, who has been twice
hooted off the Newmarket course bank
rupt so desperately involved that only by
a wealthy marriage-with such one, for
example, as the heiress of Gledhills- acan
he hope even partially to retrieve his for
tunes. Bah what can thy country-bred
ignorance know of these things ?"


Hard words, Colonel Lomond, very hard
Words said Sir Derwent, disdainfully
but, am happy to think, utterly incapa-
BILE of proof"


Hard words ay, hard enough to have
moved an innocent man to righteous anger,
but not, as it seems, to futter thy slow
| beating pulses ever so family and that
because thou knowest them to be true
Here's one out of Dozen Who lured
sweet Mary Doris from her home in yonder
valley, and her away in London past the
finding of her friends Who held the sim
pie village beauty lightly for month or
two, and then discarded her to starve or
die as she might think best Who but you,
Sir Derwent VeIrel, unless this letter also
lies--a letter signed with your name, and
found in the poor child's pocket when she
lay with white staring face and dripping
| hair in the dead-hOuSe by the river And