"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。