Half rising from his chair with a fist clenched, and then sitting down again, as if he had thought better of it. "I conceived it possible that there might be some misunderstanding." "Misunderstanding! - Nonsense! The letter was plain enough." me." "I beg your pardon, but it did not altogether satisfy "You! - Heyday! You! And what are you, pray?" "Her husband and protector." He was so proud of asserting that claim. "Very well - mighty well - protect away - nobody will interfere with you. As for me, I've done with her done with her for ever. She's no child of mine. Ay, ay, protect away. And if it's not impertinent, what do you mean to protect for her?" "Her rights," said Armand, steadily, "when I have ascertained them." Mr. Marston looked relieved. "Mighty well! And perhaps you will have the extreme obligingness to let me know what those rights are, when you have ascertained them. It's rather an interesting subject to an affectionate father like me." "I believe Mr. Marston knows the nature of those rights as well as I do," said Armand, his suspicions now more than ever strengthened, and provoked, and offended almost beyond bearing. "I know of none ..... in existence," added Mr. Marston, after a moment's hesitation. "Evelyn has had reason to believe from the late Mr. Frere that there is, or was, a settlement, of which that gentleman was trustee." Mr. Marston turned very pale. "Frere! Frere! Frere! where's Frere? who's Frere? Frere!" suddenly recovering himself, and the colour returning to his cheek; "what a fool I am. Frere! why, Frere's dead!" "Yes; he died, as you well know, before your daughter wrote to you." "What an idiot!" striking his forehead; "to be sure. What a fool I am! Yes yes, Frere's dead, sure enough. I don't know what crotchets he might latterly have got into his head. He was a queer fellow at times, was Frere; lived by himself till he did not know the moon from a green cheese. Well, sir," rising from his chair, "if this is all the business you came about, I bid you good evening." He was leaving the room, but suddenly stopping, and turning towards Armand with a face distorted with a rage amounting almost to malignity "Take this with you: "I have not cursed her yet. I have not even cursed you. But this understand ...... If ever one syllable more is breathed upon the subject of this visionary settlement, which I swear to you, by everything most sacred, does not exist; I will not only discard her as I do - utterly and for ever but curse her I will, and curse you too; and she may learn how it goes with those who have a father's curse lying upon them. "Not a word more. Not a syllable more," as Armand strove to speak. "Do as you list - do your worst brand me insult me disgrace me as you please by your assertions and your suspicions. I tell you," grinding his teeth, "the settlement does not exist; and if you want it, you may go to h-ll to find it." And he left the room. No settlement was to be traced or discovered; there was nothing to be done but to submit. But the attempt to obtain justice had resulted, as it was certain to do if unsuccessful, in only exciting the most implacable enmity on the part of the father. A fine text was furnished for the artful and unprincipled woman, who now by violence, and now by wheedling, was fast obtaining absolute dominion over the hard, stern, iron character of Mr. Marston. Like others of her stamp, suddenly raised from low circumstances to almost unbounded affluence, she was perfectly insatiable in her hunger after money. Nothing could quench it in her. She had not only herself, but she had children to look out for Ready plea - when such a plea is wanted to serve the mean and covetous, whose desires are without limit. The children of the quondam kitchen-maid must be provided for, like the daughters of princes. The larger Mr. Marston's fortune, the more exorbitant were their claims. The portion which properly belonged to Evelyn, having been at all events her mother's fortune, was coveted with a more especial greediness than all the rest, because it was more of an acquisition, less a matter of course. The offences of an undutiful child were placed in their just light by this votary of principle; but Mr. Marston's anger was so excessive, that it did not require exasperation. It was aggravated by that rage the most cruel of all, which is partly grounded on fear; so that it required no very great exercise of this bad woman's talents in that way, to produce a family breach, which of all the distractions of human society, it seems the most impossible to heal. CHAPTER XIII. "Look thro' mine eyes with thine, true wife, Look thro' my very soul with thine." TENNYSON. ARMAND returned home, mortified and disappointed at the ill-success of his expedition.' All he had obtained from exertions the most repulsive to every feeling of his nature, had been to render the breach between the father and daughter irreparable, and thus cut off every the slenderest hope, that in some form or other an arrangement might have been entered into, and something secured to her. It was plain now, that she had not a friend to look to in the world but himself. He came home saddened and dispirited-too entirely dispirited, for he was wearied body and mind; thoroughly jaded and worn out; he had to meet her with evil and painful news; and find her how? It was their first separation since their marriage. How had she borne solitude under these new circumstances? I have said that he had not confided to her the purpose of his journey; he had felt that it was not right to allow her to be a sort of party in the intended struggle with her father. So he had been obliged to |