Beyond the Rocks

"You will do no such thing!" said the widow, sternly, and she sat up

again. "You forget I am going to marry her father, and I shall look upon

her as my daughter and protect her from wolves--do you hear? And what is

more, she is too good and true to go with you. She has a backbone if

you haven't; and she'll see it her duty to stick to that lump of

middle-class meat she is bound to--and she'll do her best, if she

suffers to heart-break. It is she, the poor, little white dove, that you

and I have wounded between us, that I pity, not you--great, strong man!"

Mrs. McBride's eyes flashed.

"Oh, you are all the same, you Englishmen. Beasts to kill and women to

subjugate--the only aims in life!"

"Don't!" said Hector. "I am not the animal you think me. I worship

Theodora, and I would devote my life and its best aims to secure her

happiness and do her honor; but don't you see you have drawn a picture

that would drive any man mad--"

"I said you had to face the worst, and I calculate the worst for you

would be to see her with some little Browns along. My! How it makes you

wince! Well, face it then and be a man."

He sat for a moment, his head buried in his hands--then-"I will," he said, "I will do what I can; but oh, when you have the

chance you will be good to her, won't you, dear friend?"

"There, there!" said the widow, and she patted his hand. "I had to

scold you, because I see you have got the attack very badly and only

strong measures are any good; but you know I am sorry for you both, and

feel dreadfully, because I helped you to it without enough thought as to

consequences."

There was silence for a few minutes, and she continued to stroke his

hand.

"Dominic has run down to Dieppe to see those daughters of his," she

said, presently, "and won't be back to-night. I meant to be all alone

and meditate and go to bed early; but you can dine with me, if you wish,

up here, and we will talk everything over. Our plans for the future, I

mean, and what will be best to do; I kind of feel like your

mother-in-law, you know." Which sentence comforted him.

This woman was his friend, and so kind of heart, if sometimes a little

plain-spoken.