By Berwen Banks

"Away!" said Gwladys.

"Do you wish, then, never to see me again?"

"Never!" she said. "My greatest wish is never to see you or hear of

you again!"

Cardo sank on the garden seat, feeling himself more perfectly unmanned

than he had ever been before. He had built such fair castles of hope,

the ruin was so great; he had dreamt such dreams of happiness--and the

awakening was so bitter!

Gwladys saw the storm of feeling which had overwhelmed him, and for a

moment her voice softened.

"I am sorry for you," she said; "but I have given you my answer."

The slight tone of tenderness in her voice seemed to restore Cardo to

life. He crossed the velvet path, and, laying hold of her hands, which

she in vain tried to wrest from his grasp.

"You are mine!" he said, "and I challenge heaven and earth to take you

from me!"

"It is base and dishonourable," said Gwladys, still struggling in his

grasp, "to frighten a friendless girl and force your presence upon her."

But Cardo's grasp was suddenly relaxed. Dropping his arms at his

sides, and going back a step or two, he stood aside to let her pass.

His long-tried temper had over-mastered him, as with a scornful voice

he spoke for the last time.

"One word before you go--dishonourable! not even you shall call me

that twice. Some strange cloud is over you--you are not the same

Valmai that walked with me beside the Berwen. You cannot kill my love,

but you have turned it to-night into gall and bitterness. I will

never intrude my presence upon you again. Go through life if you

can, forgetting the past; I will never disturb the even tenor of your

way. And if, in the course of time, we may cross each other's paths,

do not fear that I, by word or sing, will ever show that we have met

before."

"I hold you to that promise," said Gwladys haughtily. And she passed

on in the deepening twilight, under the fir trees, Cardo looking after

her with an aching heart.

She met Mrs. Power on the stairs.

"You have been a long time, dear; I hope you haven't taken cold."

"Oh! no, I will be down directly; it must be near dinner-time."

She walked steadily up the broad staircase, and into her own room; but

once there, she threw herself on the couch, and buried her face in the

cushions.

"Oh! Valmai, my sister!" she sobbed, "what have I not borne for you

to-night! I have kept to my determination; but oh! I did not know it

would be so hard! You shall never more be troubled with this man; you

are beginning to find peace and joy in life, and you shall never again

be exposed to his cruel wiles. But oh! Valmai, having seen him I

forgive you; he can pretend to be passionately and truly in love with

you! but he is false, like every other man! He left you in despair and

disgrace; or what did he mean by 'the little mound in the churchyard'?

Oh! Valmai, what have you suffered? But now I have saved you, darling,

from further temptation from him. God grant my cruel deception may

bear good fruit for you, my sister!"