The scrutiny seemed to be satisfactory for Clara soon took the hand of

her visitor and said: "Capitola, I will tell you. It is a horrid, horrid story, but you shall

know all. Come with me to my chamber."

Cap pressed the hand that was so confidingly placed in hers and

accompanied Clara to her room, where, after the latter had taken the

precaution to lock the door, the two girls sat down for a confidential

talk.

Clara, like the author of Robin Hood's Barn, "began at the beginning"

of her story, and told everything--her betrothal to Traverse Rocke; the

sudden death of her father; the decision of the Orphans' Court; the

departure of Traverse for the far West; her arrival at the Hidden

House; the interruption of all her epistolary correspondence with her

betrothed and his mother; the awful and mysterious occurrences of that

dreadful night when she suspected some heinous crime had been

committed; and finally of the long, unwelcome suit of Craven Le Noir

and the present attempt to force him upon her as a husband.

Cap listened very calmly to this story, showing very little sympathy,

for there was not a bit of sentimentality about our Cap.

"And now," whispered Clara, while the pallor of horror overspread her

face, "by threatening me with a fate worse than death, they would drive

me to marry Craven Le Noir!"

"Yes, I know I would!" said Cap, as if speaking to herself, but by her

tone and manner clothing these simple words in the very keenest

sarcasm.

"What would you do, Capitola?" asked Clara, raising her tearful eyes to

the last speaker.

"Marry Mr. Craven Le Noir and thank him, too!" said Cap. Then, suddenly

changing her tone, she exclaimed: "I wish--oh! how I wish it was only me in your place--that it was only

me they were trying to marry against my will!"

"What would you do?" asked Clara, earnestly.

"What would I do? Oh! wouldn't I make them know the difference between

their Sovereign Lady and Sam the Lackey? If I had been in your place

and that dastard Le Noir had said to me what he said to you, I do

believe I should have stricken him dead with the lightning of my eyes!

But what shall you do, my poor Clara?"

"Alas! alas! see here! this is my last resort!" replied the unhappy

girl, showing the little pen-knife.

"Put it away from you! put it away from you!" exclaimed Capitola

earnestly, "suicide is never, never, never justifiable! God is the Lord

of life and death! He is the only judge whether a mortal's sorrows are

to be relieved by death, and when He does not Himself release you, He

means that you shall live and endure! That proves that suicide is never

right, let the Roman pagans have said and done what they pleased. So no

more of that! There are enough other ways of escape for you!"




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