"Your father

The gulf between purpose and execution once passed, he had become cruel; human nature has often enough exemplified the law in prominent instances. As he pronounced the words, he eyed her deliberately, and, before proceeding, paused just long enough to see the anguish flutter in her breast.

"Your father has been guilty of dishonesty; he has taken money from the mill. Any day that I choose I can convict him.'

Then

She half closed her eyes and shook, as if under a blow. the blood rushed to her face, and, to his astonishment, she uttered a strange laugh.

'That is your power over me!' she exclaimed, with all the scorn her voice could express. 'Now I know that you are indeed capable of shameful things. You think I shall believe that my father?'

Dagworthy knew what it was to feel despicable. He would, in this moment, have relinquished all his hope to be able to retract those words. He was like a beaten dog before her; and the excess of his degradation made him brutal.

'Believe it or not, as you choose. All I have to say is that your father put into his pocket yesterday morning a ten-pound note of mine, which he found in a ledger he took out of my room. He had to go to Hebsworth on business, and there he changed the note, to buy himself a new hat; I have a witness of it. When he came back he of course had nothing to say about the money; in fact, he had stolen it.'

She heard, and there came into her mind the story of Cheeseman's debt. That was of ten pounds. The purchase her father had been obliged to make, of that also she had heard. Last night and again this morning, her mother had incessantly marvelled at this money having been at length returned; it was an incredible thing, she had said; only the sight of the coins could convince her of its truth. Emily's mind worked over the details of the previous evening with terrible rapidity and insight. To her directly her father had spoken not a word of the repayment; he had bidden her keep in another room whilst he informed her mother of it; he had shown disinclination to return to the subject when, later, they all sat together. Well, here it is,' he had said, 'and we'll talk no more about it.' She heard those words exactly as they were spoken, and she knew their tone was not natural;

6

even at the time that had struck her, but her thought had not dwelt upon it.

She almost forgot Dagworthy's presence; he and his threats were of small account in this shaking of the depths of her nature. She was awakened by his voice.

"Do you think I am lying to you for my own purposes?'

'I cannot say,' she answered, with unnatural calm. 'It is more likely than that what you say is true.'

He, by now, had attained a self-control which would not desert him. So far in crime, there was no turning back; he could even enjoy the anticipation of each new move in the game, certain of winning. He could be cruel now for cruelty's sake; it was a form of fruition.

'Well,' he said, 'it is your own concern whether you believe ne or not. If you wish for evidence, you shall have it, the completest. What I have to say is this. From now till Monday morning your father is free. Whether I have him arrested then or not depends upon yourself. If you consent to become my wife as soon as it is possible for us to be married, neither you nor he will ever hear another word of the matter. What's more, I will at once put him in a position of comfort. If you refuse, there will be a policeman ready to arrest him as soon as he comes to the mill; if he tries to escape, a warrant will be issued. In any case he will be ruined.'

Then, after a pause

'So you have till to-morrow night to make up your mind. You can either send me a note or come and see me; I shall be at home whenever you come.'

Emily stood in silence.

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'I hope you quite understand what I mean,' Dagworthy continued, as if discussing an ordinary matter of business. No one will ever dream that your father has done anything to be ashamed of. After all, it is not so impossible that you should marry me for my own sake; '—he said it with bitterness. People will see nothing to wonder at. Fortunately, no one knows of that of what you told me. Your father and mother will be easy for the rest of their lives, and without a suspicion that there has been anything but what appears on the surface. I needn't say how things are likely to look in the other event.'

Still she stood silent.

'I don't expect an answer now

Emily shook her head.

'But,' he continued, 'you mustn't leave it after to-morrow night. It will be too late.'

She began to move away from him. With a step or two he followed her; she turned, with a passionate movement of repulsion, terror, and hate transfiguring her countenance, made for the expression of all sweet and tender and noble things.

Dagworthy checked himself, turned about, and walked quickly from the place.

(To be continued.)

THE

CORNHILL MAGAZINE.

JUNE 1888.

THE EAVESDROPPER.

AN UNPARALLELED EXPERIENCE.

PART II.

CHAPTER I.

A DOMESTIC IDYLL.

UPON the whole, everything had gone well for the amusement I had promised myself, not indeed of 'seeing ourselves as others see us' (for nobody could see me), but of hearing myself spoken of as others heard. The two doctors, it was true, had hardly spoken of me at all, confound them; but my personal friends would of course express themselves on that interesting subject with candour and abandon. What fun it would be! What a touchstone it would afford of the genuineness of their regard, of which, however, I had no reason to entertain a doubt. Upon looking back on a long and well spent life, I had really nothing, to speak of, to be ashamed of. (There were things here and there, it is true, but as I have just observed, not things to speak of.) I was become a sort of Asmodeus, though of course I could not take the roofs of people's houses off, which would, moreover, have been an invasion of the sanctities of domestic life. I was not, I flattered myself, a person to abuse my position as he did. My friends could trust me, though the usual addition, as far as they could see me,' was in my case superfluous.

I say everything had gone well for my little scheme, for the nurse had been warned not to put herself in a state of anxiety VOL. X.-NO. 60, N.S.

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about any disappearances on my part, and could comfort herself with the conviction that I should presently turn up somewhere, though it might be in a very unexpected place. She had had, however, enough, poor thing, as I reflected with my usual consideration, of hide-and-seek for that day, and moreover I was rather exhausted. Light as I was, I had had to hop about with a great deal of agility, and after nine weeks of illness (including moreover some wandering') I was a little tired with my exertions. However, Mr. Scratchwig would have been right now in saying 'You are better, sir,' for the doctors' visit had (as indeed it ought to have done at six pounds six) done me a great deal of good. It had given me 'tone,' a thing very highly valued by all educated persons, or at all events by all persons in the educational line of business. A healthy glow, with a little moisture in it, suffused me. As for those ten days' Mr. Scratchwig had given me, I, so to speak, threw the gift in his face, like a too cheap present. I felt I was going to be a blessing to mankind for a protracted period.

My mind was full of kindly thoughts. I even wondered how Cousin Dick and the rest of them were getting on, and forgave (or at least forgot) his desperate though futile attempt to deprive me of Uncle Theodore's legacy. He was living in some unfashionable part of town, doubtless a prey to remorse.

Then my mind reverted to Angelina Spiffkins, a ridiculous name, which I had generously entertained the notion of changing for her. Old Spiffkins-dear me, why did I say old? Like most convalescents, I had obviously thought myself better than I really was, or I should never have used such an adjective. My brain was not in its normal state. Old Spiffkins was no older than myself, and perhaps even a little younger. He had called and left his card at the beginning of my illness, with kind inquiries from self and daughter.' It was rather a commercial phrase, no doubt, but then he was commercial. A great traveller, though he didn't belong to the Travellers' Club. People had warned me against marrying beneath me. Pooh, pooh! Angelina was very young, and still growing. Take fifteen from fifty-five, and what remains? The difference was not worth thinking about.

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What did the divine Shakespeare, to whom I had just become

indebted for the Great Secret, say about that?

'Let still the woman take an elder than herself.' say how much, but presumably the elder the better.

He doesn't

(He had