“Mr. Gifford will do nothing of the sort,” came the bold and rather startling reply from the person alluded to.  “As a friend of Miss Morriston’s I do not intend to allow you to hold any more private conversations with her.”

No doubt with his knowledge of the world and of his own advantage Henshaw put down Gifford’s resolute speech to mere bluff.  And Gervase Henshaw was too old a legal practitioner to be bluffed.  “I do not for a moment admit your right to interfere,” he retorted with an assumption of calm superiority.  “I am addressing myself to Miss Morriston, who does not, I hope, approve of your somewhat singular manners.”

Gifford took a step out of the summerhouse and sternly faced Henshaw.  “I am sure Miss Morriston will endorse anything I choose to say to a man who has constituted himself her cowardly persecutor,” he said.  “Now we don’t want to have a dispute in a lady’s presence,” he added as Henshaw began an angry rejoinder.  “You have got, unless you wish very unpleasant consequences to follow, to render an account to me, as Miss Morriston’s friend, of your abominable conduct towards her.  But not here.  You had better come to my room at the hotel at three o’clock this afternoon and hear what I shall have to say.  And in the meantime you will address Miss Morriston only at the risk of a horsewhipping.”

Henshaw was looking at him steadfastly through eyes that blazed with hate.  “I wonder if you quite know whom and what you are trying to champion,” he snarled.

“Perfectly,” was the cool reply.  “A much wronged and cruelly persecuted lady.  You had better postpone what you have to say till this afternoon, when we will come to an understanding as to your conduct.  Now, as you are on private land, you had better take the nearest way to the public road.”

Henshaw looked as though he would have liked to bring the dispute to the issue of a physical encounter, had but the coward in him dared.  “I am here by permission,” he returned, standing his ground.

“Which has been rescinded by the vile use to which you have chosen to put it,” Gifford rejoined.  “I have Miss Morriston’s authority to treat you as a trespasser, and to order you off her brother’s land.”

Henshaw fell back a step.  “Very well, Mr. Gifford,” he returned with an ugly sneer.  “You talk with great confidence now, but we shall see.  You will be wiser by this time tomorrow.”

With that he turned and walked off; Gifford, after watching him for a while, went back to the summer-house.

“I have put things in the right train there,” he remarked with a confident laugh.  “I hope to be able to tell you this evening that Mr. Henshaw is a thing of the past.”

“You are very sanguine,” she said, a little doubtfully.  “I am afraid you do not know the man.”

“I’m afraid I do,” he replied.  “He is obviously not an easy person to deal with.  But I think I see my way.  Tell me.  He has threatened you in order to induce you to elope with him?”