“Noble girl!” came involuntarily from the lips of Durward, who had held his breath for her answer, and who now glanced triumphantly at Mrs. Livingstone, whose surmises were thus proved incorrect.

The captain’s self-pride was touched, that a poor, humble girl should refuse him with his half million.  A sense of the ridiculous position in which he was placed maddened him, and in a violent rage he replied, “You won’t, hey?  What under heavens have you hung around me so for, sticking yourself in between me and Anna when you knew you were not wanted?”

“I did it, sir, at Anna’s request, to relieve her—­and for nothing else.”

“And was it at her request that you went alone to Sunnyside on that dark, rainy night?” chimed in Mrs. Livingstone.

“No, madam,” said ’Lena, turning toward her aunt.  “I had in vain implored of you to save her from a marriage every way irksome to her, when in her right mind, but you would not listen, and I resolved to appeal to the captain’s better nature.  In this I failed, and then I wrote to Mr. Everett, with the result which you see.”

In her first excitement Mrs. Livingstone had forgotten to ask who was the bearer of ’Lena’s letter, but remembering it now, she put the question.  ’Lena would not implicate Durward without his permission, but while she hesitated, he answered for her, “I carried that letter, Mrs. Livingstone, though I did not then know its nature.  Still if I had, I should have done the same, and the event has proved that I was right in so doing.”

“Ah, indeed!” said the captain growing more and more nettled and disagreeable.  “Ah, indeed!  Mr. Bellmont leagued with Miss Rivers against me.  Perhaps she would not so bluntly refuse an offer coming from you, but I can tell you it won’t sound very well that the Hon. Mrs. Bellmont once rode four miles alone in the night to visit a bachelor.  Ha! ha!  Miss ’Lena; better have submitted to my terms at once, for don’t you see I have you in my power?”

“And if you ever use that power to her disadvantage you answer for it to me; do you understand?” exclaimed Durward, starting up and confronting Captain Atherton, who, the veriest coward in the world, shrank from the flashing of Durward’s eye, and meekly answered, “Yes, yes—­yes, yes, I won’t, I won’t.  I don’t want to fight.  I like ’Lena.  I don’t blame Anna for running away if she didn’t want me—­but it’s left me in a deuced mean scrape, which I wish you’d help me out of.”

Durward saw that the captain was in earnest, and taking his proffered hand, promised to render him any assistance in his power, and advising him to be present himself in the evening, as the first meeting with his acquaintances would thus be over.  Upon reflection, the captain concluded to follow this advice, and when evening arrived and with it those who had not heard the news, he was in attendance, together with Durward, who managed the whole affair so skillfully that the party passed off quite pleasantly, the disappointed guests playfully condoling with the deserted bridegroom, who received their jokes with a good grace, wishing himself, meantime, anywhere but there.