“You can do something to set my mind at ease, my dear; but it will be painful for you, and I do not know whether you will do it,” said the old lady with timid hesitation.

“I can do this, dear?  Then, of course, I will do it,” replied the girl.

“It is almost too much to ask of you, my child.”

“There is nothing, nothing that I would not do to give you peace—­you, poor dear, who have so little peace,” said Cora, tenderly, smoothing the silver hair away from the wrinkled brow of the old lady, who began to drop a few weak tears of self-pity, excited by Cora’s sympathy.

“Well, my child,” she said, “your grandfather is going to have a little talk with you soon—­on the subject of your self-seclusion.  Oh! my poor child, do not resist him, do not provoke, do not disobey him.  Oh! for my sake, Cora, for my sake, do not!”

“Dearest dear, I will leave undone anything in the world you wish me not to do.  I will no longer rebel against my grandfather’s authority, even when he exercises it in such a despotic manner,” said Cora, raising the clasped hands of the old lady and pressing them to her lips.

Mrs. Rockharrt gathered the girl in her arms and kissed her, with a few more weak tears, but with no more words.

She did not tell Cora of the cruel threat made by the tyrant to turn her out of doors if she failed to obey him, and she hoped that the girl might never hear of it, lest in her wounded pride she might forestall the threat and leave the house of her own accord.

“Now be at ease, dear,” said Cora, soothingly.  “No more trouble—­”

A bell rang sharply and cut off the girl’s speech.

“Oh, there he is awake!  I must go to him,” exclaimed the timid old creature.

Cora made her toilet, and then went down to the breakfast parlor, where she found the two old people about to sit down to the table.  She bade her grandfather good morning and then took her place.

During breakfast Aaron Rockharrt said: 

“Mrs. Rothsay, you will come to me in the library as soon as we leave the table.  I have something to say to you that must be said at once and for the last time.”

“Very well, sir,” replied the girl.

Half an hour later she was closeted with her grandfather.

“Madam, I do not intend to waste much time over you this morning.  I merely mean to put a test question, whose answer shall decide my future course in regard to you.”

“Very well.”

“I must preface my question by reminding you that you have constantly disregarded my wishes and disobeyed my orders by refusing to see my guests or to go out in company with me.”

“Yes.”

“When honored with an invitation to the state dinner at the executive mansion you declined to go, even though I expressed my will that you should accompany me.”

“Yes.”

“But for the future I intend to be master of my own house and of every living soul within it.  Now, then, for my test question.  You have received cards to the ball to be given at the house of the chief justice to-morrow evening.  I wish you to attend it, and my wish should be a command.”