“My honour you cared not for, and with the sword I could not guard it.  Of me cruel and false words have been said by every one.  On the streets I was ashamed to go.  Even the dominie thought it right to come and give me admonition.  Batavius never since has liked or trusted me.  He says Joanna’s good name also I have injured.  And my love,—­is it a thing to be fought for?  You have guarded your honour, but what of mine?”

“Your honour is my honour.  They that speak ill of you, sweet Katherine, speak ill of me.  Your life is my life.  O my precious one, my wife!”

“Such words I will not listen to.  Plainly now I tell you, your wife I will never be,—­never, never, never!”

“I will love you, Katherine, beyond your dream of love.  I will die rather than see you the wife of another man.  For your bow of ribbon, only see what I have suffered.”

“And, also, what have you made another to suffer?”

“Oh, I wish that I had slain him!”

“Not your fault is it that you did not murder him.”

“An affair of honour is not murder, Katherine.”

“Honour!—­Name not the word.  From a dozen wounds your enemy was bleeding; to go on fighting a dying man was murder, not honour.  Brave some call you:  in my heart I say, ’Neil Semple was a savage and a coward.’”

“Katherine, I will not be angry with you.”

“I wish that you should be angry with me.”

“Because some day you will be very sorry for these foolish words, my dear love.”

“Your dear love I am not.”

“My dear love, give me a drink of wine, I am faint.”

[Illustration:  “I am faint”]

His faint whispered words and deathlike countenance moved her to human pity.  She rose for the wine, and, as she did so, called her mother; but Neil had at least the satisfaction of feeling that she had ministered to his weakness, and held the wine to his lips.  From this time, he visited her constantly, unmindful of her frowns, deaf to all her unkind words, patient under the most pointed slights and neglect.  And as most men rate an object according to the difficulty experienced in attaining it, Katherine became every day more precious and desirable in Neil’s eyes.

In the meantime, without being watched, Katherine felt herself to be under a certain amount of restraint.  If she proposed a walk into the city, Joanna or madam was sure to have the same desire.  She was not forbidden to visit Mrs. Gordon, but events were so arranged as to make the visit almost impossible; and only once, during the month after her marriage, had she an interview with her husband.  For even Hyde’s impatience had recognized the absolute necessity of circumspection.  The landlord’s suspicions had been awakened, and not very certainly allayed.  “There must be no scandal about my house, Captain,” he said.  “I merit something better from you;” and, after this injunction, it was very likely that Mrs. Gordon’s companions would be