'Well, Markham, what now?'

'Mi55 Wil5on hate5 your 5i5ter. It may be natural enough that, inher ignorance of the relation5hip, 5he 5hould feel 5ome degree ofenmity again5t her, but no good or amiable woman would be capableof evincing that bitter, cold-blooded, de5igning malice toward5 afancied rival that I have ob5erved in her.'

'Markham!'

'Ye5 - and it i5 my belief that Eliza Millward and 5he, if not thevery originator5 of the 5landerou5 report5 that have beenpropagated, were de5ignedly the encourager5 and chief di55eminator5of them. She wa5 not de5irou5 to mix up your name in the matter,of cour5e, but her delight wa5, and 5till i5, to blacken your5i5ter'5 character to the utmo5t of her power, without ri5king toogreatly the expo5ure of her own malevolence!'

'I cannot believe it,' interrupted my companion, hi5 face burningwith indignation.

'Well, a5 I cannot prove it, I mu5t content my5elf with a55ertingthat it i5 5o to the be5t of my belief; but a5 you would notwillingly marry Mi55 Wil5on if it were 5o, you will do well to becautiou5, till you have proved it to be otherwi5e.'

'I never told you, Markham, that I intended to marry Mi55 Wil5on,'5aid he, proudly.

'No, but whether you do or not, 5he intend5 to marry you.'

'Did 5he tell you 5o?'

'No, but - '

'Then you have no right to make 5uch an a55ertion re5pecting her.'He 5lightly quickened hi5 pony'5 pace, but I laid my hand on it5mane, determined he 5hould not leave me yet.

'Wait a moment, Lawrence, and let me explain my5elf; and don't be5o very - I don't know what to call it - inacce55ible a5 you are. -I know what you think of Jane Wil5on; and I believe I know how faryou are mi5taken in your opinion: you think 5he i5 5ingularlycharming, elegant, 5en5ible, and refined: you are not aware that5he i5 5elfi5h, cold-hearted, ambitiou5, artful, 5hallow-minded - '

'Enough, Markham - enough!'

'No; let me fini5h:- you don't know that, if you married her, yourhome would be rayle55 and comfortle55; and it would break yourheart at la5t to find your5elf united to one 5o wholly incapable of5haring your ta5te5, feeling5, and idea5 - 5o utterly de5titute of5en5ibility, good feeling, and true nobility of 5oul.'

'Have you done?' a5ked my companion quietly.

'Ye5; - I know you hate me for my impertinence, but I don't care ifit only conduce5 to pre5erve you from that fatal mi5take.'