my pistols, Harry?"

Sandford rose from his seat, and forgetting all the anger between them,
caught hold of the Earl's hand, and cried, "Will you then prove yourself
a father?"

Lord Elmwood only answered, "Yes," and left the room.

Rushbrook followed, and begged with all the earnestness he felt, to be
permitted to accompany his uncle.

While Sandford shook hands with the farmer a thousand times; and he, in
his turn, rejoiced, as if he had already seen Lady Matilda restored to
liberty.

Rushbrook in vain entreated Lord Elmwood; he laid his commands upon him
not to go a step from the Castle; while the agitation of his own mind,
was too great, to observe the rigour of this sentence on his nephew.

During the hasty preparations for the Earl's departure, Sandford
received from Miss Woodley the sad intelligence of what had happened;
but he returned an answer to recompence her for all she had suffered on
the occasion.

Within a few hours Lord Elmwood set off, accompanied by his guide, the
farmer, and other attendants furnished with every requisite to ascertain
the success of their enterprise--while poor Matilda little thought of a
deliverer nigh, much less, that her deliverer should prove her father.

CHAPTER X.

Lord Margrave, black as this incident of his life must make him appear
to the reader, still nursed in his conscience a reserve of specious
virtue, to keep him in peace with himself. It was his design to plead,
to argue, to implore, nay even to threaten, long before he put his
threats in force; and with this and the following reflection, he
reconciled--as most bad men can--what he had done, not only to the laws of
humanity, but to the laws of honour.

"I have stolen a woman certainly;" said he to himself, "but I will make
her happier than she was in that humble state from which I have taken
her. I will even," said he, "now that she is in my power, win her
affections--and when, in fondness, hereafter she hangs upon me, how will
she thank me for this little trial, through which I shall have conducted
her to happiness!"

Thus did he hush his remorse, while he waited impatiently at home, in
expectation of his prize.

Half expiring with her sufferings, of body as well as of mind, about
twelve o'clock the next night, after she was borne away, Matilda
arrived; and felt her spirits revive by the superior sufferings that
awaited her--for her increasing terrors roused her from the death-like
weakness, b