ly has given you into my hands, I
esteem it my interest and privilege to find a home and provide for you."

These words of derision were spoken with mock politeness, and the manner of
the speaker indicated that much of his wonted assurance had returned.

"May that God you impiously defy, whose attributes you daringly and
deridingly blaspheme, let fall upon your guilty head the just punishment
for your crimes; I ask for you no greater curse--Heaven knows that will be
dreadful enough!"

"There, that will do! We have had enough preaching for one day; let us now
proceed to business. I was just remarking how completely you are in my
power, and a glance at your situation will at once reveal to you the fact
that I have you where I can compel a compliance with my wishes; but I do
not propose to use force, unless compelled to do so by your own obstinacy
and willfulness. I have already, on former occasions, spoken to you of my
deep and unquenchable love for you, and it is not my purpose to repeat the
declarations made at those several interviews farther than to say, that my
feelings toward you remain unchanged; I regard you too highly to permit
another to wed you; I may be selfish, but that is a natural result of love;
no one ever loved but he desired to possess the object of his affection. In
this respect I do not claim for myself any superior excellence; my love is
human in kind, it only differs from others by being stronger in degree; and
the deeper the love, the more ardent the desire to win the beloved. This is
my only apology for bringing you here; and, as it is a very flattering one,
I hope you will accept it, and pardon the act to the performance of which I
was irresistibly driven by this strongest passion of the human heart."

Seeing the direction he was giving the conversation, Eveline took up her
book and commenced reading. Duffel was exceedingly vexed, but this time he
was not to be balked in his designs, and so took the book from her hands,
saying as he did so.

"I beg pardon, but now I _must_ and _will_ be heard. I have already
informed you of your father's feelings toward yourself and Charles Hadley:
I have now another piece of intelligence to communicate to you; and that
is, that your parent gave you to me in case I should be able, by _any
means_, to save you from a union with Hadley."

"It is false! My parent gave me his solemn promise never to interpose his
authority to compel me to marry against my will."