a pleasant young man; and Helen, too. Miss Helen tauld me her ain sel
that the earl was greatly set upon her marriage, for the captain gaed to
Edinburg just to tell him o't. And he wrote her word that his lordship
wished him no to bide a single day, but to marry Miss Helen and tak her
awa'. She'd never hae done it, in my opinion, but for that. For the
captain was at her ilka day an a' day lang, looking like a ghaist, and
telling' her he couldna live without her--she's a tender heart, Miss
Helen--and she was sae awfu' vexed for him, ye ken. For, sure,
Malcolm, the captain did seem almost like deein'."

"Deein'!" cried Malcolm, contemptuously, and then stopped. For while
they were talking the earl's eyes had open wide, and fixed with a
strange, sad, terrified look upon vacancy.

He remembered it all now--the last night he had spent at Cairnforth
with his cousin--the conversation which passed between them--the
questions asked, which, from his not answering, might have enabled the
captain to guess at the probable disposal of his property. He could
come to no other conclusion than that Captain Bruce had married Helen
with the same motive which must have induced his appearance at the
castle, and his eager and successful efforts to ingratiate himself there
--namely, money; that the fortune which he had himself missed might
accrue to him through his union with Lord Cairnforth's heiress.

How had he possibly accomplished this? How had he succeeded in making
good, innocent, simple Helen love him? For that she would never have
married without love the earl well knew. By what persuasions,
entreaties, or lies--the housekeeper's story involved some evident
lies--he had attained his end, remained, and must ever remain, among
the mysteries of the many mysterious marriages which take place every
day.

And it was all over. She was married, and gone away. Doubtless the
captain had taken his precautions to prevent any possible hinderance.
That it was a safe marriage legally, even though so little was known of
the bridegroom's antecedent life, seemed more than probable--certain,
seeing that the chief object he would have in this marriage was its
legality, to assure himself thereby of the property which should fall to
Helen in the event of the earl's decease. That he loved Helen for
herself, or was capable of loving her or any woman in the one noble,
true way, the largest limit of charitable interpretation could hardly
supp