upon his betrothal that he had no opportunity to communicate plans
beforehand, and thus the news had fallen like a thunderbolt upon them.

"He has ruined his life!" cried Lady Linton, his sister, in a white rage,
after reading the letter. "To think of it!--he has married a perfect
savage from the wilds of America! A pretty mistress for dear old
Heathdale, truly. I will never receive her, <i>never!</i>"

"You know what William is, Miriam, and it will not be wise for you to
offend him. He will never tolerate any display of arrogance or discourtesy
to his wife," returned the dowager Lady Heath, more quietly, yet looking
the picture of despair over the <i>mesalliance</i>.

"I cannot help it; it is an abominable insult to all his friends, and
never to tell us anything about it until the die was cast!"

"But he explains why he could not; the marriage was hastened on account of
the father's critical condition replied Lady Heath.

"Oh, I believe it was all a cunning plan to entrap him and secure the girl
a title and position," groaned Lady Linton. "How will Sadie feel; what
<i>will</i> she say?"

"I do not know as she has any right to say anything," answered the dowager,
with some dignity, for she loved her son and could not bear to have any
one assail him, no matter how much she might blame him herself. "William
has never committed himself to her in any way; that plan has been more
ours than his."

She was fully as unreconciled as her daughter; still she was capable of
looking at matters as they really were.

"Oh, I cannot have it so, mamma; do not let us say anything about the
affair at present," pleaded her daughter. "William says it will be some
time before he returns, as he wishes to show his wife something of the
world first. Doubtless," she continued, with increasing bitterness, "he
desires to polish off some of the rough edges before he presents her to
us; so let us suppress the fact of his marriage until the time is set for
their coming; it will be hard enough even then to acknowledge the plebeian
union."

Lady Heath demurred at first at this proposal, but she finally yielded the
point, and nothing was said regarding the baronet's sudden marriage, and
this was the beginning of a plot to ruin the life of a beautiful young
wife, and to bring years of misery upon a noble man.

* * * * *

Virgie found it very pleasant in some respects, though sad in others, to
return to San Franci