ickly; I have
taken you by surprise, I have allowed my impatience to outrun my
judgment; perhaps if I had waited a little longer--"

"It would have been just the same; I could never have loved you,"
interrupted Lucy. "And now let us return to the house; this interview
has lasted quite long enough. I am sincerely sorry if you are
disappointed, Edward, but I could never give you any other answer, so
please say no more about it."

"One word more," exclaimed Walford. "Tell me--I have a right to know--
do you love any one else?"

"I really do not see that you _have_ a right to know anything about my
private affairs," answered Lucy with some hauteur, "but in order that
you may fully understand the hopelessness of your own case, I will
confess that--that there _is_--some one else."

"Ah!" ejaculated Walford between his set teeth, "I suspected as much.
And I can form a pretty shrewd guess as to who it is, too. It is that
sneaking rascal Leicester, is it not?"

"How dare you, sir, speak to me of my friends in that manner!" exclaimed
Lucy, rising to her feet and stamping upon the ground in the excess of
her indignation. "Go, sir, and never come near me again; I will never
speak another word to you!"

"You won't, eh?" was the sneering retort. "All right. I _will_ go; and
I'll not come near you again. But I'll make you bitterly repent of your
treatment of me yet, or my name is not Edward Walford."

And rising to his feet, he walked rapidly up the garden, through the
house, and straight out at the front door, without so much as pausing to
bid his aunt good-bye.

CHAPTER TWO.

CAPTAIN LEICESTER HEARS BAD NEWS.

In the meantime, the _Industry_ having come to an anchor in Portsmouth
Harbour, Captain Leicester, waiting only to see the sails properly
furled, jumped into the boat and hurried away to his owner's residence.

Here he was detained for more than an hour, the individual he was
desirous of seeing happening to be absent, "but expected back
immediately," according to the statement of the solitary clerk who
occupied the little front room which did duty as an office.

The owner of the _Industry_ having at length turned up, her captain was
instructed to haul alongside the wharf forthwith, in readiness to begin
discharging her cargo the first thing next morning. So George
Leicester, greatly to his disappointment, had to return on board once
more; and it was not until the clocks were striking seven that, the