olding his patrimony; and now she scorned to
receive one cent of the money which his father was unwilling that he should
enjoy. Beside, who loved her as well as Henry Clifton? She owed more to him
than to any living being; it would be the part of an ingrate to leave him;
it was cowardly to shrink from repaying the debt. But the thought of being
his wife froze her blood, and heavy drops gathered on her brow as she
endeavoured to reflect upon this possibility.

A feeling of unconquerable repulsion sprang up in her heart, nerving,
steeling her against his affection. With a strange, instantaneous reaction
she thought with loathing of his words of endearment. How could she endure
them in future, yet how reject without wounding him? One, and only one path
of escape presented itself--a path of measureless joy. She lifted her
hands, and murmured--

"Russell! Russell! save me from this!"

When Mr. and Mrs. Young visited the studio the following day and urged the
orphan's removal to their house, she gently but resolutely declined their
generous offer, expressing an affectionate gratitude toward her teacher,
and a determination not to leave him, at least for the present. Mrs. Young
was much distressed, and adduced every argument of which she was mistress,
but her niece remained firm; and finding their entreaties fruitless, Mr.
Young said that he would immediately take the necessary steps to secure
Robert Grey's portion of the estate to his daughter. Electra sat with her
hand nestled in her aunt's, but when this matter was alluded to she rose,
and said proudly--

"No, sir; let the estate remain just as it is. I will never accept one
cent. My grandfather on his deathbed excluded my father from any portion of
it, and since he willed it so, even so it shall be. I have no legal claim
to a dollar, and I will never receive one from your generosity. It was the
will of the dead that you and my Uncle William should inherit the whole,
and as far as I am concerned, have it you shall. I am poor, I know; so were
my parents. Poverty they bequeathed as my birthright, and even as they
lived without aid from my grandfather, so will I. It is very noble and
generous in you, after the expiration of nearly twenty years, to be willing
to divide with the orphan of the outcast; but I will not, cannot, allow you
to do so. I fully appreciate and most cordially thank you both for your
goodness; but I am young and strong, and I expect to earn my living. Mr.