t at once, we shall
be home before it is light to-morrow morning. Come.'

'I am not obliged to come at your bidding, father, and I would rather
not!'

Now James, the cousin, during this dialogue might have been observed to
grow somewhat restless, and even impatient. More than once he had parted
his lips to speak, but second thoughts each time held him back. The
moment had come, however, when he could keep silence no longer.

'Come, madam!' he spoke out, 'this farce with your father has, in my
opinion, gone on long enough. Just make no more ado, and step downstairs
with us.'

She gave herself an intractable little twist, and did not reply.

'By the Lord Harry, Laura, I won't stand this!' he said angrily. 'Come,
get on your things before I come and compel you. There is a kind of
compulsion to which this talk is child's play. Come, madam--instantly, I
say!'

The old nobleman turned to his nephew and said mildly: 'Leave me to
insist, James. It doesn't become you. I can speak to her sharply
enough, if I choose.'

James, however, did not heed his uncle, and went on to the troublesome
young woman: 'You say you don't want to come, indeed! A pretty story to
tell me, that! Come, march out of the room at once, and leave that
hulking fellow for me to deal with afterward. Get on quickly--come!' and
he advanced toward her as if to pull her by the hand.

'Nay, nay,' expostulated Laura's father, much surprised at his nephew's
sudden demeanour. 'You take too much upon yourself. Leave her to me.'

'I won't leave her to you any longer!'

'You have no right, James, to address either me or her in this way; so
just hold your tongue. Come, my dear.'

'I have every right!' insisted James.

'How do you make that out?'

'I have the right of a husband.'

'Whose husband?'

'Hers.'

'What?'

'She's my wife.'

'James!'

'Well, to cut a long story short, I may say that she secretly married me,
in spite of your lordship's prohibition, about three months ago. And I
must add that, though she cooled down rather quickly, everything went on
smoothly enough between us for some time; in spite of the awkwardness of
meeting only by stealth. We were only waiting for a convenient moment to
break the news to you when this idle Adonis turned up, and after
poisoning her mind against me, brought her into this disgrace.'

Here the operatic luminary, who had sat in rather an abstracted and
nerveless attitude till the cousin