efore I make a fool of myself; and they
are all coming this way, by the dogs' music."

"Won't you kiss me, after bringing me this?"

"Kiss you?" and she opened her eyes.

"If you please," said Lady Bassett, bending toward her, with eyes full
of gratitude and tenderness.

Then the other woman took her by the shoulders, and plunged her great
gray orbs into Bella's.

They kissed each other.

At that contact the stranger seemed to change her character all in a
moment. She strained Bella to her bosom and kissed her passionately,
and sobbed out, wildly, "O God! you are good to sinners. This is the
happiest hour of my life--it is a forerunner. Bless you, sweet dove of
innocence! You will be none the worse, and I am all the better--Ah!
Sir Charles. Not one word about me to him."

And with these words, uttered with sudden energy, she spurred her great
horse, leaped the ditch, and burst through the dead hedge into the
wood, and winded out of sight among the trees.

Sir Charles came up astonished. "Why, who was that?"

Bella's eyes began to rove, as I have before described; but she replied
pretty promptly, "The brave lady herself; she brought me the anonymous
letter for your defense."

"Why, how came she to know about it?"

"She did not tell me that. She was in a great hurry. Her fiance was
waiting for her."

"Was it necessary to kiss her in the hunting-field?" said Sir Charles,
with something very like a frown.

"I'd kiss the whole field, grooms and all, if they did you a great
service, as that dear lady has," said Bella. The words were brave, but
the accent piteous.

"You are excited, Bella. You had better ride home," said Sir Charles,
gently enough, but moodily.

"Thank you, Charles," said Bella, glad to escape further examination
about this mysterious lady. She rode home accordingly. There she found
Mr. Oldfield, and showed him the anonymous letter.

He read it, and said it was a defense, but a disagreeable one. "Suppose
he says he wrote it, and the facts were true?"

"But I don't think he will confess it. He is not a gentleman. He is
very untruthful. Can we not make this a trap to catch him, sir? _He_
has no scruples."

Oldfield looked at her in some surprise at her depth.

"We must get hold of his handwriting," said he. "We must ransack the
local banks; find his correspondents."

"Leave all that to me," said Lady Bassett, in a low voice.

Mr. Oldfield thought he might as well please a beautiful a