de him. At his own gate
his eye encountered Mary Wells, and he started. She stood above him,
with her arms folded grandly; her cheek, so swarthy and ruddy, was now
pale, and her black eyes glittered like basilisks at him and his bride.
The whole woman seemed lifted out of her low condition, and dignified
by wrong.

He had to sustain her look for a few seconds, while the gate was being
opened, and it seemed an age. He felt his first pang of remorse when he
saw that swarthy, ruddy cheek so pale. Then came admiration of her
beauty, and disgust at the woman for whom he had jilted her; and that
gave way to fear: the hater looked into those glittering eyes, and saw
he had roused a hate as unrelenting as his own.

CHAPTER XIII.

FOR the first few days Richard Bassett expected some annoyance from
Mary Wells; but none came, and he began to flatter himself she was too
fond of him to give him pain.

This impression was shaken about ten days after the little scene I have
described. He received a short note from her, as follows:

"SIR--You must meet me to-night, at the same place, eight o'clock. If
you do not come it will be the worse for you.

"M. W."

Richard Bassett's inclination was to treat this summons with contempt;
but he thought it would be wiser to go and see whether the girl had any
hostile intentions. Accordingly he went to the tryst. He waited for
some time, and at last he heard a quick, firm foot, and Mary Wells
appeared. She was hooded with her scarlet shawl, that contrasted
admirably with her coal-black hair; and out of this scarlet frame her
dark eyes glittered. She stood before him in silence.

He said nothing.

She was silent too for some time. But she spoke first.

"Well, sir, you promised one, and you have married another. Now what
are you going to do for me?"

"What _can_ I do, Mary? I'm not the first that wanted to marry for
love, but money came in his way and tempted him."

"No, you are not the first. But that's neither here nor there, sir.
That chalk-faced girl has bought you away from me with her money, and
now I mean to have my share on't."

"Oh, if that is all," said Richard, "we can soon settle it. I was
afraid you were going to talk about a broken heart, and all that stuff.
You are a good, sensible girl; and too beautiful to want a husband
long. I'll give you fifty pounds to forgive me."

"Fifty pounds!" said Mary Wells, contemptuously. "What! when you
promised me I shou