g to him, moaning now, and quivering all over
from head to foot.

"Why, there's no signature! The writer is a coward and, perhaps, a
liar. Stop! he offers a test. I'll put him to it this minute."

He laid the moaning girl on the sofa, ordered his servants to admit
nobody into the house, and drove at once to Mayfair.

He called at Miss Somerset's house, saw Polly, and questioned her.

He drove home again, and came into the drawing-room looking as he had
been seen to look when fighting his ship; but his daughter had never
seen him so. "My girl," said he, solemnly, "there's nothing for you to
do but to be brave, and hide your grief as well as you can, for the man
is unworthy of your love. That coward spoke the truth. He is there at
this moment."

"Oh, papa! papa! let me die! The world is too wicked for me. Let me
die!"

"Die for an unworthy object? For shame! Go to your own room, my girl,
and pray to your God to help you, since your mother has left us. Oh,
how I miss her now! Go and pray, and let no one else know what we
suffer. Be your father's daughter. Fight and pray."

Poor Bella had no longer to complain that she was not commanded. She
kissed him, and burst into a great passion of weeping; but he led her
to the door, and she tottered to her own room, a blighted girl.

The sight of her was harrowing. Under its influence the admiral dashed
off a letter to Sir Charles, calling him a villain, and inviting him to
go to France and let an indignant father write scoundrel on his
carcass.

But when he had written this his good sense and dignity prevailed over
his fury; he burned the letter, and wrote another. This he sent by hand
to Sir Charles's house, and ordered his servants--but that the reader
knows.

Sir Charles found the admiral's letter in his letter-rack. It ran thus:

"SIR--We have learned your connection with a lady named Somerset, and I
have ascertained that you went from my daughter to her house this very
day.

"Miss Bruce and myself withdraw from all connection with you, and I
must request you to attempt no communication with her of any kind. Such
an attempt would be an additional insult.

"I am, sir, your obedient servant,

"JOHN URQUHART BRUCE."

At first Sir Charles Bassett was stunned by this blow. Then his mind
resisted the admiral's severity, and he was indignant at being
dismissed for so common an offense. This gave way to deep grief and
shame at the thought of Bella and her los