paid
to you; but presume not to think that Lady Adelaide Hawley can ever so
far forget her birth and rank, as to debase herself with such as you.'

"'_Money_, your ladyship, was not what I bargained for,' I boldly
replied; for the scorn and contempt with which she treated me, stung
me to the quick, and enraged me beyond all measure. 'If your ladyship
refuses to perform, honorably and fairly, your part of the contract,
you must take the consequences; you shall be proclaimed as an
adulteress, and as an accessory to the crime of murder.'

"'Fool!' she cried--yet her countenance indicated the fear she really
felt, notwithstanding the boldness of her words--'fool! expose me at
your peril! You dare not, for your own neck would be stretched in
payment for your treachery, while your charges against me, low,
miserable menial that you are, would never be believed--never! Such
accusations against me, a peeress of the realm, and a lady whose
reputation has never been assailed, would but add to the general
belief in your own guilt, and the certainty of your fate; such charges
would be regarded as a paltry subterfuge, and no one would credit
them. Go, fellow--the bat cannot consort with the eagle, nor can such
as you aspire to even the most distant familiarity with persons of my
rank. Depart, instantly; and to-morrow you shall receive a pecuniary
reward that will amply compensate you for the disappointment you now
feel.'

"With these words she turned away from me, waving her hand in token
that the conference was closed; but I was enraged and desperate, as
much by the scorn of her manner as by the disappointment I felt. A
hell of passion was burning in my heart; and I said to her, in a low,
deep tone--

"'Woman, you shall be mine, even if I am obliged to commit another
murder--I swear it! I hesitated not at perpetrating a deed of blood;
nor will I hesitate now to obtain, by violence and even bloodshed, the
reward you promised me for that deed! Lady, be wise; we are alone at
this silent hour--I am powerful and you are helpless. Consent, then,
or--'

"She interrupted me with a scornful laugh, that rendered me almost
frantic with fury. Reason forsook me; I lost all self-control, and
rushed upon her with the ferocity of a madman, determined to strangle
her.

"Ere I could lay my grasp upon her, I was seized with a force that
nearly stunned me. I arose wit