worshiped herself, my lady.
And she could take care of herself and keep him in his place, even while
she sort of encouraged his attentions. That was the secret of her power
over him, my lady. She would neither take him on his terms nor let him
go. And the more she resisted him the more he fell down and worshiped
her, until, at length, he was ready to give up everything for her sake,
and offer her marriage. That was what she really wanted to fetch him to,
for she was ambitious as well as honest--that she was! Are you listening
to me, my lady?"

"I am listening," breathed the bride, in a faint voice.

She had turned her chair around, so that her weary head could rest upon
the corner of the dressing-table, where she now leaned, face downward,
on her spread hands.

"Well, my lady, when she had fetched him to that pass as to offer her
marriage, she took him at his word, and he brought her up to London. And
they were married, sure enough, in the old church at St. Margaret's
near by where I live, in Westminster."

"It is false! It is false! It is false as--Oh! Heaven of Heavens!" cried
Salome, wildly, throwing back her head and hands, and then dropping them
again with a low, heart-broken moan.

"I am cut to the soul, my lady, to say this; but I must say it, even for
your sake, my lady, and I only say what I can easy prove," spoke the
woman, humbly.

"Go on, go on," moaned Salome, without lifting her head.

"Well, my lady, after their marriage, they came to my house to live,
which this was the way of it; I had a three-story brick house on
Westminster Road, and I took lodgers. But what between getting only a few
lodgers, and them being bad pay, I got myself over head and ears in debt,
and was in danger of being sold up by my creditors, when a certain
person, as called hisself Mr. John Scott, come and took the whole house
right offen my hands just as it was, and engaged me as his housekeeper,
telling of me as he was just married, and was agoing to bring home his
wife. Well, my lady, he advanced me money to pay my debts, and then he
fetched Mrs. John Scott, which was no other than Rose Cameron, my lady,
as I soon after found out from herself. Well, he fetches Mrs. John Scott
to look at the first floor which he was agoing to refit complete for her,
and according to her taste. Well, your ladyship, she, having of a very
glarish sort of her own, she chooses furniture all scarlet and gold,
enough to put your eyes out. And when