ily! Oh, come now, you know, Cora! this is not the
way to welcome a fellow home! For any old man to make such a--Oh, I say,
Cora! come out of that now! If you don't, I swear I will take my hat and
go out to get a drink!"

"Oh, don't! don't!" gasped his sister; "don't you lend a hand to
breaking my heart."

"Well, I won't, darling, if you'll only come out of that! It is not
worth so much grief."

"I will--stop--as soon as--I can!" sobbed the young woman, "but when I
think--of his reverent gray hairs--brought to such dishonor--by a mere
adventuress--and we--so powerless--to prevent it, I feel as if--I should
die."

"Oh, nonsense; you look at it too gravely. Besides, old men have married
beautiful young women before now!" said Sylvan, troubled by his sister's
grief, and tacking around in his opinions as deftly as ever did any
other politician.

"Yes, and got themselves laughed at and ridiculed for their folly!"
sighed Cora, who had ceased to sob.

"Behind their backs, and that did not hurt them one bit."

"Oh, if Uncle Fabian were only here!"

"Why, what could he do to prevent the marriage?"

"I do not know. But I know this, that if any man could prevent this
degradation, he would be Uncle Fabian! It would be no use, I fear, to
telegraph to Clarence!"

"Clarence!" said Sylvanus with a laugh, "Why he has no more influence
with the Iron King than I have. His father calls him an idiot--and he
certainly is weakly amiable. He would back his father in anything the
old man had set his heart upon. But, Cora, listen here, my dear! You and
I are free at present. We need not countenance this marriage by our
presence. I, your brother, can take you to another hotel, or take you
off to Saratoga, where we can stay until I get my orders, and then you
can go out with me wherever I go. There! the Devil's Icy Peak itself
will be a holier home than Rockhold, for you."

Cora had become quite calm by this time, and she answered quietly:

"No; you misapprehend me, Sylvan. It was not from indignation or
resentment that I cried, and not at all for myself. I grieved for him,
the spellbound old man! No, Sylvanus; since we feel assured that no
power of ours, no power on earth, can turn him from his purpose, we must
do our duty by him. We must refrain from giving him pain or making him
angry; for his own poor old sake, we must do this! Sylvan, I must attend
his bride to the altar; and you must attend him--as he desired us to
do."

"'