when four young people were brought
together in sweet, forbidden intercourse. Acquaintance-ship warmed into
friendship, and friendship flamed suddenly into love.

Gabriel sits beside me now as I write, and she agrees with me that, dear
as is the subject to ourselves, the whole story of our mutual affection
is of too personal a nature to be more than touched upon in this
statement. Suffice it to say that, within a few weeks of our first
meeting Mordaunt Heatherstone had won the heart of my clear sister, and
Gabriel had given me that pledge which death itself will not be able to
break.

I have alluded in this brief way to the double tie which sprang up
between the two families, because I have no wish that this narrative
should degenerate into anything approaching to romance, or that I should
lose the thread of the facts which I have set myself to chronicle. These
are connected with General Heatherstone, and only indirectly with my own
personal history.

It is enough if I say that after our engagement the visits to Branksome
became more frequent, and that our friends were able sometimes to spend
a whole day with us when business had called the general to Wigtown, or
when his gout confined him to his room.

As to our good father, he was ever ready to greet us with many small
jests and tags of Oriental poems appropriate to the occasion, for we had
no secrets from him, and he already looked upon us all as his children.

There were times when on account of some peculiarly dark or restless fit
of the general's it was impossible for weeks on end for either Gabriel
or Mordaunt to get away from the grounds. The old man would even stand
on guard, a gloomy and silent sentinel, at the avenue gate, or pace up
and down the drive as though he suspected that attempts had been made to
penetrate his seclusion.

Passing of an evening I have seen his dark, grim figure flitting about
in the shadow of the trees, or caught a glimpse of his hard, angular,
swarthy face peering out suspiciously at me from behind the bars.

My heart would often sadden for him as I noticed his uncouth, nervous
movements, his furtive glances and twitching features. Who would have
believed that this slinking, cowering creature had once been a dashing
officer, who had fought the battles of his country and had won the palm
of bravery among the host of brave men around him?

In spite of the old soldier's vigilance, we managed to hold
communication with our frie