his brother.

"I fear it is true, Mysa."

"But I will never marry Plexo!" Mysa exclaimed passionately. "My
father always said I should never marry a man I disliked."

"You will never marry Plexo, Mysa--he is dead."

Ruth uttered an exclamation.

"He died by his own hand, Ruth--that is, by an accident. As he fell
his dagger pierced his own heart, and when Jethro went to look at him
he was dead."

"The Lord requited him for his evil," Ruth said firmly. "All things
are in his hands. As I did not mean to slay him, I lament not over
his death. Besides, he strove to take your life, and had I had a
dagger in my hand I should assuredly have used it."

"Then what is to become of me?" Mysa asked.

"You must go back to your mother, Mysa. There is naught else for you
to do."

"I will not!" Mysa exclaimed. "She never loved me. She would have
married me against my will to Plexo, although she knew he was bad, and
that I hated him. She would make me marry some one else who was rich,
regardless of my wishes. No, Chebron, nothing shall make me go back to
her."

Chebron looked perplexed.

"Here come Jethro and Amuba, dear. You had best talk it over with
them. I see nothing else for you to do."

As Jethro came up Mysa walked to meet him.

"I will not go back to my mother, Jethro!" she exclaimed impetuously.
"She wanted me to marry Plexo. She would give me to some one else, and
my father always said I should only marry some one I liked. You can
never be so cruel as to give me up to her?"

"I know that your father's wishes were strong upon that point," Jethro
said; "for he spoke to me of you when he gave me his commands
respecting Chebron. He said that he wished that I could watch over you
as over him, and it was because of what he had said that I disregarded
his orders as to our instant flight, and lingered here in hopes of
freeing you. Still I see not anything else to be done. Your mother
doubtless wrote while still overpowered by grief at your father's
loss, and thought that she was acting for your welfare in securing you
an advantageous marriage in spite of the cloud under which your family
was resting."

"I will not go to her!" Mysa repeated. "She thought of herself, as
she always did, and not of me in any way. You know it was so,
Chebron--you cannot deny it!"

Chebron was silent. His whole affection had been given to his father,
for his mother he had comparatively little. As a child he had seldom
been allowed to