," cried Brandon, as he almost pushed
her from him. "We can never belong to each other; never."

"No," said Mary, with a despairing shake of the head, as the tears
began to flow again; "no! never." And falling upon his knees, he
caught both her hands in his, sprang to his feet and ran from the
room.

Her words showed him the chasm anew. She saw the distance between them
even better than he. Evidently it seemed farther looking down than
looking up. There was nothing left now but flight.

He sought refuge in his own apartments and wildly walked the floor,
exclaiming, "Fool! fool that I am to lay up this store of agony to
last me all my days. Why did I ever come to this court? God pity
me--pity me!" And he fell upon his knees at the bed, burying his face
in his arms, his mighty man's frame shaking as with a palsy.

That same night Brandon told me how he had committed suicide, as he
put it, and of his intention to go to Bristol and there await the
sailing of the ship, and perhaps find a partial resurrection in New
Spain.

Unfortunately, he could not start for Bristol at once, as he had given
some challenges for a tournament at Richmond, and could furnish no
good excuse to withdraw them; but he would not leave his room, nor
again see "that girl who was driving him mad."

It was better, he thought, and wisely too, that there be no
leave-taking, but that he should go without meeting her.

"If I see her again," he said, "I shall have to kill some one, even if
it is only myself."

I heard him tossing in his bed all night, and when morning came he
arose looking haggard enough, but with his determination to run away
and see Mary no more, stronger than ever upon him.

But providence, or fate, or some one, ordered it differently, and
there was plenty of trouble ahead.

_CHAPTER VIII_

_The Trouble in Billingsgate Ward_

About a week after Brandon's memorable interview with Mary an incident
occurred which changed everything and came very near terminating his
career in the flower of youth. It also brought about a situation of
affairs that showed the difference in the quality of these two persons
thrown so marvelously together from their far distant stations at each
end of the ladder of fortune, in a way that reflected very little
credit upon the one from the upper end. But before I tell you of that
I will relate briefly one or two other matters that had a bearing upon
what was done, and the motives prompting it