ke
advantage of my love for her and treat me so cruelly. I told her that
if she had one drop of generous blood she would tell me of her love,
if she had any, or let me know it in some way; and if she cared
nothing for me she was equally bound to be honest and tell me plainly,
so that I should not waste my time and energy in a hopeless cause. I
thought it rather clever in me to force her into a position where her
refusal to tell me that she did not care for me would drive her to a
half avowal. Of course, I had little fear of the former, or perhaps I
should not have been so anxious to precipitate the issue.

She did not answer me directly, but said: "From the way you looked at
Mary to-day, I was led to think you cared little for any other girl's
opinion."

"Ah! Mistress Jane!" cried I joyfully; "I have you at last; you are
jealous."

"I give you to understand, sir, that your vanity has led you into a
great mistake."

"As to your caring for me, or your jealousy? Which?" I asked
seriously. Adroit, wasn't that?

"As to the jealousy, Edwin. There, now; I think that is saying a good
deal. Too much," she said pleadingly; but I got something more before
she left, even if it was against her will; something that made it
almost impossible for me to hold my feet to the ground.

Jane pouted, gave me a sharp little slap and then ran away, but at the
door she turned and threw back a rare smile that was priceless to me;
for it told me she was not angry; and furthermore shed an illuminating
ray upon a fact which I was blind not to have seen long before; that
is, that Jane was one of those girls who must be captured _vi et
armis_.

Some women cannot be captured at all; they must give themselves; of
this class pre-eminently was Mary. Others again will meet you half way
and kindly lend a helping hand; while some, like Jane, are always on
the run, and are captured only by pursuit. They are usually well worth
the trouble though, and make docile captives. After that smile from
the door I felt that Jane was mine; all I had to do was to keep off
outside enemies, charge upon her defenses when the times were ripe and
accept nothing short of her own sweet self as ransom.

The next day Brandon paid his respects to the king and queen, made his
adieus to his friends and rode off alone to Bristol. You may be sure
the king showed no signs of undue grief at his departure.

_CHAPTER XVI_

_A Hawking Party_

A few days after Brandon