again for the ship, its crew gave a cheer coupled
with some vile advice, for which Brandon would gladly have run them
through, each and every one. He had to swallow his chagrin and anger,
and really blamed no one but himself, though it was torture to him
that this girl should be subjected to such insults, and he powerless
to avenge them. The news had spread from the wharf like wildfire, and
on their way back to the Bow and String, there came from small boys
and hidden voices such exclamations as: "Look at the woman in man's
clothing;" "Isn't he a beautiful man?" "Look at him blush;" and others
too coarse to be repeated. Imagine the humiliating situation, from
which there was no escape.

At last they reached the inn, whither their chests soon followed them,
sent by Bradhurst, together with their passage money, which he very
honestly refunded.

Mary soon donned her woman's attire, of which she had a supply in her
chest, and at least felt more comfortable without the jack-boots. She
had made her toilet alone for the first time in her life, having no
maid to help her, and wept as she dressed, for this disappointment was
like plucking the very heart out of her. Her hope had been so high
that the fall was all the harder. Nay, even more; hope had become
fruition to her when they were once a-shipboard, and failure right at
the door of success made it doubly hard to bear. It crushed her, and,
where before had been hope and confidence, was nothing now but
despair. Like all people with a great capacity for elation, when she
sank she touched the bottom. Alas! Mary, the unconquerable, was down
at last.

This failure meant so much to her; it meant that she would never be
Brandon's wife, but would go to France to endure the dreaded old
Frenchman. At that thought a recoil came. Her spirit asserted itself,
and she stamped her foot and swore upon her soul it should never be;
never! never! so long as she had strength to fight or voice to cry,
"No." The thought of this marriage and of the loss of Brandon was
painful enough, but there came another, entirely new to her and
infinitely worse.

Hastily arranging her dress, she went in search of Brandon, whom she
quickly found and took to her room.

After closing the door she said: "I thought I had reached the pinnacle
of disappointment and pain when compelled to leave the ship, for it
meant that I should lose you and have to marry Louis of France. But I
have found that there is still a p