ot happy; and could she then expect to be when irrevocably his own?
Her brain reeled beneath the bewildering chaos of her thoughts; but she
followed up her resolution, and implored him as she had intended. Lord
Alphingham heard with a dark and frowning brow.

"And what becomes of your kind brother's just accusations?" demanded the
Viscount, with a very evident and contemptuous sneer.

"Defend yourself, and papa will be convinced they are unfounded," was
her reply. But she gazed on his countenance, and terrified at its
expression, for the first time the thought flashed across her mind,
could there indeed be any real cause for Percy's warning; and more and
more earnestly did she beseech him to say she might implore her father's
sanction. "Only let me confide in papa and mamma, let me try and
convince them they are mistaken, and Percy too must be in error."

The Viscount for some little time endeavoured mildly to confute her
arguments, and convince her that in doing so, she was only forming her
own misery; but still she pleaded, and ungoverned fury at length burst
forth. He had been too long the victim of passions always to keep them
in bounds, even when most required; and for a few minutes they spurned
restraint, and Caroline beheld him as he was, and saw in dim perspective
the blackened future. She would have broken from him, but he detained
her, and with a rapid transition of mood humbled himself before her, and
with impassioned fervour and deep contrition besought her forgiveness,
her pity. It was his fervid love, his fear of losing her, that bade him
thus forget himself, and he conjured her not to condemn him to
everlasting misery; that he was wretched enough already at having caused
her one moment's pain. He spoke, and his softened voice, his imploring
eyes, his protestations of unalterable love and gratitude, if she would
but trust to his affections, and be his own as he proposed, had in a
degree their effect. She was convinced it would only bring forth misery
now to implore the sanction and blessing of her parents, and promised to
resign all idea of so doing. But vainly she strove to forget that burst
of ungoverned passion she had witnessed; it haunted her sleeping and
waking thoughts, and his protestations of devoted love were dimmed
beside it, they shared its blackened hue.

The appointed day came, and the Duchess, without question or remark,
accepted Caroline's excuse for not accompanying her and her friends t