tiness
that I dare accuse _him_ to his face. Perhaps, he saw that I was
frightened at my own temerity; at all events he was not thrown off his
guard.

"'Do I understand you to charge me with crime--a very ugly crime,
indeed?' he asked pointedly.

"'You know,' I said, 'whether you are guilty. If you are, may God so
deal with you as you have meant to deal with me.'

"I fancied that he winced slightly at this; but in my excitement could
not have seen very clearly. He knitted his brows, and took several turns
up and down the room.

"'If I knew who had put this monstrous idea into your mind,' he finally
said with vehemence; 'I would send a bullet through his heart!'

"'In that case,' I replied: 'you could not expect me to tell you;' and I
afterwards made that threat my excuse for concealing the name of my
informant.

"Mr. Seabrook continued to pace the floor in an excited manner, stroking
his long blonde beard rapidly and unconsciously. I still sat by the
table, trying to appear the calm observer that I was not. He came and
stood by me, saying: 'Do you believe this thing against me?'

"'I do not know what to believe, Mr. Seabrook,' I replied, 'but
something will have to be done about this rumor.' I could not bear to go
on; but he understood me. He leaned over my chair, and touched my cheek
with his:

"'Are you my wife, or not?' he asked. I shuddered, and put my face down
on my hands. He knelt by my side, and taking my hands in his, so that my
face must be seen, asked me to look into his eyes and listen to him.
What he said, was this:

"'If I swear to you, by Almighty God, that you are my true and only
wife, will you then believe me?'"

Mrs. Greyfield was becoming visibly agitated by these reminiscences, and
paused to collect herself.

"You dared not say 'yes,'" I cried, carried away with sympathy, "and yet,
you could not say 'no.' What did you do?"

"I burst into a passion of tears, and cried convulsively. He would have
caressed and consoled me, but I would have none of it.

"'Anna, what a strange home-coming for a bridegroom!' he said,
reproachfully.

"'Go away, and leave me to myself,' I entreated; 'You must not stay
here.'

"'What madness?' he exclaimed. 'Do you wish to set everybody to talking
about us?' Ah! 'talking about us,' was the bugbear I most dreaded, and
he knew it. But I wanted to seem brave; so I said that in private
matters we were at liberty to do as we thought right and best.

"'And I