tened him slightly; but, recalling the undoubted proofs
that he had had of his really being a pirate, he soon steeled his heart
against him. He argued that the mere fact of the man giving his mother
credit for a character which everybody knew she possessed, was not
sufficient to clear him of the suspicions which he had raised against
himself. Besides, it was impertinence in any man to tell his mother his
opinion of her to her face. And to call him "poor Henry," forsooth!
This was not to be endured!

Having thus wrought himself up to a sufficient degree of indignation,
the young man went straight to the door, making considerable noise in
order to prepare those within for his advent. He had expected to find
it locked. In this he was mistaken. It yielded to a push.

Throwing it wide open, Henry strode into the middle of the apartment,
and, pointing the pistol at Gascoyne's breast, exclaimed--"Pirate
Durward, I arrest you in the king's name!" At the first sound of her
son's approach, Mrs Stuart bent forward over the table with a groan,
buried her face in her hands.

Gascoyne received Henry's speech at first with a frown and then with a
smile.

"You have taken a strange time and way to jest, Henry," said he,
crossing his arms on his broad chest and gazing fixedly in the youth's
face.

"You will not throe me off my guard thus," said Henry, sternly. "You
are my prisoner. I know you to be a pirate. At any rate you will have
to prove yourself to be an honest man before you quit this hut a free
man. Mother, leave this place that I may lock the door upon him."

The widow did not move, but Gascoyne made a step towards her son.

"Another step and I will fire. Your blood shall be on your own head,
Gascoyne."

As Gascoyne still advanced, Henry pointed the pistol straight at his
breast and pulled the trigger, but no report followed--the priming,
indeed, flashed in the pan but that was all!

With a cry of rage and defiance, Henry leaped upon Gascoyne like a young
lion. He struck at him with the pistol, but the latter caught the
weapon in his powerful hand, wrenched it from the youth's grasp and
flung it to the other end of the apartment.

"You shall not escape me," cried Henry; aiming a tremendous blow with
his fist at Gascoyne's face. It was parried, and the next moment the
two closed in a deadly struggle.

It was a terrible sight for the widow to witness, these two Herculean
men exerting their great strengt