“Not half so good as you are.” “You don't know what you are saying.” “Oh yes, I do.” “Then I say no more; it is rude to contradict. Good-by, Lady Bassett.” “Must you leave me so soon? Will you not visit us? May I not know the name of so good a friend?” “Next week I shall be _Mrs. Marsh.”_ “And you will give me the great pleasure of having you at my house--you and your husband?” The lady showed some agitation at this--an unusual thing for her. She faltered: “Some day, perhaps, if I make him as good a wife as I hope to. What a lady you are! Vulgar people are ashamed to be grateful; but you are a born lady. Good-by, before I make a fool of myself; and they are all coming this way, by the dogs' music.” “Won't you kiss me, after bringing me this?” “Kiss you?” and she opened her eyes. “If you please,” said Lady Bassett, bending toward her, with eyes full of gratitude and tenderness. Then the other woman took her by the shoulders, and plunged her great gray orbs into Bella's. They kissed each other. At that contact the stranger seemed to change her character all in a moment. She strained Bella to her bosom and kissed her passionately, and sobbed out, wildly, “O God! you are good to sinners. This is the happiest hour of my life--it is a forerunner. Bless you, sweet dove of innocence! You will be none the worse, and I am all the better--Ah! Sir Charles. Not one word about me to him.” And with these words, uttered with sudden energy, she spurred her great horse, leaped the ditch, and burst through the dead hedge into the wood, and winded out of sight among the trees. Sir Charles came up astonished. “Why, who was that?” Bella's eyes began to rove, as I have before described; but she replied pretty promptly, “The brave lady herself; she brought me the anonymous letter for your defense.” “Why, how came she to know about it?” “She did not tell me that. She was in a great hurry. Her fiance was waiting for her.” “Was it necessary to kiss her in the hunting-field?” said Sir Charles, with something very like a frown. “I'd kiss the whole field, grooms and all, if they did you a great service, as that dear lady has,” said Bella. The words were brave, but the accent piteous. “You are excited, Bella. You had better ride home,” said Sir Charles, gently enough, but moodily. “Thank you, Charles,” said Bella, glad to escape further examination about this mysterious lady. She rode home accordingly. There she found Mr. Oldfield, and showed him the anonymous letter. He read it, and said it was a defense, but a disagreeable one. “Suppose he says he wrote it, and the facts were true?” “But I don't think he will confess it. He is not a gentleman. He is very untruthful. Can we not make this a trap to catch him, sir? _He_ has no scruples.” Oldfield looked at her in some surprise at her depth. “We must get hold of his handwriting,” said he. “We must ransack the local banks; find his correspondents.”