The appearance of Jerome Vaudelier caused her a thrill of apprehension, but it was quickly supplanted by a feeling of interest in the individual himself. Her own gloomy position seemed divested of its sombreness, as she felt that the penitence of the erring soul had not been a reality. "Jerome Vaudelier, are you, too, the minister of a villain's wishes?" "Nay, Miss Dumont--" "Say that you are yet true to yourself; that you have not forgotten those solemn vows you made in the home of your father; say that you are not the tool of the vile Maxwell--say it before you speak your business with me!" "Miss Dumont, I acknowledge that the present appearance is against me; but I assure you I have come only as the minister of good to you." "Bless you for the words! I feared you had again been tempted." "So I have, lady, and apparently have yielded; but it was only to save you. Listen to me, and I will disclose all the details of the plots which are even now ripening to ensnare you,"--and Vernon, in a low tone, briefly narrated everything, and the means which were in operation to secure her safety. "You must go to Bellevue to-morrow, there to meet my father and Captain Carroll," said he. The color came to her pale cheek, at the mention of her lover's name. She felt that Vernon meant to be true to her, and true to himself. And it required no persuasion to induce her to acquiesce in the arrangements. "But, Hatchie--must I leave him in prison? It is not a meet reward for his fidelity." "It cannot be avoided, Miss Dumont. I will see him to-day, and when his honest heart knows that you are in safety, he will be just as happy in a prison as in a palace. He shall be set at liberty in a few days." "I hope he may. Does this De Guy accompany you?" "No; but Maxwell says he will reach Bellevue as soon as we do." "Why is this? Why does not Maxwell present himself, and urge his infamous proposals?" "I know not, unless it be that De Guy is the more artful of the two." * * * * * Let us change the scene to the next day, at the abode of Mr. Faxon. Dalhousie and his wife, by the kind attentions of their host, were restored to a comparatively healthy state. The lady had suffered much in her physical and mental constitution, and a shade of deep melancholy rested upon her handsome features. She could not forget the horrors of the dungeon in which she had been confined. It seemed a great epoch in her life; all before it was strange and undefined, while every trivial incident since was a great paragraph in her history. Mr. Faxon was seated in his library, surrounded by his guests. The affairs of the Dumont family had again been discussed, for to them they were full of interest.