“Why, as Elfie is my only child, I naturally feel a very great reluctance to parting with her. And as Ethel will be at sea more than two-thirds of the time, Elfie will be left with me. There! am I a selfish old dog? I can not help it! The old widowed father of an only daughter is very apt to be so,” said the colonel. The morning succeeding the domiciliation of General Eastworth at the parsonage, Erminie received a telegram from Britomarte, announcing that she would arrive by the seven P. M. train from Baltimore. And at the appointed hour Justin and Erminie went to the station to meet her. The train was up to time, and Britomarte was soon fondly received by the brother and sister, who took her at once to their hearts and home. CHAPTER XLV. THE WOMAN’S DEAREST RIGHT. And thou shalt know, these arms once curled About thee, what we knew before, How LOVE is the greatest good in the world. Henceforth be loved, as heart can love, Or brain devise, or hand approve.—BROWNING. The morning of the next day found Justin and Britomarte seated together on a sofa in the drawing-room. “Well, my dearest,” began Justin, in a low tone, as he took her hand and tried to catch her eye, “is Britomarte prepared to ratify in Justin’s favor the promise made by Wing to his wounded colonel?” “Yes,” she answered frankly, “for it was a promise given unconditionally and for all time.” “And how soon shall it be redeemed, Britomarte?” “As soon as you please—after you have heard something that I have to tell you. Justin, you have heard a ‘secret’ in my family history darkly hinted?” “Yes; and I have heard you plainly assert that such a secret existed. And I have told you that let it be what it might, it _could_ not affect my love and esteem for you, or my earnest desire to make you my wife.” “Thanks, warmest thanks for your generous trust in me, Justin. The secret indeed was none of mine; nor has it turned out to be so dark an one as I had dreaded. Fortunately it cannot affect us in any manner. But you shall hear it, if only that you may know how it was that I grew up to be a man-hater!” “I always supposed that there must have been some deep wrong and suffering at the bottom of all your man-hatred.” “A long succession of wrongs and sufferings! But you shall hear,” she said. “There really would seem to have been a spell laid upon the women of our race; for as far back as we can follow household history, every woman of our blood, from mother to daughter, has married miserably.” “I hope that _your_ marriage will break the spell, Britomarte.” “I _know_ that it will, dear Justin. But this curse really followed or seemed to follow us from generation to generation.” “And is there no tradition connected with it?” smiled Justin. “None. Why?”