It chanced on this wise. I have kept Betty out of the way as much as possible, but the morning was so fine that I could not resist her entreaties for a ride, and we went as far as the Abbey ruin, which Betty has always wished to see, and which, from its stillness and loneliness, hath been a favorite haunt of mine own. I had no thought of meeting any one, for none of the family ever came thither. So we let the donkey graze at his will while we wandered about and spelled out the inscriptions on the stones, I translating the Latin for Lady Betty's benefit. There was no danger of Jack's straying far, for he loves Betty with all the force of his donkeyish nature, and will come prancing and flinging in most ludicrous sort to meet her, whenever she comes near. Well, as I said, we were spelling out the inscriptions, and Betty was much interested in the tomb of Abbot Ignatius, when we heard my Lord's voice, and presently he and Lord Saville came from behind the wall of the ruined refectory. Now, Betty loves her father's very shadow, and before I could hinder her, she had run to meet him, with a cry of delight. "Hallo!" exclaimed my Lord Saville. "What little 'mundrake' have we here? Are your grounds haunted with dwarfs and pixies, my Lord?" My Lord's brow turned black as thunder. "This is my daughter, my Lord!" said he, in a lofty tone: but Lord Saville was by no means overawed. "I crave your pardon!" said he, carelessly: "I knew you had a daughter, but I thought her to have died long since." And with that, he turned away. "What are you doing here, Bess?" asked my Lord, harshly. "I-I-only came—I don't know!" answered Betty, flushing and stammering, as she is apt to do when startled. "Mrs. Merton, since you pretend to have the government of the child, methinks you might at least keep her out of sight!" said my Lord, turning the vials of his wrath on me. "'Tis surely misfortune enough to be the father of such a changeling, without having her paraded to shame me at every turn! I think the devil himself served her alive, to vex me. I would she had died at her birth, like her brothers yonder," he added, muttering between his teeth. I don't suppose he meant she should hear him, but she did. She drew herself up as I should not have supposed possible, and looking her father in the face with her flashing black eyes, she said: "God made me, my Lord!" Then turning to me, she said, with as much dignity as ever I saw, "Margaret, we will go home!" Felicia used to say sometimes that if I could command the lightning, her life would not be safe. I am sure my Lord's would not have been at that moment. I am ashamed to write it, but I do think I could have killed him. I could not trust myself to speak to him. To make the matter worse, Betty's little dog ran between his legs and nearly upset him. With a curse, he kicked the poor beast violently out of his way, and against a stone, where he lay stunned for a moment.