'Your preamble alarms me,' said she. 'Do, pray be explicit.' 'I must begin,' said I, 'with declaring my perfect conviction of your ignorance, that any person is existing, who has a right to the property which your ladyship at present possesses.' 'Assuredly such a notion never entered my head,' said she, 'and indeed, were such a claim made, I should consider it as utterly untenable--in fact, impossible.' 'I regret,' said I, 'that it is undeniable. There are documents extant, and witnesses living, to prove it beyond all refutation.' Her ladyship, I thought, changed colour, as she said: 'This is strange; but I cannot believe it. Who would have the face to set up such a silly claim?' 'I am so unfortunate as to have that face,' answered I, in a tone of the most touching humility. 'You!' she cried with amazement. 'You!' 'Pardon me the pain I give you,' said I, 'but such is the fact; and grating as this interview must be to the feelings of both parties, I do assure you, that I have sought it, solely to prevent the more disagreeable process of a law-suit.' 'You are welcome to twenty law-suits, if you wish them,' cried she, 'but I fancy they will not deprive me of my property.' 'At least,' said I, 'they may be the means of sullying the character of your deceased lord.' 'I defy the whole world,' cried she, 'to affix the slightest imputation on his character.' 'Surely,' said I, 'you cannot pretend ignorance of the fact, that his lordship had the character of being--I trust, more from misfortune, than from inherent depravity; for your ladyship well knows that man, frail man, in a moment of temptation, perpetrates atrocities, which his better heart afterwards disowns.' 'But his character!' cried she. 'What of his character?' 'Ah!' said I, 'your ladyship will not compel me to mention.' 'You have advanced too far to retreat,' cried she. 'I demand an unequivocal explanation. What of his character?' 'Well, since I must speak plain,' replied I, 'it was that of an--assassin!' 'Merciful powers!' said she, in a faint voice, and reddening violently. 'What does the horrid woman mean?' 'I have at this moment,' cried I, 'a person ready to make oath, that your unhappy husband bribed a servant of my father's to murder me, while yet an infant, in cold blood.' ''Tis a falsehood!' cried she. 'I would stake my life on its being a vile, malicious, diabolical falsehood.' 'Would it were!' said I, 'but oh! Lady Gwyn, the circumstances, the dreadful circumstances--these cannot be contradicted. It was midnight;--the bones of my noble father had just been deposited in the grave;--when a tall figure, wrapt in a dark cloak, and armed with a dagger, stood before the seneschal. _It was the late Lord Gwyn!_' 'Who are you?' cried she, starting up quite pale and horror-struck. 'In the name of all that is dreadful, who can you be?'