"Mr Crellock is right," said Crellock in a voice of thunder, "and Mr Eaton is wrong. He is saying good-bye; and now, Robert Hallam, will you tell him why?" "Yes," said Hallam firmly; "Mr Eaton should have spoken to me, and I would have explained at once that Mr Stephen Crellock has proposed for my daughter's hand, and I have promised that she shall be his wife." "But this is monstrous!" cried Eaton furiously. "Julie, I have your mother's consent. You will be mine?" Julia looked at him pityingly and shook her head. "Speak! for heaven's sake, speak!" cried Eaton. "No," she said in a low pained voice. "You have mistaken me, Mr Eaton. I could never be your wife." Eaton turned to Mrs Hallam to meet her agonised, despairing eyes, and then without a word he left the room. For the blow had fallen; the shadow Millicent Hallam had seen athwart her daughter's life had assumed consistency, and as the thought of her own fate came with its dull despairing pain, she caught Julia to her breast to protect her from Crellock, and faced him like some wild creature standing at bay in defence of her young. VOLUME FOUR, CHAPTER FOURTEEN. FOR JULIE. "Where are you going?" said Crellock roughly, as prowling about the verandah, in pursuance of a determination to take care that there should be no further interference with his plans, he carefully watched the place, ready to refuse entrance, in Hallam's name, to every one who came till he had made sure of his prize. It was very early in the morning, and he had come suddenly upon Thisbe, dressed for going out, and with a bundle under her arm. "Into town," she said sharply. "What for?" "To stay." "It's a lie!" he said. "You are going to take a message to that parson, or the lieutenant. You have a letter." "No, I haven't," said Thisbe, looking harder than ever. "What's in that bundle?" "Clothes. Want to see 'em? You can look." "Come, no nonsense, Thisbe! You don't like me, I know." "I hate the sight of you!" said the woman stoutly. "So you may; but look here, you may as well understand that in future I shall be master here, and for your own sake you had better be friends. Now then, where are you going?" "Into town, I tell you; and I shall send for my box. It's corded up in my room." "Why, what do you mean?" he said. "That I'm going, and I'm not coming back; and you two may drink yourselves to death as soon as you like." She brushed by him, and before he had recovered from his surprise, she was going down the path towards the gate. A thought struck Crellock, and he ran upstairs to the room Thisbe had occupied, and, sure enough, there was the big chest she had brought with her, corded up tightly, and with a direction-card tacked on, addressed, "Miss Thisbe King. To be called for." "So much the better," he said joyously; "that woman had some influence with Mrs Hallam, and might have been unpleasant."