"For heaven's sake," she entreated, "do not let her see you! Do you see what has fallen on her? She is not herself." "Well," retorted Julian, "what of that? She and I staked for the same prize, and she has lost." "And you not won." "I have won somewhat. He is no longer hers, if he be not mine." "He is not, he never was, he never will be yours," said Bessie, vehemently. "Oh, Julian! how can you be so cruel, so wicked! Have you no pity? She is deranged. She thinks she has killed Anthony--dead; but you have seen--she cannot speak and think of anything now but of her sorrow and loss." "We played together--it was a fair game. She wrested from me him who was mine by right, and she must take the consequences of her acts--we must all do that. I--yes--Bess, I am ready. I will take the consequences of what I have done. Let me pass, Bess, I will speak to her." "I pray you!" Bess extended her arms. "No--let me pass. She and I are accustomed to look each other in the face. I will see how she is. I will! Stand aside." She had a long staff in her hand, and with it she brushed Bess away, and strode past her, between her and the precipice, with steady eye and firm step, and clambered to where was Urith. She stood beside her for a minute, studying her, watching her, as she played with her hair, passing her fingers through it, and drawing it forth into the wind to turn and curl, and waft about. Then, her patience exhausted, Julian put forth the end of her staff, touched Urith, and called her by name. Urith looked round at her, but neither spake nor stirred. No flush of anger or surprise appeared in her cheek, no lightning glare in her eye. "Urith," said Julian, "how stands the game?" "He is dead," answered Urith, "I killed him." Julian was startled, and slightly turned colour. "It is not true," she said hastily, recovering herself, "he has gone off to serve with the Duke of Monmouth." "I killed him," answered Urith composedly. "I would never, never let you have him, draw him from me. I am not sorry. I am glad. I killed him." "What!" with a sudden exultation, "you know he would have been drawn by me away! I conquered." "You did not get him away," said Urith, "you could not--for I killed him." Julian put out her staff again, and touched Urith. "Listen to me!" she said, and there was triumph in her tone. "He never loved you. No never. Me he loved; me he always had loved. But his father tried to force him, he quarrelled with him, and out of waywardness, to defy his father to show his independence, he married you; but he never, never loved you." "That is false," answered Urith, and she slowly rose on the platform to her feet. "That is false. He did love me. Here on this stone he held me to his heart, here he held me aloft and made me promise to be his very own."