My darling's face grew white as death. I was bewildered. If this were
true--oh, my God! if it were true--fortune, love and everything else
were lost.

"Where were you married?" asked Sir John.

"At Edgerton--St. Helen's, Edgerton. The Rev. Henry Morton married us,
and the two witnesses were Sarah Smith, who was my maid, and Arthur
Ireton, who was head game-keeper here at Crown Anstey."

It was so quickly told and so seemingly correct, we looked at each other
in amaze.

"We must examine into it," said Sir John, "before going any further."

"That will be best," she replied, composedly. "I had better explain that
Miles, poor fellow, fell in love with me the first time he saw me. Sir
Barnard would not hear of such a thing. He told Miles that if he
persisted in marrying me he would curse him. Perhaps he had his own
reasons for not liking me. His son tried to obey him, but I am proud to
say that the love Miles had for me was far stronger than fear of his
father. Still, for pecuniary reasons he did not care to offend him, so
we were married privately the second year of my stay at Crown Anstey."

She turned to Lady Thesiger with a mocking smile.

"I know perfectly well," she said, "why your ladyship has never liked
me. You met me walking one evening with Miles Trevelyan in the Anstey
woods; you saw him kiss me. You know, now, that he was my husband and