prove that I do." She then quitted the room, but did not keep him long
in suspense; on re-entering she placed the parchment in his hands,
saying as she did so, "Remember I now trust you, but beware how you
betray that trust."

He opened the document and glanced over it, to satisfy himself of its
authenticity; his legal experience enabled him to decide at once that it
was genuine. "Eleanor." he then said, taking her hand, "our interests
are now identical, we cannot now but act in concert," and raising her
hand to his lips, he bowed courteously to her and left the room by one
door, while she passed out at another.

"I have carried my point, thought Sir Ralph as he entered his study, and
before this day month I shall have sank both name and title, and be an
alien from my native land."

"I have carried my point at last," exclaimed Mrs. Fraudhurst, as the
door of her dressing room closed behind her; "before this day month I
shall be Lady Coleman and mistress of Vellenaux."

It was late that night ere Sir Ralph retired to rest; before he did so
he had determined on his future career. For years he had striven to
wrest this document from the widow and now with it in his possession, he
lost no time in putting into execution the plans he had for so long a
time been maturing. This was to proceed without delay to London, raise
as large a sum as possible by mortgaging the Vellenaux property to its
fullest extent, then retire to the continent and spend the remainder of
his days in foreign travel, halting from time to time at the different
cities he had visited during the first years of his married life. For in
this mode of living he felt he would be more secure than he could ever