add greatly to their force, and which would go far of themselves to
determine his action.

2. How was it likely she would look on such an extraordinary
proposition? At first, no doubt, as Lady Anne looked upon the advances
of Richard. She would be startled, perhaps shocked. What then? She
could not help feeling flattered at such an offer from him,--him, William
Murray Bradshaw, the rising young man of his county, at her feet, his
eyes melting with the love he would throw into them, his tones subdued to
their most sympathetic quality, and all those phrases on his lips which
every day beguile women older and more discreet than this romantic,
long-imprisoned girl, whose rash and adventurous enterprise was an
assertion of her womanhood and her right to dispose of herself as she
chose. He had not lived to be twenty-five years old without knowing his
power with women. He believed in himself so thoroughly, that his very
confidence was a strong promise of success.

3. In case all his entreaties, arguments, and offers made no impression,
should he make use of that supreme resource, not to be employed save in
extreme need, but which was of a nature, in his opinion, to shake a
resolution stronger than this young girl was like to oppose to it? That
would be like Christian's coming to his weapon called All-prayer, he said
to himself, with a smile that his early readings of Bunyan should have
furnished him an image for so different an occasion. The question was
one he could not settle till the time came,--he must leave it to the
instinct of the moment.

The next morning found him early waking after a night of feverish dreams.
He dressed himself with more than usual care, and walked down to the
wharf where the Swordfish was moored. The ship had left the wharf, and