charging her, Colonel Le Noir, you utter a falsehood!"

"Sirrah!" cried Le Noir, striding toward Traverse and raising his
hand over his head, with a fearful oath, "retract your words or--"

Traverse calmly drew himself up, folded his arms and replied coolly:

"I am no brawler, Colonel Le Noir; the pistol and the bowie-knife
are as strange to my hands as abusive epithets and profane language
are to my lips; nevertheless, instead of retracting my words, I
repeat and reiterate them. If you charge my mother with conspiracy
you utter a falsehood. As her son I am in duty bound to say as
much."

"Villain!" gasped Le Noir, shaking his fist and choking with rage;
"villain! you shall repent this in every vein of your body!"

Then, seizing his hat, he strode from the room.

"Boaster!" said Traverse to himself, as he also left the library by
another door.

Clara was waiting for him in the little parlor below.

"Well, well, dear Traverse," she said, as he entered. "You have had
the explanation with my guardian, and--he makes no objection to
carrying out the last directions of my father and our own wishes--he
is willing to leave me here?"

"My dear girl, Colonel Le Noir defers all decision until the reading