THE

SECOND MRS. TILLOTSON,

BY THE AUTHOR OF "NEVER FORGOTTEN."

BOOK IV.

CHAPTER VII. THE SECOND MRS. TILLOTSON.

CAPTAIN DIAMOND had seen the whole breadth
and depth of the situation in a second. Perhaps
he blushed a little.

"You mustn't go in!" he said, firmly, and
falling back to the door. "You are not wanted
here. Take my advice, and go home quietly."

"But I shall go in," said Ross, furiously.
"Do you think I'll put up with this? What
fine trash you tell, you hoary old deceiver, with
your cursed lying stories! Here, let me in, if
they have begun!—here, only let me see that
whining Tillotson! Let me by, I say, you cursed
old canting soft-voiced fellow, that I was a fool
to listen to!"

The captain's face grew pink; he cocked his
almost shovel-hat in a moment.

"You be cursed yourself," he said, "if it
comes to that, you low-minded fellow; you're
no gentleman! How dare you speak to me,
sir, in that way? Here's my card—Capt——
I mean Mr. Ross. Though I am old, I was
brought up a gentleman, and can teach you breeding.
How dare you swear at me, sir? If you
can beat up a friend, send him to me, sir, and I'll
give him my opinion of you, and g—give you any
gentlemanly satisfaction afterwards. There—
there, take it, sir!" And now, the captain
having got his card-case open, held out, with
trembling fingers, his card.

Ross looked at him with surprise; then gave
one of his loud laughs. "What! d'ye mean by
that?" he said. "O, very—very good!"

Who would have known our captain, whose
cheeks were growing pinker every moment?

"You can laugh at me, can you?" he said.
"By Heavens, sir, I'll not wait for your friend!
You won't get out of it that way, my young
spark. I'll have some one with you before the
day is out. But I know how it will be. An
ungentlemanly fellow come here to raise a low
blackguard disturbance in a church."

The gentleman who had been looking on from
the cab had now jumped out. "For shame,
Ross, to speak that way to this old officer! I
declare I blush for you! You must excuse him,
sir. He has been sadly worried, and has come
home expressly about this marriage. It is his
excitement that speaks, not he himself."

The captain touched the shovel-hat very
graciously to this intercessor, who, he said later,
"was as fine, broad-shouldered, well-built,
polished fellow as you'd ask to see in a
company."

Ross had been listening vacantly all this
time. While the captain was in front of the
door, he said eagerly, "But the marriage—is it
begun—are they going on with it—is it over?
I suppose it is. O, I beg your pardon; I do
indeed. Now do let me—I must go in."

The captain was softened at once. "I may
as well tell you," he said; "it's better not.
Drive away in your cab; it's the best thing you
can do. Take an old soldier's advice. You
know, there's no help for what's done."

"I thought so!" said Ross, desperately, and
now quite subdued. "It's quite what I
expected. Do you mean that it is over? Speak
out plainly, do, and let us have the truth. Not
that I care, no! but," growing savage again,
"but——"

The door softly opened behind the captain,
and a white figure stood before them. All
started. "Go away," she said, hurriedly; " I
implore of you, go away. It is all too late. I
tell you that. Go——"

"Too late!" said Ross, quite overpowered
by this surprising vision. "Too late; yes,
always too late. O, you false, cruel, heartless
girl! You tell me this?"

"False!" she said, "no. But that is all at an
end now. Go away, I implore of you. False!
no; it was your doing."

"My doing!" repeated Ross, hurriedly, and
speaking with bitterness and fury. "And were
you so stupid, so blind, so little of a woman, to
believe my stories? I only wrote to worry you,
to try you. But don't tell me; you know those
little stale tricks well enough. I praise another
woman, and you believe——"

"That is all past now," she said. "But what
I wish, is to have no confusion, no scene. He
who has been so good, so devoted, must not
be disquieted. I would sooner die. Go, I
implore you."

"Come away," said the gentlemanly friend,
"as the lady asks you. I won't be a party
to any exhibition of this sort. Come."

"Ah, now," said the captain, eagerly. " Go,