"No, no, Kate; you want to be gone," said
the man. " You hate me. You haven't a spark
of love for me,"

"Indeed I have," said Kate. " I love you
dearly, in spite of all. But I tremble so every
time you come."

"Very well, Kate. I will go. I know I
oughtn't to vex you. You are a good soul.
Kiss me!"

I could see her in the dusky shade of the
wall, leaning forward from the little window,
while the stranger held her in his arms, and
kissed her. They stood like this for a few
moments; and then they parted; and I heard
the window shut down. Drawing back, I saw
the stranger look through the railings to see
if the street was clear; and then he climbed
over the high spikes, and dropping on the
pavement, walked quickly away.

I walked after him, determined to ask him
for a confirmation of my suspicions; and, if I
found them true, to go away again without
entering the house. He quickened his pace,
hearing me behind him: but I kept up with
him till, having accidentally turned up a
street which I knew to have no outlet, he
was compelled to turn back and meet me.

"Stay! " said I. " A moment ago you were
in the garden of Chillingworth House. May
I ask what you were doing there?"

""What busybody are you? " he asked, in a
tone so coarse, that I shuddered to think
I had just heard Kate confess her love for
him.

"I have a great interest m knowing this,"
said I. " You shall not leave me till you tell
me."

"Do you threaten me?" he asked in a
bullying tone; but immediately, changing his
manner, he said, " But tell me who you are;
and why you ask this."

"It does not matter who I am," I answered.
"If you will tell me the truth, I will keep
your secret. Was it not as the lover of
Miss Thaine that you were there?"

"I wouldn't stand to be bullied thus," he
said, " if you did not hold me at an advantage.
I don't exactly want to be caught brawling in
this neighbourhood."

"Answer my question," said I, seizing him
by the arm. " I will not trouble you again."

"Well," said he, " I don't mind owning that
it was as her lover that I was there. But
mind, you promised to hold your tongue."

I let go his arm at this; and he hastened
away, leaving me bewildered. I scarcely
needed this confirmation, after what I had
heard; and now the letters which I had
lately received from Kate seemed to me to
have been colder than usual. But how could
I have believed that she could have loved
such a man as this; or that she would
consent to see him clandestinely? I remembered
how long I had forborne to tell her of my
affection; and blamed myself for not having
seen that she was unworthy of my respect.
I had resolved not to enter the house any
more. I would go home; back to Scotland,
abroad; anywhere, rather than meet again
a woman who had so deceived me. My
absence, I thought, will tell her that I have
discovered her secret. But my old love for
her struggled for mastery. I lingered about
the street the next night, till the lights were
out, scarcely knowing why. I could not
resolve to depart. If I could only see her
once, unobserved, I thought, I would go away
content. The next night I waited about there
again, and saw her mother go out with a
younger sister; but I did not see Kate. It
was getting late; when, passing the railings
again, I saw a faint light in the little room
where the stranger had spoken with her.
I thought that it must be Kate there once
more, perhaps expecting again the coming of
her lover. My pride would have led me to
depart at once; but the thought of the
danger to which she was exposed in her
unhappy attachment to such a man, made
me shudder. My anger was changed to
compassion. I knew how ignorant of life she
was, having grown up from childhood in that
place, with all about her simple, kind and
gentle! Where was she to learn, save by
bitter experience, that life was mostly evil.
It seemed to me, that I must reproach myself
for ever if I went away and left her in such
peril. " Yes," thought I, " it will be a sad
shock to her to know that I have discovered
this; but I must warn her."

I walked about, until looking up and down
the street, from end to end, I could see no
one. Then I clambered up the railings, and
with difficulty let myself down into the
garden. The snow that had been worn away
by the tread of passers in the street, lay
thinly on the ground within the enclosure; I
could see no footprints in it, and I knew that
no one had been there that day. Creeping
along by the wall till I came to the window,
I listened and heard no voices; so that I
thought only one person was there. The
lower panes, however, were of ground
glass; and I could see nothing through them
but the weak glimmer of the light. I
hesitated a moment, for it might not be Kate
who was there: and my position would be
embarrassing if any one else had seen me.
I resolved to tap faintly, and draw aside, so
that if any one but Kate appeared, I might
escape, and leave them to think that they
had been deceived by the wind shaking the
window- frame.

The window opened slowly, as I drew up
closely to the wall beside it. Then I heard
Kate's voice say, " Henry!"

I came forward. " It is I, Miss Thaine,"
I said, " do not be alarmed."

"O heaven! how you terrified me. How
do you come here? We expected you
yesterday."

"Kate," I said. "I know all. I know
now that you do not love me any longer:
but I am not come to reproach you. I come