Alberta passed coolly over these injurious epithets, which were certainly as applicable to Vittorio Corsoni as they were to Albert Goldsborough, and she answered calmly:
“You certainly loved him once, when he had done nothing to distinguish himself, and if you truly loved him then, you love him still, for true love knows no ‘shadow of turning.’”
“He whom I loved then was a gentleman, or I thought him such, not a barn burner, not a hen-roost robber!” answered Elfie, contemptuously.
Again Alberta ignored the degrading terms that were applied to the guerrilla chief; for in truth nothing on earth had power to move her impassive nature, unless it were something nearly concerning Vittorio Corsoni, her idolized lover-husband, and she said:
“Albert Goldsborough was destined by his parents and by mine to marry me, and you knew it from the first, yet you saw him and loved him, and won his love. Not that I regretted your success. I was very glad to be well rid of my cousin, for I was fully determined to marry Vittorio Corsoni, my beloved. But you took him away from me, only, it seems, to cast him off from yourself. In truth, I cannot understand such inconstancy,” she gravely added.
“You cannot! Do you suppose, then, that my love can survive esteem, and walk hand in hand with contempt?” said Elfie, scornfully.
“No, I do not. Nor has Albert Goldsborough done anything worthy of contempt, but everything worthy of admiration.”
“Pouncing upon me, and carrying me off by main force against my will, was among the rest of his admirable achievements, I suppose you think,” sneered Elfie.
“Yes, for it was a brave deed.”
“Very brave, to kidnap a weak girl.”