"I pity you, William, but I beg you to leave me now, or I must and will leave your presence."
"Never! my beautiful cousin, until you own that you love me. I would barter all the hopes I ever had of future happiness for one moment of your love. I could stand a whole year gazing in rapture into your sweet face. O, darling one! blessed Nellie! swear that you will be mine!"
Thus the young fellow went on, working himself into a great passion.
"Mister—Wilson!" here broke in Miss Nellie, "unless you leave the room, or let me, I'll call for help."
"No, you shall not! I know that my father loves you better than he ever did me, and I know that in his will he has left you nearly all his property, and left me with next to nothing. So much you have won upon him, and to add to my misery you scorn my love; but there's no power on earth to forbid you being mine, and you shall be!"
There was a movement in the room, as if Miss Nellie was proceeding to some action.
"Nellie, you shall not avoid me so. I tell you, you shall be mine. O, dearest! own that you love me! Come, let me fold you to my breast!"
There was a slight, fitful scream, and I heard the delirious fellow rushing towards her; and feeling her peril, I jumped to the sliding doors, pushed them apart just as the drunken wretch had wrapped his arms about the girl. But when he saw me he let go his grasp, and with a maddened expression on his face, hastened from the room. I caught the frightened girl in my arms, and bore her to the sofa; but it was some time before she recovered from her swoon.
Fearing that this might not be the last wrong which the drunken son would inflict upon that beautiful girl, I felt it nothing less than my duty to inform his father of the son's outrageous course; and William was banished from the house.
Not long after I left for the West, and was absent a week or so. The night of my return I received a call from Judge S——, the great criminal advocate, who told me that he had been hunting me all day, exclaiming, "And thank a blessed Providence I have found you at last."