"Nay, Mr. Leslie," said the young man; "you wrong her, believe me—"
Gerald Leslie checked him by a rapid gesture.
"For pity's sake not a word," he murmured. "At some future day, when the bitterness of all this suffering has become a memory of the past; when she is happy and—has well-nigh forgotten me—then recall to her the name of her father; tell her—tell her that I loved her. It will be better for both that we should be spared the pang of parting; so I will see her no more, though it is my very life which I lose in losing her. You will write to me, Gilbert?"
"Yes, yes, dear sir," exclaimed the Englishman, clasping his hand.
"Farewell, then, farewell, Gilbert, my son. You will be kind to her for my sake; you will love her dearly, will you not? Farewell."
He wrung the hand which clasped his, and then breaking from Gilbert Margrave, rushed into the house.
The young engineer slowly followed him, and retiring to his own room, made all preparations for the journey.
It was already past midnight, and Gilbert was too much agitated to require rest.
At early dawn his arrangements were complete, and summoning Toby, he gave the faithful mulatto a message to carry to Cora's apartments.
This message was an earnest request that the young girl would meet him in the gardens below without delay.