“Say one kind farewell, and let us part as friends!”
He grasped her hand so firmly as almost to cause unbearable pain, hesitated, and then said in a wild tone,
“No—no, I have sworn, and will not falter from my word;” and throwing her hand from him, he rushed rapidly away.
CHAPTER XXII.
“Or perchance has her young heart
Felt already some deeper smart
Of those that in secret her heart-strings rive,
Leaving her sunk and pale, though fair.”
Iseult of Brittany.
Wearied in body, and exhausted in mind, Hilary entered the house with slow and lingering steps. Gwyneth met her in the vestibule with an exclamation of—