“Why don’t you call me, Monster!—as I see it plainly in your mind to call me?”
“Simply, sir, because I prefer that you should characterize yourself.”
“Cordelia! By —! I would give a thousand pounds if you could be a man for just one poor minute! It is a wonder that I do not strike you where you sit.”
“And yet you ask me to become your wife! I can scarcely understand you.”
“My dear lady, you will understand me better before you are four months older; for I swear, by the heaven above me! that you shall be my wife! Do you hear that? Hold! Just a moment more.” And he looked down upon her with an expression on his dark, passion-wrought face that startled her anew.
“Do you think I do not know which way your fancy is tending?” he demanded, his terrible wrath causing the last drop of blood to leave his face. “As I live, I believe you would marry that smuggler’s brat to-morrow, if your guardian would suffer it! Oh it makes you wince, does it? I think I will see the gentleman.”
“Monster! let me go!” And thus exclaiming she sprang from him, and leaped away. He jumped to catch her; but, at that moment, two men-servants approached the place, and he gave it up, and drew back into the arbor.
“By —!” He muttered to himself a horrible oath, and went on: “I believe she really does love the fellow! What in the world can the old man have been thinking of to allow it? By heavens! if he don’t put a stop to it, I will. I’ll have the girl for my own, if I have to force her to it! Mercy on us! she’s been allowed to associate with young Maitland as though he’d been an own brother to her! No! we’ll put a stop to that. If it can not be done in one way, it can in another!”
With this he smoothed his wrinkled front as well as he could, and left the arbor. He was not in the mood for sitting at the breakfast-table with his grandfather and Cordelia; so he took a turn away toward the river, prolonging his walk for an hour.
On his return to the castle he found that the meal had been kept for him. The others, he was informed, had eaten. He was further informed that the earl desired much to see him.