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What would Sir Norman say? What would he ever think of her, when he

found her gone And as destined to be her fate in this dreadful

out-of-the-way place? She would have cried, as most of her sex would be

tempted to do in such a situation, but that her dislike and horror of

Count L'Estrange was a good deal stronger than her grief, and turned her

tears to sparks of indignant fire Never, never, never! would she be his

wife! He ht kill her a thousand times, if he liked, and she wouldn't

yield an inch She did not ood cause; she could do it

but once And with Sir Nor her, as she felt he must do,

when he found her run away, she rather liked the idea than otherwise

Mentally, she bade adieu to all her friends before beginning to prepare

for her allant friend

Ormiston, to her poor nurse, Prudence, and to her mysterious visitor, La

Masque

La Masque! Ah! that name awoke a new chord of recollection--the casket,

she had it with her yet Instantly, everything was forgotten but it and

its contents; and she placed a chair directly under the lamp, drew it

out, and looked at it It was a pretty little bijou itself, with its

polished ivory surface, and shining clasps of silver But the inside had

far more interest for her than the outside, and she fitted the key