You  can't  take  the  eyes  out  of  my  head."

"  Suppose  it  should  be  only  a  false  alarm  ?  "

"  Is  that  likely  ?  However,  I  will  learn.  Whether  it
is  or  not,  that  child  shall  never  rob  mine  of  Bassett  and
Huntercombe.     Anything  is  fair  against  such  a  woman."


A  TERRIBLE  TEMPTATION.  255


CHAPTER  XXVI.
That  very  night,  after  Wheeler  had  gone  home,  Eich-
ard  Bassett  wrote  a  cajoling  letter  to  Mary  Wells,  asking
her  to  meet  him  at  the  old  place.
When  the  girl  got  this  letter,  she  felt  a  little  faint  for
a  moment ;  but  she  knew  the  man,  his  treachery,  and  his
hard  egotism  and  selfishness,  so  well,  that  she  tossed  the
letter  aside,  and  resolved  to  take  no  notice.  Her  trust
was  all  in  her  mistress,  for  whom,  indeed,  she  had  more
real  affection  than  for  any  living  creature.  As  for
Kichard  Bassett,  she  absolutely  detested  him.
As  the  day  wore  on  she  took  another  view  of  matters :
her  deceiver  was  the  enemy  of  her  mistress.  She  might
do  her  a  service  by  going  to  this  rendezvous,  might  learn
something  from  him,  and  use  it  against  him.
So  she  went  to  the  rendezvous,  with  a  heart  full  of
bitter  hate.
Bassett,  with  all  his  assurance,  could  not  begin  his
interrogatory  all  in  a  moment.  He  made  a  sort  of
apology :  said  he  felt  he  had  been  unkind,  and  he  had
never  been  happy  since  he  had  deserted  her.
