THE SANCTUARY. (51.3 



c * Say not so, dearest ! The first air we breathe in Brittany shall 



waft our marriage- vow to Heaven and 'till then I swear " 



" Swear not, Henri : a maiden's fame is of higher price than even 

 her love. Were I your wife but it is too late besides, my father 

 Oh ! fly while there is yet time !" 



And Henri did, at length, retire with only the promise of an early 

 meeting, at a point where a stranger might land with little fear of 

 detection. Mary breathed freer as he dropped from the window, 

 and when she saw him pass the clustering shrubs which concealed 

 the gate by which he had entered, her heart felt an indescribable re- 

 lief. But just at this point, the burthen which had been taken from 

 Mary seemed transferred, with all its oppression, to the young mer- 

 chant. It was in vain that he raised the wooden latch, which had 

 ever been the only fastening to the gate it was in vain that he ex- 

 erted all his strength, it would not open. He could easily have 

 broken the door to splinters, and so have forced a passage ; but the 

 noise would alarm Mary, and in all probability her father, and that 

 was a thing by no means to be desired. His next impulse was to 

 scale the garden- wall ; but he felt that Mary was at her casement, 

 and so could not fail to observe him, as he rose above the bushes 

 which at present concealed his figure. He tried another tug at the 

 gate, but to as little effect. What was to be done ? He sprung 

 across the garden. Mary, in the confidence that he had departed, 

 was leaning her head on her arm, weeping the bitter tears of deso- 

 lation. 



" Mercy Henri ! why are you here ?" she asked, starting up, 

 and bending out of the window in a perfect agony. 



" The gate is fastened, Mary, and I came to tell you, lest you 

 might be alarmed if you saw me scaling the wall." 



" The gate fastened ! then you are lost !" said Mary, clasping 



her hands. " Robert Halton is as bitter in his hate as he is but 



fly, any how ! Regain your vessel before the hour strikes. Oh ! 

 that I might accompany you, or at least share in whatever befals." 



" And why not, Mary ?" asked Henri, eagerly ; " was it not in 

 that hope I have lingered even until this last hour ?" 



" No, no !" answered Mary, impatiently, " it cannot be; bat fly ! 

 for mercy's sake lose not a moment !" 



Henri, after gazing an instant, darted away, and she saw him 

 climb the ivy-covered wall, and saw him wave his hand as he stood 

 on the summit. He dropped from her sight, and then she heard the 

 sounds of man's wrath, and the words " craven-liar !" and then the 

 clash of weapons smote as a death-knell upon her ear. But the clang 

 of strife which at other times would have chilled her heart, seemed 

 now but to lend fresh energy to her frame. The blood mantled 

 upon her cheek, and the retiring maiden, at this late hour, swung 

 from the window-sill and dropped into the garden. The obstruction, 

 of whatever nature it might have been, was removed. Mary, with 

 the slightest possible effort, opened the garden-gate, and, in the 

 shadow of the moonlight, looked out upon the fearful scene. She 

 had just noted that, besides the two whose weapons were flashing, 



