154 THE SMUGGLER. 



for treating you to such a sight as this; but I can assure you 

 it is not of my seeking. That person, who failed to keep an 

 appointment with me yesterday, thought fit just now to call 

 me coward twice ; and as he would not walk to a little distance, 

 I had no resource but to horsewhip him where I stood." 



"Pity you didn't run him through the liver 1" observed 

 Mr. Croyland. 



While these few words were passing, young Eadford rose 

 slowly, paused for an instant to gaze upon the ground, and 

 then gnawing his lip, approached his horse's side. There is 

 perhaps, no passion of the human heart more dire, more ter- 

 rible than impotent revenge, or more uncontrollable in its 

 effect upon the human countenance. The face of Richard 

 Radford, handsome as it was in many respects, was at the 

 moment when he put his foot into the stirrup and swung 

 himself up to the saddle, perfectly frightful, from the fiend-like 

 expression of rage and disappointment that it bore. He felt 

 that he was powerless, for a time at least; that he had met 

 an adversary greatly superior to himself, both in skill and 

 strength; and that he had suffered not only defeat but dis- 

 grace, before the eyes of a number of persons whom his own 

 headstrong fury had made spectators of a scene so painful to 

 himself. Reining his horse angrily back to clear him of the 

 carriage, he shook his fist at Sir Edward Digby, exclaiming, 

 "Sooner or later, I will have revenge!" Then, striking the 

 beast's flank with his spurs, he turned and galloped away. 



Digby had, as we have seen, addressed his apologies to Mrs. 

 Barbara Croyland ; but after hearing, with a calm smile, his van- 

 quished opponent's empty threat, he looked round to the fair 

 companion of his morning's ride, and saw her standing beside 

 her uncle, with her cheek very pale and her eyes cast down to 

 the ground. 



"Do not be alarmed, Miss Croyland," he said, bending 

 down his head, and speaking in a low and gentle tone. " This 

 affair can have no other results. It is all over now." 



Zara raised her eyes to his face, but, as she did so, turned 

 more pale than before; and pointing to his arm, where the 

 cloth of his coat was cut through, and the blood flowing down 

 over his sleeve and dropping from the ruffle round his wrist, 

 she exclaimed, "You are hurt. Sir Edward. Good Heaven! 

 he has wounded youl" 



