189G. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



321 



of Lady Ellii and her lover. It was not 

 long before Lord Hurdrou became cog- 

 nizant of the interviews existing be- 

 tween Jiis diiughter and Kohmd Hilter, 

 and he ininiediately proposed to break 

 the intimacy- 

 Early ono morning, as he was passing 

 throu^'h tlie dark forest of Athol, Lord 

 Hurdron's attention was arrested by the 

 sound of voices falling on his ear. Pres- 

 ently Latly Ella, accompanied by Ro- 

 land Hilter, appeared in view. Not 

 wishing to he o'osorved by them, Lord 

 Hurdron stepped behind a large tree to 

 wait until they passed by. 



"Dear Kolaud, let us sit down for a 

 few moments," said Lady Ella in a 

 sweet voice. 



Lord Hurdrou managed to restrain 

 his temper and wait for further develop- 

 ments. He saw the young couple sit 

 down under the umbrageous foliage of 

 a large oak tree. He beheld the young 

 man pass his arm tenderly around the 

 waist of the fair girl, and he noticed 

 that she did not attemjit to resist this 

 act of familiarity. 



"Dear Ella, "said Roland, "let us 

 leave this country and fly to some for- 

 eign land, wliere our marriage can take 

 place unhindered by your people, for you 

 know tlutt were your father to learn 

 of our betrothal he would spurn me from 

 these premises as he would a reptile." 



"Dear Roland, " replied Lady Ella, 

 "wheres©evi'r you go there 1 will bear 

 you company. What is the love I enter- 

 tain for my people compared with the 

 leep alfertidu that has chained our 

 iearts togetl.er?" 



'Then this evening at the red room 

 iwait my coming. " And as Roland ut- 

 tered these words he arose from his seal 

 and togetlicr tiny walked away. 



As Lord Hordron heard these words 

 he inwardly cursed the soul of Roland 

 Hilter. He waited until the young lov- 

 ers had gone some distance, when he 

 emerged from his place of concealment 

 and quietly wended his way toward the 

 castle. On his way he met one of his 

 servants, to whom he spoke a few 

 words. The man's face slightly chansred 

 color as his master's voice fell ( .. l;i? 

 ear. 



"A thousand pounds, Rnprir i 



perform the deed!" said Lui.i i 



as he departed. 



"I understand, my lord." / 



man walked away. 



Roland Hilter lived a mile from the 

 casth^ of Isfodel, and it was his favorite 

 pastime to wander along the high bank 

 that bordered the ocean and listen to 

 the beating of the waters below. Rarely 

 a day passed but that he spent a portion 

 of his time there. 



On the afternoon following the events 

 just narrated Roland was walking lei- 

 surely along the bank, gazing on the 

 blue waters, when a voice fell on his ear. 



"A bad place for a man to fall froml" 



"Ah, is it you, Rupert?" said Roland 

 as he turned around. "Yes, it is, as 

 you say, a bad place. The best swim- 

 mer, I warrant, could not live in such 

 a sea. " 



"Yet his cries would probably reach 

 the castle. " 



"I fear not. The sound of the wave! 

 would drown them." 



The eyes of Rupert glittered with a 

 dangerous light as he heard these words. 

 "Do you think the edge of this bank is 

 firm?" he asked. "Would there not be 

 danger of it crumbling if one should 

 stand close to the brink?" 



"None in the least. I have stood 

 many times within an inch of the edge 

 and felt no danger whatever. See!" 



As Roland spoke he stepped forward, 

 and presently only a small space inter- 

 vened between him and the side of the 

 precipice. Ere he had time to return he 

 felt himself being pushed over the cliff. 

 Impulsively he stretched forth his hand 

 and grasped Rupert, his assailant, by 

 the arm. The latter struggled to free 

 him.self, but in vain, and a moment aft- 

 erward the pitiless ocean received them 

 in its depths. 



That eveniiig Lady Ella waited long 

 for the appearance of Roland, but he 

 did not come. She kne\v' not that, toss- 

 ed here and there by the angry waves, 

 his lifeless form was in the ocean. 



The next day, as she was walking 

 along the edge of the cliff, her mind 

 full of strange forebodings, the upturn- 

 ed face of her dead lover met her "ision. 

 Her head swam, and she toppled over 

 the cliff. As she fell the ocean cla.sped 

 her in its embrace, and the gates ol 

 death were thrown open to receive an- 

 other soul. 



That night L"rd Hurdron retired to 

 the red room. The nonappearance of 

 Lady Ella did not seem to affect him. 



