364 THE HOME OF A NATURALIST. 



Ingath. Indeed, she would have been most consider- 

 ably frightened if Mr. Nemo had not smiled as he 

 spoke, and given the letter into her hands with the air 

 of a man who feels that his feet are on a rock, and he 

 is powerful to make or unmake his own fortune. His 

 manner reassured her, but, nevertheless, there was a 

 strange flutter at her heart, and as soon as he was gone 

 she hurried to her room to open the mysterious letter. 



It was a short one, and written by Mr. Nemo him- 

 self, and this was what he said : — 



" I told you that I had never loved any woman but 

 yourself. That is true. You told me you had proved 

 the faithfulness of a dog, never that of a man ! You 

 shall prove that now. 



"My sweet Ingath, pardon the deception I have 

 practised upon you; but I determined I would win you, 

 and I knew no other way of overcoming your scruples. 

 You love me — my own self — of that I am sure, and 

 therefore I am not afraid to tell you the truth at last. 



" For your sake I toiled, and strove, and conquered, 

 and rose to a good position in life. To win you for 

 my wife, and to restore to you the home of your fathers, 

 I made an exile of myself for years. I have not come 

 off scathless in the fight, which has been a hard one. 

 I have lost my youth and aged early ; but in heart and 

 soul I am still the devoted lover of your youth, and 

 evermore must I be just that. 



" I have not been unmindful of your smallest fancies, 

 of even your prejudices, and it was greatly through my 

 influence that the scattered members of your old 



