power. They were already inflamed by his resistance, |
and two of them were bloody with contusions, received
from his loaded whip, so that he knew he should obtain
no mercy from his conquerors. But he resolved to sell
his life as dearly as possible. Circling his heavy whip
once more around his head, he aimed a last blow at the
foremost of his assailants, which brought the gipsy reeling to the earth, but, as Stanhope was recovering himself
after the blow, the robber from behind, leaped on him,
and pinioning the young man's arms in his own, secured
their prey. At the same instant another of the gipsies
rushed on the now defenceless Stanhope, and drawing a
knife, raised it as if to plunge it in his bosom.
"Drive it into him," growled the one who had acted
as the leader, " dead men tell no tales !"
"Hold ! on your life," said a voice ; and, at the moment, a hand pushed back the weapon, and the gipsy
girl interposed betwixt Stanhope and his assailant.
"Perdition take the girl," said the first speaker, with
a curse, " give her the cold steel for her interferencethis is none of her business."
The man whose murderous intentions had been for a
moment baffled by the daring of the girl, jerked back his
arm at these words, and raising his knife once more,
aimed it at her bosom. Stanhope saw the attempt, and,
by a sudden effort, loosed an arm, so as partially to ward
off the stroke; but the attempt was not wholly successful,
for the keen blade, although diverted from her heart, was
buried in her shoulder. The warm blood gushed over
her swelling bosom.
"By all that is holy you shall suffer for this, villains
-murderers !" shouted the infuriated Stanhope, as he
saw the brutal wound given, and gaining, in the excitement of the moment, the strength of a dozen men, he
shook off his assailants, and springing before the fainting
girl, interposed his arm just in time to save her from a
second and more deadly blow. But the contest was too
unequal. Pausing only to recover themselves from the
repulse, the gipsies again dashed on the defenceless
Stanhope, and a surer and more unerring blow than
had yet been made, was aimed at his heart ; but at that
instant, the sharp report of a gun echoed across the
twilight, and the assailant, leaping up, fell dead at the
feet of Stanhope, who stood unharmed. Simultaneously
another shot rang on the air, and the leader of the robbers
fell also wounded ; while the two game-keepers rushed
out from the wood, and hastened to their master's side.
The whole scene passed with the rapidity of thought, and
for a while Stanhope thought it was all a dream. A
moment before, the blade of the assassin had been aimed
at his bosom, and now the robber lay at his feet in the
silence of death.
Lifting her gently up, he endeavored to staunch the blood from her wound, and in doing so he noticed, to his surprise, a ribbon, to which was suspended a miniature in a gold case. Wondering that such an ornament should be in her possession, he could not avoid looking at it. The first glance at the picture increased his astonishment. It was an old painting, and somewhat defaced, but the features were identical with those of a portrait of the late lady of the manor, the wife of his uncle, whose heir he had been. As he glanced, in curious surprise, from the miniature to the features of the inanimate girl, he saw with astonishment a counterpart of the picture, and the reason why the face of the beautiful gipsy had seemed to him not unknown, flashed on him at once. A wild thought shot through his mind -could it be ? -yet no ! -his reason was bewildered. He turned involuntarily to the wounded leader of the gipsies, whom the game-keepers were securing, and detected the man regarding him with a smile of meaning scorn. "What know you of this mystery ? In God's name speak ! She said she was no gipsy-who is she ?" The man smiled as before, but made no answer. " Answer me, and you shall go free-is she, as I suspect, my cousin ?" The game-keepers looked at each other, as if they thought their master's senses were wandering, but still the gipsy made no reply except by that meaning smile. " I conjure you-I implore you, man, brute, devil, or whatever you are, satisfy my curiosity ! I give you my honor you shall not be harmed, ask any thing else and I will give it to you." .. " Ah ! that is more like it," said the gipsy, with a brutal laugh, " why could you not have come at once to the point ? I know, as you suspect, much. But I am cursedly wounded,-let me be taken care of- sign me a deed, giving me an annuity of fifty pounds a year, and then I will tell what you wish to know. But until that is done I will say nothing." Stanhope saw that it would be useless to urge the gipsy further, and besides his attention was again engrossed by the wounded girl beside him, who now began to show signs of life. The strange interest which he had felt in this lovely being at first, was now exchanged for a deeper and warmer sentiment, and as he gazed on her face and thought how she had risked her life for him, the idea that she might be his long-lost cousin, made his heart thrill with delicious emotion. With more than a brother's care he lifted her on his horse, and staunching the blood as he best might, proceeded to the nearest cottage, where further aid was secured. Meanwhile the wounded gipsy, in furtherance Stanhope's first thought was of the gipsy girl, whose of Stanhope's bargain, was secretly conveyed to the Hall. A month had passed. In the deep embrasure of the unlooked for interposition had saved his life. She had fainted, and was now lying senseless on the ground. great window of the dining-room of the old Hall, looking
