A MISADVENTURE To be brought up short in an amorous quest by such a sight as that was a shock alike to Soane's better nature and his worse dignity.

The former moved him to stand silent and abashed, the latter to ask with an indignant curse why he had been brought to that place.

And the latter lower instinct prevailed.

But when he raised his head to put the question with the necessary spirt of temper, he found that the girl had left his side and passed to the other hand of the dead; where, the hood thrown back from her face, she stood looking at him with such a gloomy fire in her eyes as it needed but a word, a touch, a glance to kindle into a blaze.
At the moment, however, he thought less of this than of the beauty of the face which he saw for the first time.

It was a southern face, finely moulded, dark and passionate, full-lipped, yet wide of brow, with a generous breadth between the eyes.