But there I was firm; he could, not frighten me into anything
I thought wrong."
"Why, the man is a villain!" cried Basil; "an unprincipled, cowardly
villain!"
"Wait," she said, laying her hand on his arm. "Wait; you have not heard
all. He uses the three letters as a means of extorting money from me.
Now he threatens that if I do not lend it to him, he will show them to
my husband."
Basil sprang from his seat, with a hot flush on his handsome young face.
"I will shoot him!" he said. "Such a man is not fit to breathe the air
of heaven."
"Hush!" she said again. "You cannot help me unless you are calm. My
husband does not love me, Basil. The least whisper of this, and,
innocent as I am, I should be separated from him and disgraced. It is
from this I want you to save me. If I were married to a noble, generous
man, I should go to him at once, and tell him the truth. If Lord Lisle
knew it, he would use it as a pretext for separating himself from me.
Basil, you are my knight--you must save me; you must get those letters."
"I will," he replied, "at any cost."
"I tremble to think how much money, I, in my cowardly fear, have lent
him. He will want more and more, until he has drained a fortune, and I
shall be no safer in the end. I will lend him no more money, Basil; but
you, my only friend, shall get the letters."
"I will. How shall I do it! Oh, Lady Lisle, let me fight him--let me
punish him as he deserves!"
"No," she said; "he is too cunning.
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