Her
followers, concealing the girl under a huge caldron, stood round it
for her defence, and when the last man had fallen the victorious
suitor carried off the girl, and married her for her lands. This, too,
was a plain case of abducting an heiress, not indeed by violence, but
with consummate art. Setting aside the rare attractions of the lady,
in Moodie's estimation the prize was immense. L'Isle, with all his
lofty airs, was but a commoner, with perhaps no fortune but his sword,
a mere adventurer, and Lord Strathern's broad acres were an
irresistible temptation; though, in truth, this coveted domain counted
thousands of acres of sheep-walk to the hundreds of plough land.
Having made this matter clear to his own mind, Moodie cursed in his
heart Lord Strathern's fatuity and the facile disposition Lady Mabel
had so unexpectedly betrayed. But, though sorely troubled, he was not
a man to despair. He resolved to watch L'Isle closely, and to rack his
own invention for some way to foil his schemes, while taking care not
to betray the least suspicion of them.
Meanwhile, Lady Mabel, as she could not herself visit Algarve, was
extracting from L'Isle a full account of that delightful region.
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