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Show The C ourse of s True Love s . i THE room w a n da kness save fo a c rc e o gh be o e ttte b fe,h y bu n n o0 fi e n he fed kg ou d e ha dsuuie somewha po de ous lu n u e a ood ou ke 0 na spec ral g an s h ow n0 up n o brill ant e ef he ta 1 fl0ure o he woman by he man e p ece he face oeii down It was a beau fu face no longe young but w h a pe feet on of out ne and nob 1 ty of e press on whiXh gave p otn se o a beau Eu o d a0e Ana n even n0 d ess had entered and Btood on he h esho d tfaz na about h m A e you there Ha ry le called No Harry s not here she answered the am le fad n0 He hesitated and then came slow y oward J-er 1 did not see you E eonor ha Bald What a e you do ng in th a dark room, 1 was wait ng for vou He looked at her more closely ob serving for the f rst t me that she was d essed for some Targe function or me? D d you expect me? It Is the n ght of the Po ochs ball she repl ed In the same level tone ess vo ce. He laughed And you thought I should accom pany you My dear E eonor you ha 6 married a man too old for that so t of th n0 You shou d get a young ca al er Picard for nstance J am too o d He drummed wthhs fingers on tl a na tel she H s manner was not wholly at ease I am real y so y rieonor Had I known I shou d ha e made othe ar rangements he sa d She looked up s Aden anlroa t on almost ei.c ement, I t up her pa e features It la not too late You are n even ng dress We can stlU o fco gether "Wont you come? He must have been deaf not to ha e heard the d st net no e of earnest p ead ng n her voice I can only repeat Eleonor that X am sorry but I have prom sed Harry to go w tl ti n to the club to night Could you not go another n g t7 It la i nposs ble They are g vlng h m a farewell d nner Have you for gotten that he leaves us to join his Legation next wee ? THE POWER OP MONEY No she returned pass onately I do not grudge it you Mordaunt But it Is not to night, nor these last few days which he has taken from me but every n ght and every day almost s nee the hour we were married. You, have always thrust me on one s de because he engrossed your Interests because he needed your elp your advice What have you given me? Noth ng It has all been given to hm everj thing For me there has been i oth ng to spare from the very beginning it has been so Are you comp a n ng? he asked Have you not everyth ng you want? The entree into the best soc ety the companio sh p 0f men you choose to collect round you? Have you not money enough to grat fy every wish? Are you not satisfied The passion d ed as suddenly as It had been born She became as cold as composed as the man oppos te her You are right I am of course perfectlv satisfied she sa d quietly And you too, Mordaunt, you are perfectly satisfied? Perfectly By the way he added In a tone of perfect Ind fference my friend Prince OlofC s arriving from St Petersburg to morrow lie will stay in this ouse and I trust that you will see that he s fitt ngly received No ans ver was requ ed of her for at that moment a fresh yoking voice was heard calling Father are you comlngT I have been waiting hours S r Mordaunt a face 1 t up Yes yea, I am com ng my boy he answered And then w t a rapid change of voice Good n ght Good night she said. Even when ho had c osed his door she ma ntalned her rig d upr ght at t tude nor d d she move when a few m nutes later the door was again softly opened. I say mater are you the e came the ha f wh spew from the doorway Yes Harry she answered That s all right. 1 say mater Cohn has sent round those receipted b lis this morning It was awfu ly decent of sou you know I wont get n a mess again Tl e tall figure by the fire re nalned un espons ve and Harry Lasdale went on hes tat ng y I say j ou haven t told tl e pater have you? No She hea d father and son go laugl ing downstairs arm n arm perhaps a united affectionate pa r and she alone an outsider in their love It was true what the world had said. He had nevecloved her He had mar ried her because she pas a necess ty to his house to his caree to his son Th s boy stood between hem this worthless blindly adored boy whom she had so often shielded was heir to everything above all to the Jove of the man whose heart she had coveted and fought for ay and would fl0ht for She turned and rang the bell Te 1 James to ta e bac the car r age she commanded the footman who answe ed the call I am no go ng out to night Meanwhile S r Mordaunt accom panled by h 3 son went slowly down the staircase. Harry please wait an Instant I must go back. There s so neth ng I want to say to your mother some thing I forgot He broke off and 1 stened In the hall below they heard a smooth voice as ing for Ladv Las dale Harry glan ed at his fa her In the hall they were met by a well groomed man of about thi ty five who as he saw Lasda e ga e an almost Impercep ble start, and then bowed Lasdale advanced with coldly out stretched hand Ah Picard he said In his quiet est voice I hardly expected you so late Or perhaps your visit la In tended for my wife For Lady Lasdale7 Indeed no he ret rned with apparent surprise I hoped to find you at home Sir Mordaunt as I have something of interest to communicate If you have a moment to spare L sdale opened the door of nil library IT vou come n he e we shall be nnd u bed he sa d Har I sha 1 nl 00 e .., THE lfl MTV FCF 4CH OTIlEIl t e bv, bed on he e ec c 1 ght and c osed he don The t men fa ed each o her My bus neas concerns the affa r ol v h h ou spoke o me a few davs a o b r ordaun Sou o d me tha you Gove nmen had rece ved InTo ma o o he effe ha an em ssary om Russ a o he Court be e was etpec ed da y Lasda e nodded w hou speak ng ou sa d he was the bea er of an mportant treaty whose part culars your Government was des rous of obta n ng You even suggested that a large sum would be en exchange. That s true I came to niDh to te you hat I now vhG that em ssary a and wh h s mo ements a e 1 have also I bel e e means of obta n ng the de s ed pa cu ars Lasdale s face bet ayed no erao t on though he kn w that much was at stake By what day can you 0et them for me Pad cons de ed S al we say n three days t mer Ve y good I shall have the ex chan0e ready S Mordaunt said wl h a retu n of h a fa nt sm le I know you a e infall ble my dear P ca d P ca d bowed hat anks lo t nd of you Sir Mordaunt he sa d but s nee I am here I should be del g ted if I may to pay my re spects to Lady Lasdale II Ladv Lasdale sta ted violently out of her reve e The door 1 ad been qu etly opened and as qu etly clo"d Forg e this untiraelv vis t Ladv Lasda e P card said bowing over her extended hand but I hav just met your husband who gave me per miss on to offer myse t as at escort to the Polochs Eleanor Lasda e mot oned to her puest to be sea. ed It Is very nd of you she sa d nu etly but I have changed tny n nd My husband caunot go ejid so I do not care to Do I disturb you Lady Lasdale T be asked No she answered absently 1 was do ng nothing and am quite a one as you see Ah he sa d ajone Ah yes you a e often alone Lady Lasdale She looked at him sharply but he was gaz ng Into he fire As I told you I n et S r Mo daunt and bis so he went on d earn y I assure you it s alniosttouch ng to see him with that young fe low so absolutely wrapped up n h m is he notf Eleanor looked down at him with fro vnlng eyes What do you n ean by all this? she demanded haughtily He rose and faced her I do not hesitate to tell you Yo must know if you are to defend your self The world says that your hus band did not marry you for love 1 or what then? In order that his house might have a wort y representative in order that his worsh pped son m ght be able to Indu 0e In every luxury and extrava gance with your money! Lady Las dale it may not be true but the world can only Jude by what it sees. It sees you alone neglected, It sees Har y Lasdale 1 ving like a prince with his father constantly watching at h s side. Hush she broke In For your son s sake for yonr sake and at the risk of losing your friendship I shall tell sou what I 1 now lou and your chid are thrust aside are deprived of your just rights by a worthless boy who deceives 3 ou and hs fa her da ly and "whose name Is already stained with the wo st dishonor though h a father does not know it. D shonorl What has he done?" Ask Prince O off who comes here to morrow He was with Harry Las dale when he was attached to the Legation at St Petersbu g and he carries with him papers that would damn Sir Mo daunt s son forever as a thief and traitor Eleanor Lasdale stretched out her hand as though blindly seeking up port A thief and a traitor? she breathed Picard folded his arms Ha spo e qu et y but with a marked emphas s Hear me to the end Lady Lasdale The pape s once in your hands it would not be wise for you to use them S r Mordaunt would aslc ques t ons perhaps suspect jealousy and int igue Give them to me I shall be able to lay then before him as She bent forward and rang the bell Lady Lasdale do not be too rash he begged pass onately Think what yoa are do ng For your son s My son shall not profit by a theft s e sa d Ho bowed and e t the room as though he 1 ad not failed as though nothing of any import had passed be tween them. Mi The evening had been ted ous In the extreme The Prince their suest however seemed thoroughly pleased with h a ente talnment Toward a he rose. I am weary with my long Jour neJ he apologized with bis fa nt foreign accent Your port, my dear Lasdale and your wife s del ghtful vo ce have lulled me Into a dreamy state wh ch craves repose. Moreover he added in an u dertone wh ch did not escape Lady Lasda e s ears i must prepare myself for to morrows bus n ss- bus ness by the way which concerns you Concerns me' echoed Lasdale sm 1 ng Not verv p easantly 1 fear O off answered gravely As your f lend I would 1 ave preferred that the nils s on should ave fallen Into other lands but there Its all on the knees of the gods and I will not spo 1 you d earns Good n ght Ladv Lasda e aga n a thousand thanksK He kissed 1 e co d hand and with an other bow made h s languid graceful ex t Husband and wife were left a one You wee not at the Polochs ball las n ght? No she answered without moving Why not She looked at him gravely and he launghed Doubtless you had bette company at home he sugges ed 1 must confess, he went on b s vo ce sharp with bitter est sarcasm that you fulfil your duties towards Harry and myself ad mirably You prove daily how easy I mav fee respecting the honor ot our name which is in your keeping Mordaunt she exclaimed passion a e y He ra sed his hand I make no accusation he said do not b ame ou n any way and I make no demands on vou what de man s ha e I he r ght to make ex ept this one. that jou keep rour se f f ee from s anda X am no longer youn0 and 1 have see most of my hopes and idols c umb e On y wo en a n my name and my son. I beg 0 you hat you w I he p me a leas o p eie e he one ady Lasda e gazed afte h m he eves st 1 b igbt w th hot nd gna t on She had re mem be ed O on?s s an Scant itt e speech a speech wh ch for her had only one meanln0 To morrow Harry Lasda ea doom was o be sealed S Mordaunt had gone o b s room. He wa nterrup ed by k sha p m pe oua knock Who s here he cal ed The door was nstan y opened, and O off d so derly dressed s ood n h h esho d Lasdale he sa d hur ed y I e g e to d sturb you but ometh ng has happened. Lasda e beckoned h ro to come n. What is It Prince he asked He hai never seen h s p ac d f end so distu bed o off closed the door ba h nd him Lasdale he began I have to tel you now what I meant to re serve for to morrow I am or was. the beare of impo lant papers from my Government to the Government here You knew perhaps? Lasdale shrugged his shoulders You efer to the jiew treaty Yes, 1 knew someth ng of the sort was go Ing on I d d not know you were the go-between It was Intended most till the last mome t to keep the particulars secret f om England as thev are sea cely to her advantage Pecen events how e er ha e made t advlsab e to win her co operat on b certa n conces s ons and you as t e most discreet and tactful d plon at st were to un dertake the ve y de cate egotiations. Lasdale the papers were stolen from me fiye m nutes ago Lasda e 1 do t now how to tell you t was your w fe Lssdale ree ed back The min of I on studded se f contro became In that nstant weak and brokenly broken-ly wife he uttered and hen, as if he were ove vheln ed by some d eadful connection of thought added under h s breath Picard When Lasdale spoke he was once more perfectly calm Come with me he said. He led the way down the co rldor to h s wifes room He knocked at the door and enter ng beckoned Olo'Z to follow Lady Lasdale w th a th n white wrap flung over her sat n d ess stood by the f re She held an off c al look ng document, which as s e saw who entered she made no effort to conceal. Her husband approached her and she faced him, dead y pale. Eleonor he said Jn a voice which he could not wholly control papers of great Importance have been stolen ten minutes ago from Pr nee OlofC Prince Oloff knows tha these are the papers he seeks she sa Eleonor Lasdale broke out mad dened ave jou no sense of honor? Do you not realize what you have brought down upon me suspicion, d shonor d sgrace And at the in stigation of whom have you done this th ng? Her eyes d ated but she still maintained her s lence and he went on wildly You do not need to answer lou have sold me for the sake of a common paid spy for Picard for that n an If I return them It will also only be on a condition s e said. He smiled at her audac ty Pray what cond t on Is t at? That j ou swean never to show them to ray husband I cannot promise I brought them here for his cons derat on Before e t er .man could stop her she had turned and thjust the papers into the eart of the fire stamp ng them down into the flames That is my answer Bhe said quiet y T e express on o Lady Lasdale s face was a strange one Despair and a gentle thankfulness struggled for predominance Her husband was the first to speak. Eleonor he said what have you done I have no wish to shield myself" she answe ed w th a fa nt uncon scious emphas s on the last wo d O off w o ad been studying her with h s 1 een eyes advanced a step Lady Lasdale did you know the contents of those papers? I burnt those papers because they were an attack on someone someone that a Oloff sml ed tr umphantly Lady Lasda e as I thought vou a e labor! g u der a delus on Tho3e papers attacked no one They were of purely po tical impo tance and can easily be rep aced You have been ra sled by a dar ng scoundrel She stared at hinr wi h w de open d lated eyes her 1 ps parted. Then qu te suddenly s e san back on the sofa drawn up bv the fi es de and bur ed her face In her hands There was a momont s s ence Lasdale put his 1 and upon h s w f e a shoulder E eonor he sa d gen ly won t you tell me the truth? She loo ed up the tears roll ng down er ba e cheeks I know I have done wrong but P caard told me about those papers. ' He said they wou d prove Harry a th ef and a traitor He told me to tak6 them and give them to him to use against Harry Harry who had come between me and your love. Why d d sou not use them then? She turned away her head Tl ey said you never loved me. And you loved Harry and nd I was thin ing of jour two Idols vour last idols she sa d brokenly 1 could not bear that they too, should become dust You cared then for my happ ness for n e Eleonor Always she said. She saw then with a dawning un derstand ng that his eyes were d mmed v, 1 J d .20t ',n0w he 8a,a nor his breath I thought you hated H rry and and that I was only a necessary figurehead n vour life I did not 1now I am such a foolish old man How could i dare to hope so much? And because I was afraid Imagine afraid I never told you of the other idol the greatest of them all which I carried secretly with me which I shall carry with me to the verv end He was mll!ng a whimsical on steady smile yet one which she understood She pat her arms about his neck and drew him to her "And we have wasted four wh0iA years you and L she whispered cretfully " God grant us many vears to a(on mv w fe he answered kissing Thus Ladv Lasda e entered at last Into he r ghtful kingdom and the fo gotten Pr nee feeling that he wit nessed a happiness wh ch had no need of him t ptofcd softly from ths room |