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Show Nti W?'7ffa Sabatini's greatest story of love and adventure m' by vFAEL SABATINI SYNOPSIS Sir Oliver Tressilian, renowned for his exploits on the Spanish Main, is betrothed to Rosamund Godolphin; but because of personal mmity growing out of land disputes dis-putes the marriage is opposed by both Rosamund's brother, Peter, and her guardian. Sir John KiUt-grew. KiUt-grew. Peter takes every opportunity opportu-nity to manifest his antagonism md finally one' day, in a drunken rage, insults Sir Oliver and strikes him with his whip. In the hearing of severml witnesses, Oliver utters i threat to kill him; but th thought, of Rosamund deters him. But Oliver's young half-brother, Lionel, that night accomplishes what Oliver would have liked to do, and comes home wounded from the encounter. Peter, Lionel relates, re-lates, still drunk and in a fit of jealous anger over a woman, had affronted him and drawn his sword; his own he drew merely in self-defense. But with no witnesses to attest to tlie truth of this statement state-ment Lionel could be accused of Peter's murder were hi3 part in it to be known. Terror-stricken, he extracts a promise from Oliver to tell no one. The next morning Sir Oliver himself stands accused. He hurries -to Rosamund to deny the charge to her first of all, but she refuses to beUeve him. CHAPTER V (continued) "It seems," said a harsh voice hehlnd him, "that you fear God as little as aught else." He wheeled sharply to confront Sir John Killigrew, who had entered en-tered alter him. "So," he said slowly, and his eyes grew hard and bright as agates, "this is your work," And he waved a hand toward Rosamund. It was plain to what he alluded. "My work?" quoth Sir John. He closed the door, and advanced into the room. "Sir, It seems your audacity, your shamelessness transcends all bounds. Your " "Have done with that, Sir Oliver Interrupted him. and smote his great fist upon the' talSe. He was suddenly swept by a gust of passion. I "Leave words to fools, Sir John. ! add criticisms to those that can defend de-fend them better." "Aye you talk like a man of hlnnd. Yrtli come heefnrinff it here long tirade. It was Raaamuad vfc gave Sir Oliver his answer. "You ran no risk of repressa. from any do you sayT" He turned and was abashed. Hi knew the thought that was runnhw in her mind. "You mean." he said slovty gently, his accents charged wtui reproachful Incredulity, "that I us so base and false that I could U this fashion do what I dared net for your sake do openly? what you mean. Rosamund! burn wjth shame for you that yen can think Buch thoughts of ou whom whom you professed t Sove." Her coldness fell from her Under the lash of his bitter, haul scornful accents her anger mount, ed, whelming for a moment eves her anguish la her brother's deau. "You false deceiver!" she cried,. 'There are those who heard yoi vow his death. Your very words i have been reported to me. AH from where he lay they found trail of blood upon the snow tint ran to your own door. Will yoi still lie?" They saw the color leave Mi face. They saw his arms drop limply to his sides, and his eyes dilate with obvious, sudden fear. "A a trail of blood ?" he faltered stupidly. "Aye, answer that!" cut In Sir John, fetched suddenly from out' his doubts by that reminder. Sir Oliver turned upon Killigrew again. "I can not answer it," he sail, but very firmly. In a tone Out brushed aside all Implications. "H you say it was so, so it must haw been. Yet when all Is said, what does It prove? Does it set It be-yond be-yond doubt that It was I win killed him? Does It Justify U woman who loved me to believe me a murderer and something worse?" He paused, and looked at her again, a world of reproach 1b hit glance. "Can you suggest what else It proves, sir?" quoth Sir John, sad there was doubt In his voice. Sir Oliver caught the note of It, and a sob broke from him. "O God of pity!" he cried eat "There Is doubt in your voice, anil there Is none In hers. You wen my enemy once, and have since been In a mistrustful truce with me, yet you can doubt that I dM this thing. But she she who loved me has no room for any doubt!" SYNOPSIS Sir Oliver Tressilian, renowned for his exploits on the Spanish Main, is betrothed to Rosamund Godolphin; but because of personal snmity growing out of land disputes dis-putes the marriage is opposed by both Rosamund's brother, Peter, and her guardian, Sir John Killigrew. Killi-grew. Peter takes every opportunity opportu-nity to manifest his antagonism. In a drunken rage one day, in the presence of Parson Flack and Justice Jus-tice Baine, he insults Sir Oliver, strikes him with his whip and rides off. Uttering a threat to kill him, Oliver starts in furious pursuit. But as his anger cools he realizes that Rosamund would never forgive for-give him if he should harm her brother and he turns his horse homeward. But Oliver's young half-brother, Lionel, that evening accomplishes what Oliver would have liked te do, and comes home wounded from the encounUr. Peter, still drunk, Lionel relates, and in a fit of jealous jeal-ous anger over a woman, had affronted af-fronted him and drawn his sword; his own he drew merely in self-defense. But with no witnesses to attest at-test to the truth of this statement Liwnel could be accused of Peter's murder were his part in it to be known. Terror-stricken, he extracts a promise from Oliv to tell no one of his wounds. CHAPTER V THE BUCKLER It was old Nicholas who brought the news next morning to the brothers as they were breaking their fast Lionel should have kept his bed that day; but dared not, lest the fact should arouse suspicion. He had a little fever, the natural result both of his wound and of hi3 loss of bleod; he was inclined to welcome wel-come rather than deplore it, since it set a flush on cheeks that other-Wise other-Wise must have Jooked too pale. So leaning upon his brothers Rim be came (Jown to a breakfast of herrings and small ale before the tardy sun of that December morning morn-ing was well risen. Nicholas burst in upon them with a white face and shaking limbs. He gasped out his tale of the event in 4 yolce of terror, and both brothers affectod to be shocked, dismayed and Incredulous. But the worst part of the old man's news, the true cause of his terrible agitation, was yet to be announced. "And they do zay." he cried with anger quivering through his fear, "they do zay that it were you that killed he. Sir Oliver!" "I?" quoth Sir Oliver, staring, and suddenly like a flood there burst upon his mind a hundred rea- to take his reins. Seeing that bob stirred "How now?" he cried. "Does bo one wait here? Hither, sirrah, and hold my horse." The groom addressed hesitated a moment, then, under the stare of Sir Oliver's hard, commanding eye, he shuffled sullenly forward to do as he was bid. A murmur ran through the group. Sir Oliver flashed a glance upon it, and every tongue trembled Into silence. In that silence he strode up the steps, and entered tha rush-strewn hall. As he vanished he heard the hubbub behind him break out anew, fiercer than It had been before. But he nothing heeded It He found himself face to face with a servant, who shrank before him, staring as those In the courtyard court-yard had stared. His heart sank. K was plain that he came a little late already: that the tale had got there ahead of him. "Where Is your mistress?" said he. "I I will tell her you are here, Sir Oliver," the man replied In a voice that faltered: and fcw passed through a doorway on the right. Sir Oliver stood a moment tapping tap-ping bis boots with his whip, his face pale, a deep line between his brows Then the man reappeared, closing the door after him. "Mistress Rosamund bids you depart, de-part, sir. She will not see you." A moment Sir Oliver scanned the servant's face or appeared to scan It. for It Is doubtful If he saw the fellow at all. Then for only answer he strode toward the door from which the man had issued. The servant set his back to It, his face resolute. "Sir Oliver, my mistrees will not see you." "Out of rtyay!" he muttered In his angry, contemptuous fashion, and as the man persistent In his duty stood his ground. Sir Oliver took him by the breast of his Jacket, heaved him aside and went in. ' She was standing In mid-apartment, dressed by an odd Irony all In bridal white, that yet was not as white as was her face. Her eyes like two black st'lnSj solemn and haunting as they fastened upon this intruder who would riot be refused. Her Hps parted, but she had no word for him. She just stared In a horror that routed all his audacity and checked the masterfulness o! his advance. At last he spoke. "I see that you have heard." said he. "the lie that runs the countryside. country-side. That Is evil enough. But I see that you have lent an ear to It; and that Is worse." She continued to regard him with a cold look of loathing. "Rosamund!" he cried, and approached ap-proached her. by another step. "Rosamund! I am here to tell yon that It Is a lie." (n the very house of the dead In Lhe very house upon which you have Ciist this blight of sorrow and murder " "Have done, I say. or murder there will be!" His voice was a roar, his mien terrific. And bold man though Sir fohn was, he recoiled. Instantly Sir Oliver had conquered himself again. He swung to Rosamund. "Ah. forgive mp!" he pleaded. "I ;m marl stark mad with anguish at the thing imputed. I have not loved your hrnthcr, it is true. But na I swnre to you. so have 1 done -have taken blmvs from him. and smiled: but ypf' -ny in a public place he affron, I me. lashed me across the face with his riding-whip, riding-whip, as I siill bear the mark. The man who says I were not justified in having killed him for it is a liar and a hypocrite. Yet the thought f fee mJ "iJFr "Rosamundl' he cried,., am here to tell you that It Is a lie.'" of you, Rosamund, the thought that he was your brother sufficed to quench the rage In which he left me. And now that by some grim mischance he has met his death, my recompense for all my patience, for all my thought for you is that I am charged with slaying him, and that you believe this charge." "She has no choice." rasped Killigrew. Killi-grew. "Sir John," he cried, "I pray you do not meddle with her choice, a fool, and a fool's counsel is a rotten rot-ten staff to lean upon at any time. Why God o' mercy! Assume that I desired to take satisfaction for the affront he had put upon me; do you know so little of men. and of me of all men, that you suppose I should go about my vengeance in this hole-and-corner fashion to set a hangman's noose about my neck? A fine vengeance that, as God lives! "Was it so I dealt with you. Sir John, when you permitted your tongue to wag too freely, as yon have yourself confessed? Heaven's light, man! Take a proper view; consider was this matter likely. I take It you are a more fearsome antagonist than was ever poor Peter Godolphin, yet when I sought satisfaction of yon I sought It boldly bold-ly and openly, as Is my way. When we measured swords in your park at Arwenack we did so before witnesses wit-nesses In proper form, that the survivor might not be troubled with the Justices. You know me welL and what manner of man I am with my weapons. Shonld I not have done the like by Peter If ' I had sought his life? Shonld I not bare sought It In the same open fashion, and so kfUed htm at ray pleasnra and leisure, and without risk or reproach from any?" Sir John was stricken thoughtful. thought-ful. But whilst he stood frowning and perplexed at the end ; (kalj " 'Have done with that,' Sir Oliver Interrupted him, and smote his great fist upon the table." "Sir Oliver," she answered him, "the thing you have done has broken quite my heart Yet knowing know-ing all the taunts by which yon were brought to such a deed I coald have forgiven it I think, even though I could no longer he yonr wife; I could have forgiven It, I say, but for the baseness of your present denial." He looked at her. white-faced instant then turned on his heel and made for the door. There he paused. "Your meaning Is quite plain," said he. "It is your wish that I shall take my trial for this daea." He laughed. "Who will accuse me to the Justices? Jus-tices? Will you. Sir John?" "If Mistress Rosamund so desires me," replied ths knight "Ha! Be It so. But do not think I am the man to suffer myself to be sent to the gallows upon sack paltry evidence as satisfies that lady. If any accuser comes to bleat of a trail of blood reachtni to my door, and of certain words 1 spoke yesterday In anger, I wUj take my trial but It shall be trud by battle upon the body of my accuser. ac-cuser. That la my right and I wd have every ounce of It Do yo doubt how God will pronounce? I call npon Him solemnly to pre-nonnce pre-nonnce between me and such one. If I am guilty of this thin may He wither my arm whan I enter the llsta." "Myself I will accuse you." fa Rosamund's dull voice. "And you wllL yen may claim your rlf against me, and batcher me as T butchered klm." j "God forgive yon, Rosams' i said Sir Oliver, and went siV - il ft ooaUawdl j " sons, overlooked until this moment that inevitably must urge the countryside coun-tryside to this conclusion, and. to this conclusion only. "Where heard you that foul lie?" In the tumult of his mind he never heeded what answer waa returned re-turned by Nicholas. There was one course to take, and he must take It instantly as he had taken It once before In like case. He must Jtraight to Rosamund to forestall the tale that others would carry to her. God send he did not come too late already. He stayed for no more than to get his boots and hat then to the stables for a horse, and he was away over the short mile that divided di-vided Penarrow from Godolphin Court, going by bridle track and meadow straight to his goal. He met none until he fetched up In the courtyard at Godolphin Court Thence a babble of excited voices had reached him as he approached. But at sight of him there fell a general gen-eral silence, ominous and staring. A dosen men or more were assembled assem-bled there, and their eyes considered consid-ered him first with amazement and curiosity, then with sntlen anger. He leaped down from bis saddle; and stood a moment waiting tor ens of tha three Oodelphln grooms t fcs4 parcefred la Uul eesitU "You had best go," she said, and her voice had In It a quality that made him tremble. "Go?" he echoed stupidly. "You bid me go? You will not hear me?" "I consented to hear you more than once; refused to hear others who knew better than L and was heedless of their warnings. There is no more to be said between us. I pray God that they may take and hang you." He was whita to the lips, and for the first time in his life he knew fear and felt his great limbs trembling trem-bling under him. "They may hang me and welcome wel-come since you believe this thing. They could not hurt me more than you are doing, nor by hanging me could they deprive me of anght I value, since your faith In me la a thing to be blown upon by the first rumor of the countryside." He saw the pale lips twist themselves them-selves Into a dreadful smile. "There Is more than rumor I think," said she. "There la more than all your lies will ever serve to cloak." "Myllesrhecrled. -Rosamond, I swear to yon by my honor that I have had no hand In the slaying of Peter. May God rot me whera I stand If this be not true!" |