Show HER GUARDED HONOR FROM ST v f K sir alln Au ln said helen courtnay lift languishing eyes she well knew how to ui to hla handsome face as ho stood even absently playing with hift lc silky mustache thoughts havo been very far lor bo twirled slightly as she aporte bat answered her in ids gallant way that modo it hard for any woman to say that ho paid her onoro attention than i iother after the honor of such a request from miss could I 1 lo 10 absent meanwhile you birely will not be so cruel ats to condemn us to n boating without your presence F abc well I 1 suppose we must go and ret tho boats out while we ladies docsa iio bowed and turned away with lord Mount fane tho rest dispersed to dress somo to boat others to drive or walk or ride remarked to tho dashing widow as alicy s towards the hall I 1 do wonder how it Is austin does not marry ho is thirty arlit I 1 believe though ho look 11 ily dear you must teach him to better his condition only take care I 1 remember some years ago hearing boscono say tharo had been a story at onn lime of 1 marriage absurdly Abs tho heiress with a scornful toss of glicr head aay heard of eliat gossip about here some girl ho had down at a little panco years ago at leist and she left him in two months mr her head fits not that story then my dear for I 1 never heard of it hut of course ilal all absurd they always set up somo nonsense or other tho beauties I 1 mean to account for such an eligible match remaining for eighteen years obdurate to jhc thc ir charms you forget said alio heiress eliat lis only alvo years ho him become tio owner of park ravens place and two thousand a apar is hardly enough for himself with his position anil tastes that is true enough liu glied the jidov hutTi vc years is plenty of time to fiill a wife if lie meant to do so lir s i flirl no bayl miss courtany Courtn ny laughing too he is not but it certainly is ald I 1 should like to know moro of ahat story oil ifor dear I 1 dont believe tharo WAS anything but alic gossip in it all from beginning to end said mrs rather alarmed lest helen should forsh ohad made up mentally a match between her and austin r III SCORING A SUCCESS pleased hi absence of ilsa catesby irv lilan was crammed ru ayoob rm glad to say my to viula as alio ino ii greenroom green room attired in the dress of arrah na coyite tho swell people of the torii and in boxes and stalls A party arc hero too from the place of the county Mount fano i acro wasa secret eagerness or fear the next careless question lie guessed it who are abo leading people ant know moro than adam my ly loril and my lady of course li belr a lot of them 1 l iway and made a remark lifpord us liu entered I 1 you played in london before mr morton olic olics s but not for several years 1 I suppose these are very grand collm nrc they not 1 fancy they arc misa valero aliey an here to so you ivall scot liem i sir austin occupied 1 box his cousins wife lucy helen courtnay and mrs Ion anil as lie sat beside tho heiress half veiled by alic curtain his view of alic stage was perhaps alic best after all no worse than eliat of the ladies who sat full in front you look said miss courtnay glancing pretty into liis handsome face as if you were prepared beforehand to be bored my dear miss courtnay how could I 1 possibly bo bored now ans alio with a glance that pointed tho compliment but perhaps you used to alio best foreign school pursued the young lady anro thinking with some terror of what the noting may be in a provincial town pardon me again fair ladal morton is clover and rising and you heard what said of this halcro and if the quotations on the bills arc all true jhc has acon well trained in paris have iou ever seen her no never alicy say she is beautiful remarked miss courtnay fliming keenly at him but then thiry are so madu up on the arc they not sometimes if but no up can make an actually beautiful liss courtnay unless sho really lias cl mins ellec ell wc shall soon sec whether the halcro wins alio epithet beautiful from your critical lips am I 1 so very critical courtnay 1 I think so some minds form an ideal dout they inch reality can never r aver ho not eca it it absent A form a face that long years ago biad looked up in his own its place on his bosom at oncel ns ideal and reality ot all an artist might and man an exquisite into the gods liml bre allied life and warmth and soul ho aw it now 13 lie leaned back veiling ills looks with ono hand saw ajic great tender dark eyes alio half greek alio broad full brow the sweet linn ho had almost started when helen whispered suddenly touching him look look lie dropped ilia liand carelessly more to her than because ho and lifted his own dark eyes towards alio stage only to turn deathly pale as every drop of blood rushed back on alio wild beating heart only to set his like a vice draw back so that ho could watch every figure on the iange himself shaded from view only for liia intent gate to follow watch one form one face that had suddenly sprung into life before him after long years what ho heard helens voice saying enthusiastically as the act drop fell what powerful y uch passion and pathos all for alio broke into applause and cries for morion and which would not bo denied and the actress was smiling 13 Clil Tord morion led her across alio on which she had just scored such unmistakable success austin still leaned kick and answered alic remarks of liis fair companion in his usual manner but at bow sir austin helen exclaimed docs this actress please your fastidious both in appearance and entirely miss courtnay she is far too good to bo in alio provinces quito true austin bald lady I 1 shall try to be arst to her my bouquet added miss courtnay or make you do it for me air austin how little she guessed ho feeling that gave moro warmth to liis answer and made him begin to think glicr moro than a lovely woman of fashion no no dear miss courtnay let generous beauty crown genius not lucli 1 hand as luino tho of pleasure deepened on thai fair glicck as she glanced up neet robert denham could scarcely have wished for more enthusiastic applause than that which greeted him at alic conclusion of alic drama helen courtnaye Court nays costly bouquet in ils gold holder fell at miss valcros Val cros fcc t A glance up 1 sweeping bow and bright smile told helen that llin actress kuca whence il had come but only one in all that theatre knew alio bitter sorrow and weariness of heart which that witching smile with all its brightness so pathetic and then she was gone from his sight what was she what had alio been to him then this beautiful viola yu CHAPTER IV n THE MAt mataiys AInS STOUT alio vehicles that had brought alic may rough inns party at alic stage door kut robert Ten liam noticed eliat viola looked very weary and whispered it is n splendid night and not very far to the may rough my dir would you like just to walk tharo instead of bt illing in these lumbering country luigs oh please how kind if you do not mind mindl I 1 inucci pt it my head aches a little and the walk will do it good and so they started for their wall well take alio way round alic road to the station turns off he said and we shall gut n pretty lait of country lane how quiet these provincial streets arc now liow still anil peaceful the miss halcro 1 dont think ive felt so well happy for eighteen years I 1 am very clad viola answered softly 1 half sigh that to say there was little happiness in her heart it is well eliat even in our sufferings there are moments of rest to some at least not to glicr lie thought as ho answered 1 I suppose there nrc then moments when wo can veil our skeleton and shut bic door on our past bot jhc said if that past be too bitter can wo 1 I do not think you could child eaid after a pause and I 1 know that I 1 cannot they walked on in silence until alicy had readied alie outskirts of loden of alic manager had spoken and as alicy entered this road the sound of wheels behind made both pause and draw near alio hedge as n carriage came almost up Is this alio way into godun master called the driver im new here quite it sald denham youre adrift turn back and kern the high road to your right and bo in loden in a few moments and the man turned liis horse at once and oft briskly alio manager remarking a laugh as lie turned to look after alio carriage his faro will lind every place shut 1 fancy and as lie so turned a woman looked out from the rutn vehicle straight back at him in the cold moonlight it was but bornn instant but in that second robert denham with a cry eliat startled alie actress sprang from her side after the carriage only fifty yards or so and lie stopped put up liis hand as if dizzy and slowly returned ho sank down on a felled tree shaking from head to buot viola put glicr hand on liis shoulder with the touch that only a lender true hearted woman can give no word alio knew too well what suffering asu for eliat but as she bent over the bowed form a lot tear fell on his locked lie lifted a ghastly face ah child child rosy alio phantom of your past never rise ap before yon 09 alno haj done this night how can I 1 thank you for your sweet bilant sympathy how ask you to forgive mo for for picaso dont she said very gently i those alio have who suffer can best feel for sorrow ho rose up slowly ns donowho had through some great physical exhaustion and as tho actress clasped both her hands on his arm as a daughter might have done ho laid his own upon did yon sea the faco in that carriage he asked xo I 1 did not look back it was my wife he said low and brokenly the woman I 1 loveal how I 1 loved harl the actress divined all now the old sad story how terribly near her own it caino in one way slie best knew it goes liaos more than eighteen years when I 1 first met her a lovely most bewitching gill of two or three and twenty I 1 was not I 1 knew her equal for gently born though then an orphan and only a governess in the family where I 1 taught elocution sly father had been but a custom house officer and never laid claim to more gentility than lie got from a upright diameter a good education and honest name xo more do J and deeply madly as I 1 loved that girl I 1 dont believe I 1 ever have dared to tell her so if sho had not one day let me alio cared for me at least I 1 thought so then he faiwl and tor a few steps went on in eile noo Ilind sonic little means beside profession and when I 1 married her took her to a pretty little home in the northern outskirts of london for I 1 was then on 1 six term it the I 1 was happy then my I 1 lear elioso few short months and after aliat all was and disgrace I 1 with a company on a tour to ireland and could not take charlotte she pouted and was vexed nt that her life was dull sho declared for alio first time bac had abat I 1 should ba a great actor liy now and courted by all but still we parted there was nol liing of coldness or temper and all that three ln I 1 was counting the days and looking to the man slopped almost but the little hand on hiis arm clung closer though it trembled terribly and alie low coit voice at his side trembled as it spoke ariu shall not go on indeed please do not is liello more child to tell I 1 came ono night to lidid my home shattered my disgraced charlotte was gone I 1 think my dear that fur days I 1 was neaily mad and I 1 len bcd from lic servant eliat a week after my departure ilic and gone away lo 10 the seaside slie said but left no ik arc and used to up every Pat y for letters the before she biad taken away everything aliat lind been left and had never re but biad written from dover mci f v saying eliat alio was never coming bac slie had never cared tor me her companion was more congenial to her linn 1 could ever have been anat heaven IH aham broke out sudden tierce passion if I 1 could but isad the I 1 would kill presently viola malcre asked then you never saw glicr or heard of her again til just now all these eighteen years slie glanced up at him and put another question forgive me you will not try to her again see her iby heaven no slie need not fear me I 1 turn back just now because I 1 would not see glicr alic charlotte I 1 loved is lend only only she left a poisoned sting iu the wound alio knew me too viiu will probably lly from loden tomorrow to morrow seel is alio inn ahead and over havens place I 1 am not alio llio only one alio is stabbed by a woman you sec you lioard the tell that talc and the proud it loved the girl whether sho was his wife or not who descried him so cruelly dont sy thai of glicr alic actress said under breath we do not know perhaps the may have lied from not into it very well it have been so ho opened alic gale of alic inn garden as lie not seeing that she was ghastly ghist ly white as slie entered wu arc very much 1 ter alian the rest said deisham arc you prepared tor plenty of jokob miss wo must expect it I 1 suppose sho answered wearily 1 I wis there were nothing more cruel in alic woisil her was echoed and bogli entered the where their comrades were at supper when of course both manager and actress were unmercifully bantered about moonlight walks and alio like hut at last alic young actress was alone in glicr chamber and hung herself on her knees by the couch a burst of passionate agony 1 I too lied from hiis home my darling my I 1 him come back to such an awful blank as thail but oil heaven 1 I 1 was not his wife not hiis wife and I 1 feared myself and CHAPTER V aften LONG so that night biad suddenly risen before bogli those men alio very phantoms of the past to the one the placid moonlight in a lonely country road to alic other in 3 theatre behind the glitter and glare oi bolc naw k |