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Show LINK BY" LINK. A THRILLING STOBY OP THE lEAHOO-PEUBSIAN WAE. 1V MAUItlCK LKUn.VNt). CHAPTER VI. TLEUl PjN tho ruined tower a mnn sat nlono. J?J Through tho darkness tbo stnr-light stnr-light shono. It foil on tho baro cold walls, and lit up tho gloomy ro-C08SC8, ro-C08SC8, whtlo light misty vapors, soft and Bllvory as smoko-wrcaths, floated in from tho rlvor, and dwelt shadow-lllco shadow-lllco In ovory nook and cornor. It was an ccrlo placo enough. A placo no man would dwell In from choleo u placo to which its prosont. occupant hud boon driven by tho sternest law thnt rulos human llfo nccosslty. llcstlcssly his oyo3 roved from sldo to sldo through tho vast dcsolato width of this legend-haunted hall. The bat's cold wings llnppod against his forehead, tho night-owls How to nnd fro through Its gloomy passages. Unspeakably Un-speakably dreary, unspeakably deso-lato, deso-lato, it scorned to him, who had a coward's shrinking fear, and a child's superstitious dread of darkness and lonollncss llko this. "Will sho novor como?" ho Bind to himself again and again, as ho llstonod in vain for tho Bignul ho longed to hear for tho uplah of tho oars In tho river below, nnd tho consciousness of a human prosonco to gladden, ovon for a fow brief moments, his self-enforced solitude soli-tude It wns an hour past midnight. mid-night. A foar of ill that had chanced, of dtscovory that threatened, threat-ened, fell upon his heart. Listening nnd wutohlnijjjrtWjvsilautes scorned long as hdVavAtcrKflnod with now droad, with nvor increasing fear. "If thoy havo discovered hor absonce followed hor oh hoavensl" ho mut-torcd mut-torcd in hta terror, whllo his oyes glared through tho shadows with tho fear of hunted animal brought to bay, und desperate. Whllo tho thought still hold him, tho familiar signal reached his oars. Ho started to his foot, und looked anxiously toward tho window, thon ropoatod it. Another Instant nnd a girl's light flguro swung itsolf through tho aporturo, and with deft soundlojs foot dropped safoly down on tho floor within. "Nlnottol" ho cried joyfully, thon trembled and turnod pnlo, for with rooting stops nnd ashy faco tho girl camo on tluough tho blnck nolsoloss gloom, and thon fell at his foot llko ono dead, Ho bent over hor, and a mortal terror ter-ror shook his limbs, an ley fear Bolzcd his jicart. Sonsoloss nnd still, llko a falling Btntuo, Bhe lay &t his foot, with tho cloud of hor rich waving hair, floating over hor motionless limbs, shrouding hor douth-llko faco. Ho called hor namo, ho chafed hor cold hands, ho dashed wntor on hor faco, ho tried, with oyes on which tonrs stood thick, nnd hands which trembled and shook llko tho weakest woman, to rovlvo hor sonscs, and rccnll llfo to tho btrlcken form. "Oh Godl Not this llfo tool" ho monnod, nnd tho sound of his volco In that Intcnso stillnoss socmed to him charged and fearful. Aftor iiwhlln hor sonsos roturnod, slow, qulvorlng broaths hoavod hor bosom n,nd pnrtod her lips; huroyos j wldo with torror, dark with pain I oponod on tho frightened faco nbovo hor. Sho know It, and rnlsod horsolf with Buddon strength, and shuddorod nwny from his touch us if it woro hateful. "Go, gol" sho crlod wildly. "Oh, thnt you had novor crossod my path!" llo looked at hor In amazement, scared by tho wild words, by tho blading blad-ing oyos. "What has happonod?" ho faltorcd. Sho rojo and facod him In tho gloom, with n dospnlr and a passion In her faco that awed him into shamed ro-mortoful ro-mortoful ullonco. "What? Only this that for your sako I havo lost lovo, homo, honor! Only this to keop my oath with you, I havo aucrlllcod my husband's heart, porhups his llfo. Oh, Hoavon! In my light, at loast, I stand to-day his mur-Serosa." mur-Serosa." You nro mnd!" ho gnspod In his bewilderment. Sho laughed wildly. ? I "Had! fcWell, perhaps I am. Thoro aro wrongs that turn youth to ago, and roason to madness, thoy say. Such wrongs aro mine. Do you know what ho tins said to-night? That I I, his wlfo. havo betrayed nnd deceived deceiv-ed him that I steal from his sldo In tho midnight darkness to moot another an-other lovor. Ho you hoar? A lover. And I could hear that and say nothing." noth-ing." "You did not confess?" Tho frightened fright-ened voice, tho terrlflod fact recalled hor to herself. Sho looked nt him In muto scorn. "Aro you afraid of that?" No, I con-fosscd con-fosscd nothing." Ho drew a long, deep breath of ro-llof. ro-llof. "Thank Godl" ho muttered. Sho turned florcoly on him. "That Is all you say nil you think. It Is not for his suffering for my shnmo that you caro; and onco I bollovod you loved mo!" "I do lovo you," ho said earnestly. "Yes, with u wavering, sottish lovo that rocks not of tho HI it brings, or I enduro. Oh, heir mo," bIio pleaded, passionately clasping his hands in hor own, "hear mo for onco and hnvo pity! Itoloaso mo from my oath, and lot mo toll him all. Ho will do you no harm for my sake. I will buy his release; re-lease; I will follow hlin to tho battlo field Itsolf; I wlll nook him through tho length and breadth of Franco, it you will only glvo mo lcavo to confess nil to clear myself In his oyos forever." for-ever." Ho looked at her, wrathful and desperate des-perate In his sudden angor. "What you alc Is mndncss," ho Bald; "It would glvo ono or tho other of us to cortnln death, und tho guilt would bo yours. Did you sny ho had joined tho army this rash hot-headed foolP" "How daro you miscall him?" sho flashed out wnthfully, "you a coward cow-ard und " A warning look stop-pod stop-pod hor words. "It Is not for you to upbraid mo," ho said. "As for what you ask, It Is imposslblo doubly Imposslblo now slnco, by his rashness, your husband hns placed himself In direct antagonism antagon-ism to mo. I cannot afford to ruin mysolf for a woman's caprlco. As I said beforo tho tlo botwoeu us is too strong for you to brouk tho oatli that binds you to sorvo mo comes boforo yojr murrlngo vows." Sho lookod him full in tho oyes. In hor own glowed tho light of despair; tho ro-boIvo ro-boIvo of -ono fixed and determined upon somo course of action, who counts not tho dnngor that lies in tho path, nnd would perish in tho attempt. "You think so?" sho questioned very calmly "Woll, I do not.' Nevertheless, Nev-ertheless, havo no foar of mo, I wlll not botray you. I camo at peril of my llfo to wnrn4 you now. I have been trucked horo by a woman, vllo of tonguo nnd cruol of heart. If sho suspects you, I know not. In any caso this placo Is no longor safo." Ho started. "And you havo dolaycd thus?" Hor faco flushed with scoru, her oyos surveyed mockingly. "Do you hear tho pursuor's stop already?" al-ready?" "Do not play with mo." ho said with suddon fierceness. "If thoro Is dnngor(-8ay bo." "Thoro Is dangor," sho unsworcd him calmly, "but wo sook It honco-forth honco-forth togothor." llo looked at hor In amazement. "What do you moan? Is this a tlmo for jost?" "Heaven knows It Is not, nolthor havo I tho will to attompt It. What 1 say I moan. I havo no homo," hor volco qulvorod, "no sholtor, no lovo to lovo to look for, snvo yours. You offered of-fered It onco, nnd I refused if "Hut now, whop sholtor means dangor dan-gor andi protection death, you nc-copt?" nc-copt?" lib said In wondor. "Even so." "I thought I know Bomothlng of women," tho man muttcrod, looking lit hor with doubtful and reluctant admiration. ad-miration. "I boo I was wrong." For nn Instant silonco roigncd between be-tween them. Hor faco looked bloodloss us marble, rosoluto as despair. Tho words sho hnd just uttered had cost hor moro than it was in him to Imagine. "You mean It?" ho asked hor at lougth. "Of a certainty I do," sho unsworcd wearily. "I hnvo no homo I can nevor look In his faco, nor touch his hand until my oath Is absolved. I may ns woll shnro your peril as llvo hero In a shnmo thnt will poison my wholo future. Ho will novor boliovo In mo again." Tho muto despair, tho utter hopclossnoss in hor faco and words, touched ovon his Boldshncss. "It Is u hard fato," ho said slowly. "To loso nil through mo. Can vou hoar It?" "Aftor what I havo borno to-day," sho said with tut irony that touched him to tho quick, "you can nsk thntl I had to ohooiio botweon you both, nnd choso you!" Ho flushed from chin to brow, unci remained muto with u shrinking hesitation that told of tho Btruggjo within. "Wo go togothor thon?" ho usked faintly ut last. Slip lifted har bowed head und lookod nt him J. Bhivor ran through hor graceful limbs, ntid on nor iu;o glowed tho martyidom of despair. "Yes." BBBBBBBBBBBh - I I A momontary joy qulvorcd over the handsomo womanish foaturos of tho man who had wronged and insnarcd her. "So bcstl" ho said gayly. "Onco wo cscapo out of this cursed country. It will go hard with mo if I do not win you such spbn-dor spbn-dor und such happlnoss as you would never havo found in yonder dreary hamlet." Sho mado no answer. In hor hoart sho asked hortolf with bit-tor bit-tor mockery; "Gold; will that contont, having lost lovo?" Then through tho chill damp gloom of tho breaking dawn thoy crept llko hunted guilty things to tho boat that was moored beneath tho ruined casements, case-ments, and so floated on down tho misty rlvor to tho new day and tho now llfo boyondl TO UE CONTINUED. |