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Show lllisiiii B S -R; CROCKETT. Auttor of '7Tto &i(cetav milult ivd ltuv by 8 II (.r.Kkell.i CHAPTBR XXVI. Theresa Keeps Troth, But they had reckoned without Ingres Ing-res von l.ynar ( nrail and Joan esme back from thi ruined fortlSca-tlon. fortlSca-tlon. silent mostly hut thrilled with th thoughts ot that whlrh their eyos bad awn their can h ard Etch had listened to thu beating of the otber'f hcurt lloth knew they were beloved Nuihlng could alter that any more for. ver Ai tlioy hid gone out with Thcreaa watching tbia from the dusk of the garden arcades, their bands had drawn logeltier Kyes had sought answering tiyea at esth dip of the path Thty bad llirtvned for the flncit hides of meaning- In one another'! voices and taken courage or !ot hope from the droop of an eyelid or tho quiver of a syllable Jvuw all was changed They knew that whlrh they knew And now Therein ton l.ynar, the woman who had given her boauty and her life llko a little Valentine' gift (Into the hand ot the man the loved, content that ho should take or throw away nil pleased I'lm beet Theresa Von Ljnir inttt there two who In their new glory of renunciation thought that thoy had 'plumbed the abyssos ot lute, when at yet they hnd taken no more than n tingle sounding In the narrow seas She --.-.. utood looking nt theiu a they came ' toword her, with a aympathy that wai moro than mere tolerance "Von have faced the untlilne'" Thua the greeted them an they came "Hit awhile with me In the aliade I havo hero n bower where Maurice loved to play before he left me None savo I hulli entered It alnce that day." It was a ainall, ruitlc, eight-sided lodge, thatched with heather, , It lat tlced window a wide open and creeper-grown, creeper-grown, to which Thereaa led them It had been well kept and when Joan found hereelt within a sudden access Iot tenderness for thu lonely mother,' who had offered herself like a sncrl-flco sncrl-flco upon nn altar took possession other. ot-her. For about tho walla was fattened a dead chlld'a pitiful armoury Home-P Home-P mado awnrda of lath arrows winged If with tho caat foalhern ot the wood- f k land, crooked bows, the broken crock- f ery ot n hundred Imnglned banquets jj I thoic, and many mote, wero carefully Wf kept lii place with Immedlato and lov- Li, -'MMinKKc.rganMaurlca would bo back 'k again prewntiyj Uic7"i,'iuliJ,toiri I 1 and would take up bis play Just whoro V. I bo lctt It "y " There wa alienee In "the arbor for I n space, a alienee which no one of tho I three wai anilnua to break For Joan 1 thought of her promlae Conrad of I Joan, and Thereaa of her eon It wai I the latt who apoke I "Somehow to-day It I Itorne In upon J me that Kernaberg baa fallen and that I m) Hin la In hi enemy' hand!" Joan started to her feet and tbruit 1 her hand n llttlo out In front ot her a It to ward oft a blow ''How can you know that?" lho cried "Who No, It cunnot be. Kerniborg wns victualled fort a yeai It was filled with lirnre men M) captains ard itnuuch The thing l i Impossible" Theresa von I.)nnr. wlih her oyc on tho waving In lege which alter nately ruvonlcd nnd eclipsed tho ruddy globes ot tho npples on tho orchard trees, slowly shook her heard, ; "I cannot loll you how I know," iho aid, "novcrtholesa I know Hero la something which tell nje " Sho laid i her hand upon her heart "Those who aro long alono beside the tea hear olces and aco visions "But It I Impossible urged Joan, ''or, It It bo true, win am I kept hero? :, I will go and dlo with my peoplol" "It Is my son's will said Therein J Kissed It humbly ,9 "tho will ot the son "of Henry the I.lon Ho 1 llko hl father there- hj fore women will do his will'" Tho word wore not spoken bitterly, but as a slmplo statement of fact. Joan looked nt this woman and understood un-derstood for the first time that she was the strongest spirit ot all greater great-er than her father, better than herself. her-self. And perhap because of this, nobility and sacrifice stirred emulous j ly In her own breast. "Madam," she said, looking directly I ' at ThVeaa von Lynar "It I time that you and I understood earn other I hold myself, co true UuNieat of Iiobcn- stela an long n your on lives My fathers compact and condition are of no effect The Diet of the Umpire would canri I them In a moment I will therefore take no real until this thing Is madi clear I awiar that your son shall be Ihike Maurice and sit In his father a place as la right and fitting for me I ask nothing but the daughter a portion a grange aueh aa this aa solitary and as aceful, a garden to delve and a bcac,h to wander wan-der upon at otel" Aa ahe apoke Theresa' eye sudden ly brightened A proud high look ml on the fulness of her lip, which grnd nail) fad as some other thought asserted Its supremacy ahe rose, and going straight to Jitau for the first time he klased her on the brow ' Now do I know " she said, "that you aro Henry the IJon'a daughter That la spoken as he would have spoken spo-ken It It greatly thought Yet It cannot be" "It shall be' cried Joan imperious-I) imperious-I) "."oy,' returned Therein von Lynar "Once mi a time I would have given my right hand that for halt a day. for one hour rren might have said of mo tlut I was Heniy the Lion's wife, nnd my son hi son' It would have been tight sweet Ah Rod. bow sweet It would ha o been' She paused a moment mo-ment as If consulting some unseen presence No I have vowed my vow Hero wns I bidden to stay nnd hero will I abide' "Maurice of llohensleln shall lit In his father' seat, ' said Joan firmly "I have sworn It If I live I will seo him settled there with my captain about him Werner von Orseln I an honest man Its will do blm justice Von Uessnuer shall get him reeognls ed, nnd Hugo of Plssaenlmrg shall stand his sponsor before the Diet of tho Umpire " "I would It could be so, ' said The rcsa wistfully ' If m death could cause this thing righteously to como to pan. how gladly would I end 1 Iff I Hut I am hound h an nath, and m) on Is bound because I am bound The tribunal Is not tho met of Itatlsbon, hut the fnllhfuliK ss of a woman's heart. Have I been hiynl to my prince thoie many years so that now shame It on in) brow us glndl) na a crown of bay, that I should fall him now? Low ho lies, and I may never stand besldo hi sepulchre No ton of mine hall alt In his high chair Hut It In any spfiere of sinful or Imperfect lrll'fiJ'1Vsii ,l)t or purgatory, he and rilian'-flBrfflfcrV"lhlnlryou'for nn empire I would meet him shamed, And whr,) he say "Woman of my lovo, Iinit thou kent thy troth?' shall I bo compelled to niiswor 'No'?" "Hut." urged loan, "this thins I )our son's birthright M father, for purposed ot stato b-und my happiness happi-ness to a man I loathed I havo cast that bond to the winds Tho fathers osnnot hind the children; no moro can you dlslnbtrlt your son" Theresa von Lynsr smiled n sad, wise smile Infinitely patient. Infinitely Infinite-ly remote "Ah," she se d "ou think to? You aro young You have novel loved You are his deus'itei not his wife. Ono day )ou shall know. If (1od 1 good to you'" At thl Joan smiled in htr turn. Sho know what the knew "You ma) think .u krow." returned return-ed Theresa, her culm oyes on tho girl' face, ' hut what I mean by lovt lug I another matter. The band ou broke )ou did not mnkc I keep tho vow I mado. With cloar ejo. undullcd brain, wilting band I made It because ho willed It Iot my ton Maurice break It. If ho can, It ho will a )ou havo broken your Only lot him revcr more ca I There von Lynar mother'" Joan rose to dcpait Her Intent had not been shaken, though alio was Impressed b) the nobto heart of the woman who bail bn her father's wife Ilut she alto bad vowed n vow, nnd that vnw the would keep Tho Hparhnwk should yet be tho I!agle of Kirntberg, and she, Jrxiu, a home-kceplng home-kceplng housewife nested In mildness. mild-ness. ,n barndoor foul about tho orchard or-chard of Isle nugen ' "Madam she said "your word Is your word Ilut in I that of oan of Kcrnsberg It may lie that nut of the unseen there may leap a chance which shall bring all to pass, tho thing which we both desire with-out with-out breaking vows or loosing of the bands of obligation For mo, being no moro ttisn n daughter, I will keep Duke Htnrya will only In that which la luit'" , "And I" said Thereaa von Lynar, "will keep It, lust or unjutll" Yet Juan smiled a the went out. For she bad been countered nnd checkmated In sacrifice She had met a nature greater than her own, and with the truly noble that Is the pleasure pleas-ure of pleasures All the while Colirad sat very still, listening with full heart to that which It did not concern blm to Interrupt Itut within bla heart be aald "Woman, when the Is true woman Is greater, worthier, fuller than any nun ay, were It the Hoi) Father himself Per. haps because thi) draw near Christ the Bon through Mar) the Mother I" Ilut Theni.ii von Lynar sat silent, ami wntrl ed tin girl at the wnt down the loiik path tho leafy hranchi a spotn ring alternate light and shndow upon her tl nder figure. Thri she turned sharply upon Con rail "And nrfw n I ord Cardinal " the said, "what bar yoti been saying to my husband's daughter?" "I have been telling her that I love her'" answered Conrad simply He felt that what be had listened to gavo this woman a right to be answi red "And what, I pray you, have prinf.es of Holv Church to do with lov They seek after heavenly thirds do neither nurry nor are given In mar rlage " "I know ' said Conrad humbly, and without taking the least off nso. "I know It well Hut I have put off the armor I have ndt proven Tho burden Is tup great for mc I am a soldier I was trained n soldier yet because I was born after my brother ImiIs, I must perforce beeomo both priest and holy cardinal Itulhcr a thousand limes would I be a man alarms al-arms and carry n pike1' "Then am I to understand that as a oUHeryott told Hie Vuchess Joan that you loved her, or that nt n print you forbade the Iwnns Or did you wholly forget the circumstance that onco on a tlnm you yourself married her to )our brother?" "I did Indeed forget ' snld Conrad, with lncer pe'nllenee, "yet you n utt not blame me too sorely 1 wa carried car-ried out of myself" "The duchess, then, rejected your suit with contumely?' Conrad was silent "How should n great lady listen to her husband s brother and a priest? ' If "It shall not bet" cried Joan, Imperiously. Imperi-ously. Theresa went on rituonctcss "What said the I-ndy Joan when you told her that you loved her?" "Tho words sho tpoko I cannot repent, re-pent, but when tho endod I set ray lips to her garment's hem a reverent-1) reverent-1) ns ever to hoi) bread?" Tho slow smile came again over tho fnco of Theresa von Lyrar, lha imlle ot a witr-worn veteran who watchei tho children at (heir drill. "You do not need to toil me what sho answered, my lord," sh9 said, for tho first tlmo leaving out tho ccclcsl nstlo tltlo "I know!" Conrad stared at tho woman "Sho told )ou that iho loved you' from tho first" "How know )ott that?" bo faltered "Nono must hear that secret- nono must guess It!" Theresa von I.jnnr laughed a llttlo mellow laugh, In which a keen ear might have detected how richly and pleasantly her laugh mutt onco havo sounded to her lover when hor pulses heat to tho tuno ot gladness and tho unbound heart "Do you think to decolveW Theresa, The-resa, whom Henry the Lion lord? Hnvo I been Ibeso man) weeks with )ou two In tho house nnd not seen this? I'rlnco Conrad, I I. tew It that night of tho storm when sto bont her over tho couch on which )ou la). 'I lovo,' you say boldly, and ou think great things cf your line. Ilut sho lovod first 11 tho will Invo most and your hontted lovo will never ovcrlnko her no, not though )ou lov hor all your life Well. wHnl do you pro-poto pro-poto to do?" (To be contlrucd.) |