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Show Jifflssffinniin R.ggeSSSg,gBgg??gB5B W S RrCR.OCIvZTTwyfcr c TmUatticfaieo (.epvilghl lil let, b7 . , imk.lt I CHAPTER XV. The Face That Looked Into Joan'i. The chamber to wlilih the llucheaa Joau waa conduoid b) her biMlraa bad evidently been ran-riilly prenar ed for her reception It waa a large, low morn, wlih a vaulted roof of carv-an carv-an wood The work waa of great merit a oil evidently old A table with a. little piie-lHeu atood In Ihe corner, creened by a curtain whlcft ran on a braieti rod A Roman llrrvlar) la) on a velvet-covered table before the crucifix Juan lifted It up and her eyea fell on ihe worda 'II) n woman be otercntne. Hy a woman he w-aa overcome A woman waa once hla weapon A woman la now become the Inurnment of hla defeat He llndeih Dial Die weak veaeel cannot be broken " 'Nor "ball It!" aald Joan, looking at the croaa before her. "by the alrengih of Mary ihe Mother, the weak xeaeel ahall not be broken!" Aa aha atooped to blow out the laat candle, a motto on Ihe atetn caught her eye Joan took the candle out of Ita docket and read the Inacrlpllon word b) word Ha iweem. Dnnilue In dlelnia tioi trie It waa her own arroll, Ihe motto of Ihe retiming dukea of llobenaleln n 'range one, doiiblloaa. lo bo that of . DgtiHug race, but, neverlbeleaa her faiher'a nud her own What did her father a inollo, the d vice ot her liouae, iimiii Ihla llnlllc laland. far from the highland of KerimbergT Had then- wiiilca once Ix-longcd to men of her race? And thla woman, who m regnll) played Hie mlitniM of thla at range hermltnge. who wna alter And aa Joau of llohenalelu blew out tin- candle alio mimed In her heart run. inlug tlieao thing The liucheaa Joan alept aotindly, her dark la)lh head pillowed on Hie full rounded curve of an arm thrown behind her On Ihe little eltel covered lable le-aldp Ihe lied were her bell and It de)ienileut aword, n faithful faith-ful comiianloii In It alienlh of plain hlnik leather. Under her pillow, nud witliln Inalant reach of her right hum!, her father' dagger In Hielr chiimber lu the wing which li,ki. inward Ihe north the three cn-taina cn-taina lay wrapped In their mnnltoa, Jorlnit and llorl ntiawerlug cncli other rrvwilly. In alternate trumpet blnt. 'Ai-Ail' rnjllnit Hi-Alp -Werner von vfTaelu alone could not alecp, and liter he had bwoiii and kicked hi rl ronipaulona In Iho rlln till lie wbh weary of Hie tank, he rote and wtiii lo the window lo cnt open Ihe U)tlc The air within felt thick and hot As Werner let hi face to Ihe onnlni: quick llahe of mi miner llghl-nllig llghl-nllig llnniPd nllernalil) while and lilac BfYoia Iho horlxon and he fell the h t nt hnlUlone In hi face, driving lev I like ao many niimket ball whin lie Infantry lire by platoon , Above, In the nulled chntuber, Joan tumid over on her bed, murmuring murmur-ing uneaall) In her aliep A white fare, which for a quarter of an hour had been bent down to her dark bend aa It la) on the pillow, wn aiiddenl) retracted Into the darkneaa at the i glrl alight movement Again, apparently' rcanmred. tho I hndowy vltnge npproiirlied n the . )ounR din-lien l.i) without further motion Huddcnl) and for no apparent appar-ent rcnion, Joan i)e opened nud he found hcmclf liaiklng with be , wlldcrmcnl Into n face that bint down upon her, n while tare which amibow acemeil o bnni; fuuipcudcd i t A white face which lomehow icemed to hang impended In the dark above her. In Ihe dark above her The feature wre lit up by the pulatnx lightning wbloh hone lu lb WH'I and gilt-tofial gilt-tofial on n knlfeblade about the handle han-dle of which were clem had Ihe tene linger of a hand equall) ilelnrlied In a moment Joan' right hand had grained the dagger under her pillow tier left ihuotlng upwaid cloned on the arm which held Ihe threatening tteel, Almoetwlthnui rlalrg from her bil he projlrled heraolf uHin hi r enemy, and he fell her finger alnk drop In Ihe enfl curve of a woman throat. Than n hrtek, long and terrible, labunian and threatening, rang tsrotigb Ihe liouae Aa Joan overbore Her naaallant upon ibe flir the door opened and rlaieoie uiwnri -h. n-. the Uonllir Man tand on the threaholil. a landle In one hand and a naked word in the other The terrible cry which had rung In her ear had been hi At light of him Joan nticlaaned her fingers from the throat ot the woman who had been her botleaa and ro nlowly to her feci The old man ruabed for ward and km Ii bealde Ihe proatrale body of hla intalreaa At Ihe a me moment there came Hie Miund of quick footBtepo running up the atalrwa). The door dew oien and Werner von until, .i,.rl in, alio word In hand "What I iho meaning of thla " he limited "Who hat dared Ml harm in) lad) ? ' 'Ho down and bring a cup of wine!" commanded Jimn a oou a he ae beared. And Werner von Oreeln departed de-parted without a word to do her bidding. bid-ding. Meanwhile the Wordle Man had rnled hi iilalrei up from the round. "Carry nur mlalrea to that couch!" aald Ihe )olllig duclie lailnl log lo the lumbled bed from which a tew minute before lie had ao hamll) launched heraelf. Whllal he w-aa thu engaged Wer ner came In ipilckly with a ellver cup In hi hand. Joan look It Inatnntl) and going fot ward he put It to the lip of ihi worn nn on Ihe bed. I'ultlng out her hand the wotnnn took Die cup and drank It idowly, patnliiK between the dratighla to draw long brealh. "I inut have trenuth." hc nld "I have much to' any. Then. Joan of llohcnleln, thou hnll judge betneui Hkhi and me!" The color came elnwl) back lo the woman' pale face. and. afler n Utile he ralM-d hernelf on Ihe pillow Joau atood niollonteaa and uncompro-mldiig uncompro-mldiig b) ihe great Iron dog of the chimney. "Yon lire walling for me to apeak, and I will peak. You have a double right lo know nil. Khali It be told to )ourelf nlone, or In the pretence of llil mnn?" Hhe looked nt Von Oneln n he oke "I have no aecrel lu in) life," nld Jonn. "there I nothing thai I would bide from him. Have one thing!" She added Ihe Inat word lu her hunrt. Thero wna an Interval of alienee I In the room, filled up by the honrae, Iwralateut booming of tbo atorm with. out nnd tho aliudderlng nhocka of the wind on the lonel) Ikiiiio t Then the wotnnn r"k" again In n low, dlallnct voice "Hlnce It I your right to know my i name, I am Thtresa von l.)nar who have nlm n right to call m)elf 'of Hohenateltr and )our dend faiher'a widow!" In nu Inalnnt tho remrve of Joan' ternl) eiiial mind wit broken up Hhe dropped her aword clattering on the iliair am! lnrled angrily toward Hie bed , "It I n lie moat foul," ho cried, ' "in) fnlher llveil unwed for man) ' enra nay. ever elnce Hi) ntolher' ( death, who died lu giving me life, he never mi miirli a lookid on womun It I n thing well known In the Duchy!" Tho woman did nol aniwer directly. I "Max I'lrlrh. bring the tllver cu-kt," cu-kt," ihe nld. taking from her m-ck ' a tittle elder key. , The Wordle Man. aeelng her i action, came forward and look Iho ke). I lie went out of the room, and nfter tin Inurvn! which a"cmcd Interminable lie relumed with i peculiarly alinped oaakct Tho woman touched n iprlng with well practlcei! hand, nnd n roll of parchment fell iiikiii Ihe bed. Willi n ulrnngc atnllo ht gavtt It lo Joau. bickonlng her with nn upward nod lo i pproni b Joan took Ibe crackling parchment. It hud three enl attached to It nnd the dm pan wn In her faiher'a hand-writ hand-writ Inn I .i.ilnie by thiao preaent that r lmve married according to the cu-tutu cu-tutu of llobenaleln and the Inwa of the imilru Theroan von l,ynar iliuahiir of the Count von l,)nnr of IiiiIhiiiI Hut thla marriage that! not, li a in of Ii ocriialon or eonieipiuut iiffni the uicelou of my daughter Joanna to Hie Iliirh) of Hnhenatuln mid tin- rrlnclpnllllexif Kernabergand Mnrlenreld To which wo suhicrlbe our name aa conjnlntl) agraelng thereto lu the preaenco of 111 High i:mluence Ibe Cardinal Adrian, Arch' bUbop of Cologne and lllector ot the Holy Unman Kniplre" Afler her tlrl ahock of aurprlae wn over Joan noted careful!) Hie dale It na one )ear after her own birth, nnd therefore the like period after the death of her mother, the openly ac knowldged Dtichea of llobenaleln. Joan folded thla parchment nnd hardiM It back. Then ihe Hood illent walling for nn explanation The woman took up her parable calmly, Jlke one who haa long comprehended compre-hended lhat audi n crlal mutt one day nrrlve. and who knows her pari thorough!). "I who atrAk to you, am Thereta von I uar Your father aaw me flrat I at the en nnatlon of our lale lover- "Ign. ChrUHar, King of Denmark I And we loved one mother For man) I years at Caailo I.ynnr. and aUo At (hit place, called the Hermitage of iho Dunes, Henry of Kermberg and I I dwelt In such happiness a mortals eldmti know Hut tbefe came a I prlng when mv brother being like i iinir 'utter a hot and pai'lonate I man. quarrebd with Duke Henry, threatening to go before the Diet ot the Kmplre If I were not Immediately acknowli tied duche and my mo Maurice von l.nar made the heir nt Hohenateln Mill I. being true to toy oath and primlip, left m brothel and abode here alone with mv ho band when be could escape from hla dukedom, living like a simple squire and hla dame Then in an evil day I enl my nn to m brother to train a his own son In arm and the arts of war. Hut he, being at enmity wlUi my husband, made ready to carry tha lad liefore Ihe Diet of the Kmplre. that he might lie declared heir to till father Then In his anger. Henry the l.lon rnae and swept CaHe l.ynat with lire and sword, leaving none alive but thl bo) onl), whom ho meant to take home and train with hl captain Hut on the wn) home he reeled In the aaddle and pained err he could peak a word, even the name of trnee he loved Ho the boy remained re-mained a captive at Kcrnsberg, called by my brother' name, and kl owing even to Ihla dav nothing of hi father " Thcreaa von I.yimr nit up and fot a little space rented her hand on her lap a alio went on "Then my aon. whom, not knowing. )ou had taken pit) upon and ruined to honor, and who I now- your faithful "It's a He most foul!" she cried, aervanl, lent a ccrct mecnger Hint you would romn to nhldo secretly with mo till n certain dark dny hnd over- ) pned Kertmbcrg And Hull there priing up In my henrt n dreadful conceit Hint he loved )ou, knowing - ' young blood and hearing the fame of , your beauty, and t was afraid for iicjj grentnnas of Iho sin Ihnt one hPflHH1V lovo his alitor. 'ft VL V "I thought, bekig n woman al'e 'lL id nnd ono alio who hnd given all freely H up for low's sakn, that ha would certainly cer-tainly love you oven as 1 hnd loved And n strange Icrrlblu nngcr nnd mnd nosa came over inc. darkening my soul. Tor n moment I would have ftlaln you Hut I could not. bernuir ' you were nilecp And, even as you i stirred, I heard you apeak Ihe name ol j' a man, ns only one who laves can , ipenk It. The mine wns " "Hold!" cried Joan of the Hwnrd J Hand "I belli vo )ou I forgive )ou " , "The nnme." continued Theresa von I.) liar, "wa tint Hint of m) on! And , now." slie tonllntied, slowly rising from the couch to her height. "I nm ready. I bid you la me for the evil deed in) heart wn willing for n mo- jl ment to do!" Joan looked nt her full In Iho o)ea for tho paoe of a breath Then and-dnl)x and-dnl)x she held out her band and answered like her father's daughter f ".N'ny." nhe said, "I only mnrvel Hint )ou did nht IHI.e mo lo Ihe heart, I because of )our win' lo and my I father's sin!" . " (To be conllrncd ) |
