the love of the j fearless and beautiful girl who slept beside him and though perhaps under such circumstances love however true and passionate ceases to occupy a commanding place in a man s heart even then he felt that this was more and that happier days might dawn when it would be if not everything at least most of all as he thought thus he saw colour creep into s pale face then she sighed opened her eyes and sat up where am i she said glancing round wildly this is not the bed on which i lay down oh and she started is it over hush dear hush i i am with you said taking her hand so i see but where are the others and what is this dreadful place are we buried alive it looks like a tomb no we are only prisoners come eat and drink something and then i will tell you the story she rose to obey him and for the first time her eyes fell upon the robe she wore why this is s where is eat and drink he repeated she did his bidding mechanically watching his face the while with wondering and frightened eyes now she said tell me i can bear this no longer where are and alas they fire dead he answered solemnly dead she wringing her hands dead why then are we still alive have courage and listen after you went to sleep in the palace came to us with a plan which we accepted what was the plan she asked hoarsely twice he strove to tell her and twice he failed the words would not come go why do you torment me it was this r that should be dressed in the robe of and offered up with in your place while you were hidden away has it been done she whispered i believe so replied bowing his head to his breast we are prisoners in a secret cell beneath the feet of the statue there has been great noise and confusion without and now for some time silence iso the people of the mist up and stood over him with eyes how dared you do she said who gave leave to do it i thought that you were a man now i se tiiat you are a coward said it is useless for you to ta this whatever was done was done for your sake not for that of anybody else oh yes you say so but i believe that you made a plot with to murder in order that you might save your own life i have done with you i will never speak to you again � you can please yourself about that answered who by now was thoroughly enraged but i am going to j speak to you look here you have said words to me fox fl which were you a man i would do my best to be upon you but aa you are a woman i can only answer and then wash my hands of you as you must know or will know when you come to your right mind i would gladly have taken s place but it was for had i attempted to dress myself lip in the robe of i should instantly have been discovered and would have paid the price of my folly we all knew this after we had consulted things were arranged as i hav told you i only consented to your being brought here on th � l condition that i was allowed to accompany you for your pro j now i wish that i had left it alone and gone witb then perhaps i should have found peace instead of bitter words and reproaches however do not be j for i think it probable that i shall soon follow him i l that you were very fond of this man � this hero � and j either by accident or design that you had succeeded i making him a great deal too fond of you for his peace ti mind therefore i make excuses for your conduct with all such still remains perfectly intolerable h he paused and looked at her as she sat on the edge the couch biting her lip and glancing towards him now and again with a curious expression on her beautiful face ui j grief pride and anger all had their share yet at j tliat moment was thinking not of and hu j sacrifice but of the man before her whom she had never j loved so well as now when he spoke to her thus paying her back in her own coin i cannot pretend to match yoa in scolding and violence she said therefore i will give up argument perhaps however when you come to your right mind yon will remember that my life is my own and that i gave nobody permission to save it at the cost of another person s what is done is done answered for his anger had burnt out another time i will not interfere with your express wish by the way my poor friend asked me to give you these and he handed her the and the note book he has written something for you to read on the last sheet of the journal and he bade me say that should you live to escape he hoped that you will wear these in memory of him and he touched the beads and also that you would not forget him in your prayers took the journal and holding it to the light opened it at hazard the first thing that she saw was her own name for in truth it contained among many other matters a record of the priest s unhappy from the first moment of their meeting and also of his pious efforts to overcome it turning the pages rapidly she came to the last 