The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-06-07

had been sitting with her in Lady Oswes-
try,s mornine-rooms, under the shelter OF the
sunshadee, among the flowers, one Day 1or
nearly an hour. My. lady was heaven KNOWS
Commonpiaces had languished and died.
There had been silence, which those heavy
violet eyes filed divineIy enough, but which
both of us knew must be broken; and only IN
one way.
iicofed up into her face. In it's passion
pallor, in the trembling lip, in the scarce-re-
strained tears that had gathered slowly to the
my arms; and then the silence was broken 6y
the sweet sound OF her own name-"Helenl"
She shiyered, as she bad sbivered in that
valse, only, this time, not with fear. And her
head. with its diadem Of amber hair, sank
down upon my breast; and bent mine tll my
lips touched hers, and clung to them. had
won herl Not yet.
-"Ohl why have you done thisf" she sobbed
walled almost.
':Whyf Because love you, Helen. Because
you love, me. And because you and knew
. Is:Yes,n she murmured; "yes; yeu love me. I
know that. knew it that day at Fulham. AZ
no one ever has loyed-ever will love me. /
know that"
.:And you love me, Helen. You know that
too.' -,
.,"Yes; I love you l' she cried, passionately. I
"know that, too"
+" Sand yet you ask me-"T began, SO far OF
my head as to be going to argue with her.
"Beeause this should never have been. Al
between us must end>here and now"
I'm heavens name, why 2" broke IN, rather
mad with this piece OF feminine cruelty. why
must is2"
"Frank,n ahe said, coolly now, Frank, this
is folly. You know my story. You cannot
marry beggar as I shall be-"
"Nor you, cequ'il parait."
.'Selfish and cruel ~
Even at that moment couldn't but admire
that truly feminine retort.
II? Am thinking Of myself? And yet
must happen. Yes; it ls 1 who have been
selfish. L knew 1t; and ought. But-ohl !
Frank. knew you loved me; and nv loveless
life seemed 10 bitter-so btterl And"
And here she broke down, sobbing.
NV wiful, passionate darling She was
tryipg to persuade hersek that she was acting
noblY nd disinterestedly; and, being noways
fitted for such self martyrdom, was failing
slenally.: She ought to have nlpped this love
OF mine sharply in the bud, but lacked the will.
And now she was trying 10 sacrifice 1t, and her
own love, on the shrine OF dury-now when she
was my own, when she had rested her head
upon my breast, when she had given her llps
to nine.
I didn't repeat my folly OF attempting TO
argue with her. Her hand was s.rong en5ugh
against me as it was without such strcnsthen
ing. didn't take her 10 my arms again and
stIf]e her feeble special-pleadlng With kisses.
I let her saw her say. And tnen, when she
had sunk back into the low, deep fAuteuil:
weak and trembling and defenceless again.
kneit Sesfae her, and, holding fast in mine the
little soft band I never meant to let go, Il told
her how it must needs fare with me If she had
her way. And I was conquerne what knew
all along was my own Of right; the violet eyes
were full of happy tears; the words looked to
hear al, eady trembling Oh the full lips that
had grown meek again, when-there was
rustic of woman's draper1es; and. through the
chia'oscuro OF the room, Lady Oswestry pore
down upon us.
:, And Helen rose. and, before could stay her,
had fed away swiftly Cpon her feet, leaving
me to face my lady alone.
To which I did as best might.
For while Lady Oswestry looked grave and
judicialS then, by degrees, benignant. but
mildly reproachful; when took my leave,
arranged between us that I should come to
Psrk.lane early the next day.
At q fr1ghttul undue hour drove there. A
hanson had Just pulled up at the door; the
late occupant was speaking to the groom Of
the chambers in the hall. I was just IN time
to hear the fuuctionary's answer to the ques-
ton put to him:
"No. air. MY lady and Mrs. Wybrowe left
town for the continent last evening""
Che other swung round on his heel With q
fierce .'carajo :" and again stood face to face
With Alvarez Smith, the man with the evil eye.
".
That night, some twenty minutes past eight
Of the clock, my hanson turning the brunton
az
over by another hanson charging furiously
down Bond street.
The two drivers exchanged q broadside of
double-shotted blssphemles, fogeed their
horses clear Of each other, and started again,
the offending Jehu leading.
Twas bound to Charing Cross, On route to Do.
yer, Paris and Lindenbad, in the track Of Lady
quence Of this delay, only saved the 81 mail
ira by about two seconds. Another man,
however, ran it closer still. And man IN fur
lined travelling robe, and peaked cap pulled
over his eyes, took q through ticket to Linden
bad after me, and followed me on to the plat.
form, half dozen yards behind.
heard him hurrying after me; just as the
guard had opened the door Of an empty car
mage he caught me up and got in too: The
door was slammed. the whistle shrieked, and
the Dover mail started.
I had dropped into one corner; my companion
rolled himself into the opposite one. lit
cigar; 30 did he; and we cleared London, and
had lun dozen miles down the line before
looked at him again. l was thinking what
Helens sudden departure boded me; whether
I Was 80 sure Of winning her, after all; and.
deep in specuations Of this sort, l had no
eyes or thoughtfo for anything else.
Besides, that shapeless travelling robe and
that peaked cap that kept his face in an i'm
penetrable shadow would have puzzled me,
even If had had suspicion as to who the
man in the opposite corner was. And ID the
for my sudden departure / had
forgotten all about him.
So that it was not till he tore off his cap and
dung aside his wrapper that new that Alvarez
smith and I were alone together lqs that car
.iage ofthe Dover mall-train; aud that ne was
,laring at me with all the furious hate he felt
or me iu his evil eyes.
looked at HIM TRANQUILITY enough, think
out couldn't help feeling that the rencontre
vas by no means an agreeable one; that the
,xpress stopped nowhere between London
md Dover. and that Alvarez Smith was proha-
)ly as mad as any inmate OF Hanwel.
However, l am not easily put off head, and,
% say, returned his glare with tranquil
tare. and went on smoking.
Whether he had expected his melodrama to
'rnduce more effect, and wls disappointed;
Ehether my calmness irrltdted him afresh, l
ont know. Certain it ls that he rose and
anne toward me with an oath.
1t ruck me forcibly that he vas dangerous,
nd gradually slipped my hand into the in
er breast pocket of my travelling jacket, and
ufastened the loop which kept useful little
evolver de poche steady there.
There seemed likely to be a necessity, disa-
reeable but imperative, for shooting, this man