The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-11-15

have news which | ought to hear. OF
course ] shall tell you everything"
"l will leave you, then, fOrten minutes"
said Oldworth, addressing himself to
Mark. Not, you understand, on ac-
count of Your threats, but because a
gentleman will allow no brawl to take
place before lady, and | see nothing
less than this would satisfy YOU. At the
end of ten minutes | shall return"
Oldworth glanced at his watch, and left
the room. The door closed after him, and
the two were together Mark folded his
arms, and fixed his eyes on the girl'sface.
Under that keen and pitiless scrutiny she
writhed and WINGED as in some great ply
steal pain. The wind shreked round the
inn: the wood fire on the hearth cracked
and spluttered, the red flames leaping up
titfully; acart numbered near on the dark
road, and drew up ponderously at the inn
door.
At length Mary broke the silence:
"For Gods sake speak" she said.
"Do you wish to kill me by just looking
AT me :"
"I wish | could" he reoined. ''Ishould
like to see you dying inch by inch under
my eyes, without touching you. You're
the right sort of girl, aren't you for q
man to have loved, before indeed, he was
a man-nothing but Il small boy, who
went miles after the least thing you wished
for, and only left YOU when he was man
to get money ugh to build a home for
you. You're til, right sort of girl to have
trusted and believed into have prayed
for night and day Why, in some of our
great storms | have done what | never
did till then. | have prayed, God save
me, for if | 60 down and don't come back
any more, how will that girl | know of
| far off in Kent bear it, If she knew that
Mark would never come again to take her
| in his arms and kiss her any more, why,
| it would Just break her heart or send her
mad And all the time you were making
love to this fine gentleman-th creature
| that looks more like Il sick girl than a
man, Why, ii were to slap the thing
| friendly like on the shoulder, it Would 90
down under my hand like a nine-pin, and
howl for pain, Did you hear any rlmor
of the ship being lost ?"
"No,' said she
''You hadn't that excuse, then Doyou
love him 2"
II tancicd did"
lIdN Z YOU dllN tACltSt
mo, only father and mother were fail
ing, and he said he would do everything
for them, and make me a lady, and take
me to places | wanted to see SO much.
And every one said it would be such
fine thing for me; and they made me
proud; and that was how it happened"
care you ashamed of yourself?" he
questioned.
HIeS"
''Do you despise yourself ?"
'Yes"
"Do you hate yourself as YOU deserve
to be hated 2"
eyes, God knows | do
"Well," he replied, 1.-The strange thing
is that |, who ought to hate you, ought
to scorn and spurn You, love you Just as
madly as ever Polly, Polly. | can't
bear it For Gods sake, come to me, my
darling"'
For a moment She stood irresolute
then, with a low cry, she flung her arms
around his neck, and dropped against his
heart. He strained her close to him.
kissing her with long, passionate kisses,
calling her Ivy a hundred endearing names.
seeming to forget everything save the fact
that she was in his arms again after their
cruel separation AT length, with a sud
den rovulsion Of feeling he thrust her
from him almost roughly, saying i'll
voice Jared with suppressed passion,
"Have YOU forgotten your 0ath-the oath
you sWOre to me that last night, under
the moonlight, when we stood together
in your fathers garden!'
She cowed against the wall, shrinking
from his eyes, as a child from the hand
which has stricken it. II forget nothing"
she moaned.
"Say that oath over then, he eNclaim-
ed holding her hands in his, as in a wise
"Spare me this she cried.
"What have YOU done that | should
spare YOU 2" he retorted, almost brutaIly.
"Come, | have fancy to hear that oath,
and hear it | will. | can prompt you with
it, And then as one speaking in Il
trance, she spoke
g If ever, during your absence, | let
any man touch my lips, or willingly listen
to any words Of love, or become, in the
least word, thought, or deed, unfaithtul,
NAV | be slain, soul and body, SO help me
God ~
"That's the oath you made and broke,
them he exclaimed still holding her
hands, still looking at her face with his
keen, pitiless eyes.
ooh, Mark :" she cried, II love you, and
only you. 1t is not too late yet. To-mor-
row let us fly together
"No, we can't get out Of it like that"
he reioined II don't know that rve
much conscience; or it may be that
have good deal in my own way. Where
two folks love each other they make their
own laws, is what | think. What's right
to them is right, and what's wrong is
wrong; but this man, your husband, I'd
toss him over, as in rough weather we've
| tossed overheard far more precious cargo
to save the ship. | am not what men call
pious either. | don't live different on
Sundays to what | do other days and Tm
not particular about going to church
when Pm ashore but | am bit super
| StitiOus. believe in a God, and if your
oath meant anything, it meant every
thing If you'd made a blunder, married
this man, loving me all the time, and Just
said, simply and child-ike, Mark, am
sorry Forgive me- I'd have taken you
back to my heart, and thought nothing
hard of you. But we can't get away from
this oath. What sort of God would He
| Ut w llU Noulu lCl I1lS lltlllc Ut ldktu ttIlu
sworn by Just to make fine sound No,
we can't escape it. Don't You know we
can't? Wasn't it for this, Just to meet
you here, that the ship came back three
months before the time she was due DO
Just as | tell you ?" and he would have
taken her in his arms again, but at that
moment the door opened and Oldworth
came in.
II told you should be gone ten min
utes," he said, land have been twelve.
Come Mary your room is ready. Wish
your friend good night"
alt strikes me-" observed Mark, ''she's
not as anxious for that as you would have
her You've come back too soon we have
not done our talk yet; we've fancy to
finish it on the shOre.'
"a fancy which you must most certain
ly resign replied Oldworth, forcing a
smile, though he was white as death, and