Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-02-11

Onc OF the DelleS OF newport hSu ue'
clared that she would gladly exchange the
regular and unvarying beauty she had the
credit of possessing for Margaret Royden's
occasional and astonishing loneliness.
I" The women who are always beautiful,
she added, are never SO beautiful as
those who are internationally beautiful.
The former pail on you the latter startie
you into new admiration"
It had been believed by many OF Mar
garet's set that she had been in decline.
They were unaware that it was her troubled
mind preying upon her body. So, when,
through the sympathy and inspiritment
which Goodwin gave her, she looked less
wan, they congratulated her on her restora-
ton to health. They may have been right.
She thought herself she should die-and
she prayed that she might-duriDg that
dreadful period of anguish and desolation
when she had regarded her doom inevita.
bic. From the time that Oscar Goodwin
entered into her life, she had dared to
hope; and since he had begun to unearth
Barigues, as he termed it, her cloudy hori-
ION had lifted, and exposed the clear blue
heavens.
She was, however, still far, very far
from confidence or peace. Her periods of
hope were succeeded by doubt and de-
spondency. When Goodwin spoke or
wrote to her, she had faith that all would
be well. When she did not hear from him,
her heart sank again. The shadow of that
dreadful marriage was ever upon her. The
thought of it haunted her day and night
and she often blamed herself for cherish
ing any expectation of escape. She could
escape, she knew well enough, by absolutely
rejecting the Count But then he would,
as he had repeatedly threatened, ruin her
father: bring eternal disgrace upon him
bring down untold terrors upon the whole
family. Anything rather than that. She
must sacrifice either her father or herself,
and between the two she did not and could
not hesitate.
How many, many times she had won.
dered and tried to conjecture what her
father had done. It must be something
monstrous indeed, when the dread of its
disclosure could turn him into such an ab-
iect coward could make it possible for
him to beg his only daughter to wed man
he was conscious that she abhorred. The
very mystery mad had crushing effect; it
had appalled, her imagination. If she could
have got glimmering of the truth, what
ever it might be, she would have felt in
some manner relieved. She had intimated
again and again without directly question
ing her father her eagerness to know the
worst He must have understood her;
and the fact of his continued reticence de.
noted to her the enormity of his crime.
She had racked her soul with endless ask.
ing, What can it be? What can it be?
Barigues had, to her morbid fancy,
grown to be an unconquerable power Of
evil. He appeared to be the master of her
fate. Albeit she credited every word that
Goodwin had told her-lhat the Count
was the most shameless of swindlers, the
most notorious as well as the most eyre
gious of scoundrels-she feared that he
could not be overthrown; that, with his
accursed fortune, he would triumph at the
last moment. She was aware that the
final struggle was at hand; that very
speedily the end would come.
Oscar Goodwin was all that was noble,
brave and strong; but was he, conld he
be, match for such an incarnation of
cunning and wickedness as the foreign ad-
venturer? Now that her generous friend
had returned to his native land, with the
alleged proofs of Barigues' villainy, would
they serve his purpose? Were they really
proofs? Could gifted rascal, who had de-
fed law all over Europe, be vanquished by
young man of comparatively little expert
ence of the world?
So intense was Margaret's anxiety and
apprehension, that in the few days that her
gallant knight, as she still called him, was
at Long Branch with Archer, waiting for
the Counts return, her paleness crept
back into her cheek, and her wondrous
eyes shone with feverish luster.
Between the last of winter and the pass
ing summer the Count had been more i'm
Fortunate than ever for the marriage. He
and Neville Royden chad had some very
exciting scenes. The menaces of the former
would doubtless have prevailed with the
latter, had not Margaret assured him that
Barigues' exposure could not be much
longer prevented. he was burning to
know by what agency, from what source !;
but she was afraid to tell him. So mo-
mentous secret could not be intrusted to
such keeping.
She had for some time refused to see the
Count alone, and of this he complained
bitterly; but on that point she was obdu-
rate. She said that when her father
should directly ask her to become Barigues'
wife, and name the day, she would submit.
More than once he had gone to her with
such intent but she had expressed conf
dence that he might be saved without her
sacrifice. Having great influence over him,
he would put off his prosecutor, until his
prosecutor would in turn override his will,
and send him again to Margaret with fresh
petitions.
She had repeatedly inquired Of her ia
Their if her death would release him from
the Count, and he had answered that it
would insure his undoing that an alliance
with Margaret was an indispensable con-
dition of his safety.
Finally, Barigues had sworn that he
would no longer be csjoled that notwith-
standing Philips death, if Neville Royden's
promises to him were not fulfilled before
the close of September, he would take
summary revenge. - This Margaret COM
municated to Goodwin, who told her that
she could safely promise to give her hand
to the adventurer, if he should demand it
in person after the 18th of that month.
Goodwin had learned through Archer
that the Count would return to Newport