Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-02-01
CHAPTER XII.
Tho Sccrci Of The TMlins

Tho weeks which had gone by since she
heard of Cecil's injuries wero period Of
terrible suffering to Countess Silvestrelli.
She believed that her husband and Sastri
had prompted the outrage on her coun-
| tryman, aud when she heard the Count
| sav that Chesterton was out OF the hospi-
tai, and no attempt was made to renew
| their interrupted intercourse. she con-
cluded that they had secured the Black
| Pearl.
Additional probability was lent to this
opinion by the absence of Seshaya Sas-
tri from Whitehall Gardens. The lady
decided that he must have left England
with his purloined treasure.
SO it was great shock to her when,
after the conversation recorded in the last
chapter, Count Silvestrelli went up to his
wife's dressinG-room and told her that
Prince Sastri was in the house, aud would
remain there as her guest. She did not
utter any comment, but the tighter ten
sion of the muscles of her mouth told
plainly to eyes that could read expression
how keenly she felt.
Her husband read its meaning accurate
ly, and his cruel heart rejoiced in her suf-
fering.
The one thing that made the infection
OF Seshayas presence endurable to the
attache was the pain he knew it would in
flict upon his wife
After that disclosure mt the Lyceum
Theatre he had perfect understanding
of her mental attitude towards himself
and the Indian and though any idea of
wounded love was out OF the question,
the cruelty that WIS latent IN all his con.
duct gained the new venom OF a mean and
brutal jealousy. She had given oral tes-
timony to her dstrust and scorn of him,
and he revenged himself by doubling
and trebling the tender titles which he
knsw sickened her, and by inventing
thousand new caresses for the brutal
pleasure of feeling her shudder under
them.
He knew instinctiyely that she would
rather he stabbed than kissed her, and SO
he multiplied occasions for pressing her
shrinking lips, till she grew half mad
dened
Once when she recoiled from him shud-
dering, he said, with his horrible smile,
"You have such lively Imagination,
sweet one, can't you contrive to think
that it is your dear friend Chesterton who
pleads for caress. and infuse little e1-
ira warmth in this kiss on his account o.
But something in the glance Of Lucia's
eyes as she confronted him-something
also i'll the menace of her voice rs she
said Coward warned him not to ven
ture on such an allusion again.
He did not wish to endanger his own
life OF his property in hers.
He was perfectly convinced Of the cor
rectncss OF her conduct, but it was a bit
ter rehabilitation to him to feel that his
| hold on her was merely corporeal-tlat
she was true, and faithful, and pure, not
for his sake at all, but because truth, and
faith, and purity were the principles by
which she lived, as they had been the vir-
tues for which her mother died. If she
had given loose rein to her passion for
Cecil. he would have felt more on an
equality with her, and though his jealousy
| would have been legitimate, his hatred
would have been less But she had
disproved his cynical theory-that women
are only coed till they aretempted-to be
4 falsehood.
She had been tempted and stood firm,
and he felt enraged that, master as he
was Of her body till death, it was beyond
his power to drag her lofty spirit down to
the low level of his own.
OF her it might be fifty said, as the
German prose poet gays of his sublime
hero, that cher eyes were among the
stars, and her soul in the blue ether.
But the nobler the humanity, the keen
CT its capacity for suffering. Count Sill
yestrelli, with his eyes among tho world
mucl-heaps, and his soul wallowing in
IT'S mire, could form no conception of the
torture his wife endured in being bound
to creature like himself. He thought
all the repulsion he saw in her manner
towards him was born OF her love for Ce-
Gil. Aud certainly that love had brought
with it an accession of hopeless sorrow,
by projecting her own pain in another
personality.
Lucia's life never had any Joy in it.
Since she was girl OF seventeen it h ad
been a prolonged effort of proud cndu.
rance, and for the last two months it had
been one long pulse of agony. Time
could bring no respite, and only death re-
lease. The greatest happiness thi. girl
of twenty-five hoped for was to escape
the worst misery-the misery Of seeing
the man she might never call lover rob
bed and murdered by the man she mus
Always call husband.
The mental torment in which she LIVED
; had n visible effect upon her health A
|
house, the wilderness of her face wal
startling q strange, changeless, far-awa.
look had come into her eyes, and she hat
grown so thin that Rosette was continu
ally grumbling asides at the heavy addi
ton to her duties caused by having t.
"take il" all her mistresss gowns.
The Count pretended not to see how
altered she was looking but Sastri open
81 w. ul oil la l41 / on
E was i'll, and paid her little propitiatory at
tentions, which made her husband smil
4 with malicious pleasure, thinking hos
@ powerless size was To prevent her beaut.
II attracting even the person she wautc,
" most to repel.
Lucia felt sure that some fresh comb
: nation must be on foot against Cecil, nm
/ her horror of his sworn enemy WAS +,
e doubled when she perc lived that lie Wa
d making friendly advances towards he
e self
The dark. sinister face was Il peIpctut
:, dread 10 her, for it Was always taking h'
:, l,nawares; Watching her with eager cul
n uslty, ut others appearing H. count h'
e confidence.
- cine Ltaa-n kuoNr is going to- mai
IL love 10 her." thought the Count and
u this hy-plHy might impeIi the RS ct Il
q programme ii Lucia resented il, e., s.
- was sure 10 do, the Wtdchc, OF Ina rat,
lltes, always managed to be on the sp
!, to prevent any tender hfe-d-tcicS
r, IN point ut fact, there was as little te
rs dernesS III Sastri's advances towards |.
ne ella MS there had been eight months /
e. fore III llis sentiments for Estellc. VIII
women made convenient bait, bat lee pl
81 terred the dark eyes and dushy grace
2cnanl bells.
ae By the time the Indian hal hrru Il ~
pu c!led tlrp, day "a, whitehall t,.r, Gus.
an had made at ,ra-i &, dpl.u unsurr, 81
attempts to see Lucii .lou".
M On the evening u tho thlrl day, Cnn