, 1884-12-23

tottN ~ tVOf
Deadl Before / knoeled bosidel him and,
after unbuttoning his coat, laid my hand on
his breast, / knew tho man was dead. Be-
fore ! turnod tho lantorn on his white face
know who the man was. Sir Mervyn Fer
rand had paid Tor his sin with his 1ifel II
needed littlo professional skill to determine
tho Cause OF his death. A bullet fired, IL
seemed 10 mo, at close quarters had passed
absolutely through the heart He must
have fallon without a moan. Killed. 1
know. by the hnnd OF the woman he had
wrongOd.
A s~noering milo yet fingered on his SGT
features / could ovon imagine the words
which had accompanied II, when swift and
sudden, without one moments grace for
ropentenco or confession, death had been
NOTED out to him. At one moment no stood
erect and fnll OF life, hooking. 1t may DO,
her who had trusted him and had been be-
trayod; at tho noxt, before tho sentence he
was speaking was completed. no lay ifoless
at her feet, with the snow-iakes beginning
TO form his winding-shectl
Oh, IL was vengoancel swift, deadly VEN
goancei But why, oh, why had she wreaked
i'll Phnippa, my peerless Philippa, a muir
dsressi oh, IL was too fearful. too horriblel
/ must DO dreaming. All my own thoughts
Of 10 venge left mo. II was for the time pity,
sheer pity, l felt for the man, cut Off In tho
primo OF his lifo. While l knew he was alive
/ could look forward to and picture the min
ute when We should stand coolly seeking to
kill one another. but now that he was dead
/ hated him no longer. Ali death is a sacred
thing. Dendl Sir Mervyn Ferrnnd dead,
and slain by P%hilippai
It could not DO trucl 1t should not be truei
Yet | shuddered rs l remembered the passion
she had thrown into those words, Basil, did
You over hate a manf' | gave a low cry Of
anguish rs l remembered h Nv I had hurled
from mo tho pistol sho had lot fall-the
very weapon which had done tho dreadful
deed.
Killed by Phnippai Not in a sudden burst
of uncomfortable passion, but with delibor-
ate intent She must rave gone armed to
meet him She must have shot him through
the heart; must nave seen him fall. Then,
only thon, tho horrible decd which she had
wrought mnst have been fully realizedl
Then she had turned and fed from tho spot
in n frenzy. Oh, my poor grill my poor
grill
Utterly bowildered by my anguish Irose
from my knees and stood for a while beside
the CORPSE. 1t was In that moment I learned
how much l really loved the woman who
had done this thing. Over all my grief and
horror this love rose paramount. At all
cost l must save her-save her from the
uLA VI luAtAN1f n " h0A NA0 hIICI
elements which her tender frame was even
at this moment Drawing. And as l recalled
how she had sought me yesterday with tho
tale OF her wrong-how she had wildly fed
from mo a few minutes ago. madly, blindly
into the night; as / thought OF the injuries
she had suffered, and which had led her 70
shed this mans blqod; as I contrasted her
in her present position with what sho was
when first 1 knew her and loved hor, tho pity
| - A. 81. -. -
toward the lifeless form at my fcet grow
stern and sombre, and l found myself be-
ginning. by the old code OF An eye for an
eye, to justify. although l regretted Philip
pas fearful act Right or wrong, she was
tho woman I loved; and I swore 1 would
save her from the consequences OF her
crime. evon-Heavon help mel-if the aecu-
satlon, when made, must fall upon my
shoulders.
Yet It was not tho beginning OF any
scheme TO evade justice which induced M
to raise the dead body and bear it to the
side OF tho road. where l placed II under ths
low bank on which the hedge grew. 1t was
the reverence which one pays To death made
me do this l could not leave the poor
wretch lying in the very middle Of the high
way for the first passersby to stumble
against Tomorrow no would, OF course,
be found. Tomorrow the hue and CRY
would DO outl Tomorrow Philippa, my
Philippe, would - Oh, heavepsi never,
never, neverl
SO l laid what was left OF Sir Mervyr
Ferrand reventially by the side OF tho lonely
road 1 even tried to close his CLASSY eyes
and ! covered his face with his own hand
kerchief. Then, with heart holding feal
and anguish enough for a lifetime. | turnec
and went In search Of tho poor unhappy
girl
Where should | seek heri Who knsw whal
her remoua may have urged her TO do