The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-03-04

: LAVE, within SAA
irregular intervals.
The minutes were passing away. l
grew nervous and excited. Way does
She not come? Ny hope had been to
see my POOR girl safely housed before
l started to execute my other task.
Why does she not come? Time,
precious time, is slipping by! In the
hope of meeting her, l walked for
some distance up the road. "Why
does she delay?" 1 groaned. Even
now l should be on my way to Rolling.
or l may miss my prey. Heavens!
can it be that she is waiting to see this
man once more? Never! never!
Perish the thought!
But, all the same, every fibre IN my
body quivered at the bare supposltlon
of such a thing.
Icould bear the suspense no longer.
For the hurdredth time I glanced at
my watch. Itwanted but ten minutes
to seven o'clock, and at that hour l
had resolved to start from Mrs. Mll-
sons, on my way to Roding. Yet
now l dared not leave my own house.
ANY moment might bring Philippe.
What would she think If l was not
there to receive and welcome her? .
Five more precious moments gone!
1 stamped in my rage. After all, l a
only do n half of my task; the sweet
but not the stern half. Shall l, In
deed, do either? The train must now
lie close to Roding. In an hour
everything may be lost. The mar
! will see her before she leaves the
house. He will persuade her. She
will listen to his words; for did he not
once love her? lie must have Loved
her!
So l tortured myself until my state
of mind grew %unbearable. At all
hazard, 1 must prevent Ferrand from
meeting Phi!ippa. Oh, why had she
not come as she promised? Could it
be she was detained against her will?
In spite of her uninterested manner, l
distrusted the woman 1 had seen last
night. 1t is now past seven o'clock.
Philippians house, from which 1 had
reckoned my time, was nearly three
miles away. l must give up
my scheme of vengeance. I
must 90 in search Of Philippa. If
do not meet her l must call at
Mrs. Wilson's, find out what
detains her, and if needful bear her
away by force.
BY this time my steps had brought
me back to my " house. called
William, aad told him l was going TO
walk up the road and meet my expect"
ell guest. If by any chance l should
miss her, he was to welcome her on
my behalf, and tell her the reason for
my absence.
best take a lantern, sir" said Will
liam; "moon'll soon be hidden, and
them roads is precious rough"
II cant be bothered with that great
horn affair."" l said, rather testify.
take the little one-the bulrs-eye
that's better than nothing" said VIII
liam. 10 humor him I put it into my
pocket.
i ran at the top of my speed to the
house at which I had last night Jeff
Phi!ippa. 1t took me nearly half an
hour getting there. l rang the bell
impetuously. The door was opened by
a maid-servant. l inquired for Mrs.
Farmer, knowing that Philippa had
passed under this name to all except
her hostess. To my surprise l was told
that she had eft the house, on foot and
alone. some little while ago. The maid
believed she was not going to return.
as her luggage had that morning been
sent for.
The first effect of this intelligence
was to cause me to blame my haste. l
must have missed her; no doubt passed
her on the road. No; such a thing vas
impossible. The way was a narrow
one. The noon still gave some light.
IfIhad met Philippa.I must have seen
her. She must have seen me,and would
then have stopped me. She could not
have gone the way | came.
But where was she? In what direc-
ton was l to seek her? Argue the
matter as l would-loth as l was to
allow myself to be convinced, | was
bound to decide that she must have
taken the path to Roding. There was
no other. She had gone, even as l was
going to meet Ferrand. She may have
started, intending to come to me; but
ut the last moment a desire to see the
man once more--I fonlly hoped for the
purpose Of heaping reproaches on his
head-hal mastered her. Yes, what
ever her object might be, she had gone
to meet him. And my heart sank az
conviction was carried to it by the re.
membrance that coupled with her "a
fusal to permit me to fetch her
was an assertion that she
had something to do before she
came to me. That, as l now read it,
could be but one thing-to meet this
man!
Never again, if I can help it, shall
his voice strike on her ear Never
again shall their eyes meet! Never
again shall the touch of even his fin
ger contamninate her /! Let Inc fol.
low, and stand between he: and the
scoundrel. If they meet he will wound
her to the heart. Her pride will rise;
she will threaten. Then the coward
will try another line. He will pleau
for mercy; he will swear he still loves
her; he will bait his hook with prom.
Uses. She will listen; hesitate; perhaps
Weld, and find herself once more de-
ceived. Then she will be lost to me
forever. Now she is, in my eyes, pure
as when first we met. Let me haste
on, overtake, pass her; meet her de-
ceiver and, if needful, strike him to
the ground.
AS l turned from the house I became
aware that a great and sudden change
had come over the night. 1t seemed
to Inc that, even in the few minutes
which l had spent in considering what
to do. the heavy clouds had banked
and massed together. 1t was all but
pitch-dark; so dark that Ipaused, and
drawing from my pocket the lantern
with which Williams foresight had
~,or;l,l mn poop,ro1 offor ca1,oro1