Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-02-13
DARK DAYS
BY HUGH NV A Y
.Author of "Colled Back"
CHAPTER x.
TIE SWORD FALLS.

TIE SWORD FALLS.
Now that had gained my desire, was
happy! After all that had passed, could
have been happy during those early days OF
our welded lifel As look back upon them
i sit and muse, trying in vain to answer the
question to my own satisfaction. Philippe
loved me-Sho was my wife; come good, come
evil, she mne forever In so much
was happy, thrice happy. Could l have
lived but for the present my bliss would
nave known no alloy.
But there was the pastl could not alto
gether forget the path which had led to such
happiness now was mine. | could be
thankful that | alone knew oil the horrors
and dangers with which that path was
studded. alone knew the secret Of that
one night Although l could keep it for
ever, would it be al ways n secret!
Yes, and there was the future. Behind
the happiness which was mine Mt present
lurked dread rs to what the future had in
store for mo-for us. Ii was Il dread which
day by day grew stronger. The greater my
happiness the more dreadful the thought OF
its being wrecked. The feeling that nv
house of joy was built upon sand was always
obtruding ON my most blssful hours, and
not knew, without good reasons.
Phlippa's very avoidance of speaking OF
her past life lent some justification to my
gloomy forehodngs Not once dill Sir MGR.
vyn Ferran IS name pass between my wife
and mo- Not onco did she ask me for any
further particulars concerning the events OF
that night upon which, in the hei5 ht OF her
short lived mania, she reached my cottage
True that upon becoming my wife. and be.
ginning a new and happier stage of life, it
might be but natural for her to wish to con.
sign to oblivion the wrong, the shame, the
suffering wrought by villains craft; vet
was SO mixed up in the catastrophe that
silence on the sub iect seemed stran Co. Her
reticence alarmed mo. fancied it must be
caused 10y some vague uneasiness connected
with that night-some doubt which she dared
not seek to set at rest. 1t is ! know, not un.
usual for women, after their recovery from
that mysterious disease which had for awhile
driven my poor girl distraught to be able to
recall AMI accurately describe the delusions
which had afflicted them during those wan.
dering hours myself had in one or two
cases motto Il this popularity, and the author
tiles which had studied during Philippians
illness mention it as an indsputable fact.
Ny great dread was that at some moment,
perhaps when our happiness was as perfect
as it could be, some simple chance, some
alluson to certain events, even the bare men
ton of name, might supply the missing
link, and the fearful truth would bs re vealed
TO my WIFI.
Our return journey to Seville was made
by water. Although the Guadalquiver is
not very interesting river, We thought
travelling by steamer would he n pleasant
change from the journeys in the hot 5tuffy,
slow trains full from end to end with the
odor of garlic and tobacco; so early one
morning we left Caiiz, and We're soon
steamng up the dull, sluggish, turbid river
with the great fiat stretches Of swamp land
on either hand.
There were not many passengers on board
the steamer. The boat itself was a wretched
affair, aud before an hour was we
wished we had chosen the train as mode of
transit. Mile after mile of the level deserted
land through which the river flows passed
by, and presented no objects of interest
greater than herds of cattle or flights of
aquatic birds. Save that Pnilppa was by
my side, it was the dullest journey / ever
made.
OF course there were English tourists on
board no spot is complete without them.
Two of them, young men, and apparently
gentlemen, had seated themselves near us;
and after the usual admiring glances at my
beautiful Plilippa, commenced adesultory
talk with each other.
From the unrestrained way in which they
spoke, and from the strength of some of
their mlavorable. comments on the scenery,
or lack of scenery, it was clear that they
took us for natives, before whom they could
speak without being understood. Philippe
of course looked a thorough Spaniard and
my own face had become tanned by the
sun that might have been of any nation
ality.
The young fellows chatted on, quite obiv-