Evening star., 1886-09-04

i u
credit be 1t said, her patronage contrived to
give to Madame Kalitzin's little salon quite the
Tory air that she herself in virtue of her hus-
bands seat, felt it her duty toinculcate in all
| her proteges.
No one, among the many, was more assidu-
ously at the home of Madame kalifzin than
Liof Mourarief. With strong though we'll
| governed nature; with burning ambitions; with
a hot heart and cold brain Mounarief. hither-
| to insensible to the charms OF women, was
shortly at the feet of his compatriot. Whatever
his secrets were, as to affairs OF state, they were
before very long In the possession OF the being
| whom he loved.
| To be brief, to-day Fila knew precisely the
| extent of the detection of the London AGENT
| there was no apparent reason why she did not
| at once proceed to certain measures to which
she had pledged herself willingly and fearless
| ly;-and yet, Madame Kalitzin. having already
in daily dispatches sent TO Geneva u minute
report OF tine success of her mission and of the
facts she had elected from LeOf Mourarlef rela-
tive to his tamperings with the party OF power
and aristocracy-suddenly ceased mailing DIS
patches to Switzerland-suddenly found out
that she had turned one of those sharp fatal cor
| ners in the journey of life which sometimes
break the heart that runs against them.
"Filiar' Liof Mourarief had said to her last
night standing & before her whsa s 1ast tns last Of
shone on the splendid light masses OF her hair
-"Filia, I suppose you know it-women as
before he can count it's beats himself"
"Know what?" she asks, closing her eyes with
that in ntensity on her face which greedly parted
| with sight TO the more keenly hear the words
that should answer her question.
THAT" Liof knees beside her, his large full
eyes drinking in with unquenchable thirst the
ever-languishing beauty of the creature whose
quick breath he hears rise and fall SO near him.
THAT love you'-He reaches out his large
| where the curling hair grows childishly short
at the back.
IL love you," Liof whispers, his rich deep
voice tull OF a luscious tenderness; there Is no
impetuosity; the man Is so young, so powerful,
that he feels lie has an eternity OF time to prove
himself to her.
She shudders as she throws her bare arms
above her head, and he, bending the nearer to
her, takes her to his heart.
''Do you not know what it is-loye-love?" he
..Oh, Liol Mourarief'' she springs up and
away from him. ~ know: yes, it is life, SUM-
shine, air, rapture-but-"
"Ah-your husband-yes, yes-that Is q bad
thing"
"Yes-my husband-"she falters. "Let me
tell you something. He is not alive any more
"Kaitzin has fallen," cries the young man.
SWELL he was old-not your mate-you do not
care-eh!" tentatively.
Fila glanceS at her hands: they are twisting
nervousiy together; she sees in flash althOug
she looks merely at that tiickering candle yon-
der-the whole of her life-the past, the present.
the future; and then with a loud cry like that
OF some wounded thing, she, puts out her fingers
TREMENDOUSLY as one freezing would spread them
to the warmth, and in an instant is gathered in
the arms OF a man who loves her and whom she
indeed loves.
The next day he would dine with her. and not
couple of hours earlier than eight o'clock
Madame kalitZin was intruded upon somewhat
summarily by an earlier iover-Constantine
TricOupis.
"Well," he says, "are not you glad to see
me?'
without saying" she replies. "What brings
ITO write your dispatches; we have heard
nothing from you for nine days.
so? The mails are Irregular"
"They say MOurarief loves YOU"
"Oh, of courser'
"They say" continues the Greek, with rising
passion, that you-you love him!-these others
they watch you too, you remember?-and l.
have come here 20 see if this is the reason that
for !n nine ne days the ea mails are E, irregularg
negligently with her foot.
what then? would kill you if thought it
ION, would you? Bah. Constantine Tri-
coupis," she reaches over and presses long IRE
sistlble kiss upon the Greeks full lips, "you are
a TOOL"
"And you-you do not care for him then?"
asks he supiciously, leaning to look into her
"Oh-well-what shall say? How shall 1t be
proved to you that do not?
You know, he answers sullenly, "he Is to
die-you wrote that which would incriminate
him the first week you knew him. WE'LL
might then let him be made an end Of"
Not to-nightr' cries Fila, unguardedly.
"Oh-why nOt?"
81 do not know"
"Nor I-see herer' he seizes her chin and
holds it in his thin, sharp hand. HE is class
power, spy of Gatschina, who has played with
us long enOugh.-and you-I tell YOU if YOU
have lied to me-if he is dear to you, SO much
the sooner will I lay this steppins-stone to
heaven in his pathway'-TricOupiS laug hs q
little wildly as he shows to Fila a small
packet
Let me see it!' she stretches out her hand.
"Oh-yes-we see with the eyes-not the
and all have to do, twenty minutes before it
is required for its work, is to pour a little of
the liquid on the thicknesses of paper-it eats
slowly but surely, and when it reaches the end
OF the paper it finds the beginning dwell, you
know"
"Death," murmurs she.
"ExpiatiOn," exultantly exclaims the Greek.
"Ah, by the way, Tricoupis, you will dine
with me?" She lays the hand upon the bell
'.If you like,
"Mourariei will be my only other guest"
"Break bread with him?'
why not? The Greek will break bread with
me and faith with me, both in one half hour"
"Oh, FiIia-well, will stop; he is traitor
and, say, catching at her as she goes, 81 mean
TO make an end of him, do you hear? am
prepared i'll every way.
Are yOu?-SO am l., Fila signs.
These three people dined together with civil
speeches and light laughter. Madame kalitZin
was about 10 Withdraw, leaving the two men to
the discussion of their wine, when both sprang
to open the door tor her to pass into the adjoin-
ing room. Both laid hand upon the door
handle; neither saw fit to remove in favor OF
the other Liofs was there first. He looked up
amazed into Tricoups's face.
"AllOw Inc, sir
NO, SIT. Will not
"Will Madame kalitZin kindly say which of
US shall serve her?'
II will serve her, sir, now and alwaysr'
TricOupis laughs impudently.
81 think not. This lady is my promised wife,
Monsieur Iricoupis."
'.'Tis false.'
"Tne presence of Madame Kalitzin, sir, is the
excuse Tor my further silence
"False," hurries the Greek. "She is mine!
mine. She Is too not the wife or the widow of
the General kalitZIn. she is what YOU traitor
cass-lOver, aristocrat that you are, call in your
vernacular N lhilist'-Ah. bah! your
promised wife!-TO win from you your own
confession OF infidelity TO the cause Liof
staris-"she has made great a dupe of YOU
while she threw the sweet meshes OF love over
your miserable eyes. She sent also to Geneva,
twice week, the secrets you confided TO her
Keeping. L tell you, SIR this woman Is mine,
and she Is Hkewise-Filia TZot-tne rankest
radical that ever breathed. For Russia she
pants To bleed for the punishment OF such as
you she would risk life itself. Well, there she
is-aSk her."
ASK herr murmurs the other i'm tones of
horror-"I love her, sir, and 1 would not dis
honor the woman who has pledged me her
troth by doubling her. l may be what YOU
say 1 am-what you have said OF herr
throwing his arm about her grandly-.'is all
a lie.''
"Filia speak, Kisses the Greek between his
teeth.
Fila covers, shaking, closer in the arms of
the man she loves.
''Speakr shrieks Tricoupis
al love Liof MOuraief," whispers Fila
"Oh, do you-dO you-do you?'' reiterates
Tricoupis, rushing out OF the drawing-rOom and
the house.
what shall / say to theee" murmurs the
woman in her agony.
Thou hast said enough to me- nv beloved