The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-07-07

y
staircase, and she ran down to overtake
them.
CHAPTER ".
Mark Jermyn had no distinct conscious
ness of going out of the house into the
street. He had come to see her that night
because the love which had grown up in
his heart for her had overmastered him at
last. Three days before he had been on
the verge of betraying himself. But he
had conquered. He must succeed first in
the task set him to do, of hunting down
not only murderer, but traitor.
Some other thought, too, governed him.
He knew that she had some interest in the
man he was bringing to justice-not the
interest of love. He, with wonderful keen
ness Of perception, both natural and trained,
had discovered that this murderer was an
adherence to her. But still she shielded
him. And sense of honor and delieacy
intensely strong, in spite of the profession
he followed, forbade his trying to win her love
till he could first show himself in his natural
colors. He had remembered that another
day or two must bring his task to an end.
The net, which not only caught this red
handed fugitive from justice, but gang of
evil confederates, was closing in on them.
This very night his plans We're to be put
into execution. 1t would be a proceeding
of no little peril; and he had come to have
one last look at her in case
And now when he had thought his
quarry secure in totally different quarter
of London, he found him in the very house
where All the modification of his
bafficd plans-and it would have been cruel
enough at another time-was swallowed up
in the greater passions rending his heart.
This man-this murderer-round whose
neck he had with such matchless skill aud
patience been twisting halter-was her
husband And he had not even known
that any man had called her wife He
stood outside gazing across the street, his
eyes dark and burning with suffering,
jealousy, bitterness
Why had she not told him.
MARK She stood by his side. For
the first time she used his Christian name
The name by which she had hitherto called
him was not his, and she could not use his
other, which showed him to be the dead
mans avenger. He did not stir nor speak,
and she laid her hand on his arm
"Mark, she said again, 81 never told you
because | was so ashamed that such man
had called me wife. We were married
seven years ago. / was girl then-only
eighteen-foolish, ignorant, romantic. |
met him in America; he was over there
posing as martyr for his country-Ireland.
He was eloquent, enthusiastic about the
bitter wrongs of his country and people, and
/ believed him." Her voice broke into a
more passionate note, but she quelled it.
II believed that he was q brave patriot,
who had given his all for his country and
was being shamefully prosecuted by its op-
pressors. 1 married him, and found him
to be a liar-rapacious, revengefGl, cruel.
Instead of having given up all for his coun-
try, he was growing rich out of the poor
and ignorant who trusted him. / learned
to hate, despise and fear him. After a
time left him, and have lived as you know
how. And now to add to his crimes he
has committed this last most dreadful one
of all-and still I come TO you to plead for
his life, though he has been the anguish of
NINE"
She knew the man to whom she was
pleading; some desperate, dumb fear of !
herself guided her to the knowledge, If |
she could plead for that miserable wretch
he could crush his own feelings and listen.
1t was no time for love; yet she knew that
he loved her as she loved him. But be-
tween them this unspoken love lay like
naked sword, commanding their faith and
purity. And she could see but one way
to obey that commando spare the man
who kept their lives apart. He understood |
Ler. But his mind refused to submit be-
cause of apother element warning in it.
There was love If he let this man es-
cape, he lost his love. Fear For if he
laid his hand on this man, might it not be
a treacherous revenge for the love he was
loosing? But amid this tumult of heart
voices another spoke, and it grew louder
and clearer. Duty If he let this man
go he was traitor himself. He had had his
orders. Till tonight he had obeyed such
OrQcfs US du uOuOIdDlC ludu SlOulu. Il Gu
if he obeyed tonight, would she not turn
from him as coward who had sacrificed
this rival for the sake of his love? She +
could not see this duty, She was arguing
against their love to save their
honor. But there was this other call
And then suddenly all fear of her mis-
understanding him vanished, The clouds
of stormy passion cleared from his brain.
He had always made duty plain path to
his feet. And now in this moment of his
ordeal the simple rectitude of his
life saved him.
"Janet," he said quietly, though his
voice was fainter for the storm that had
shaken him, "I cannot do what you ask"
She fell hack against the railing, clasp
ing it with her hand to steady herself. All
hesitation gone now, he ran up the steps
leading to the house door. 1t was ajar as
she had left it. Though the scene might
have taken an age if measured by the pas
sion Of it, it had in reality passed in few
seconds. But now that he was acting
again, every second lost seemed precious
as an hour, What if his quarry had
escaped? He ran upstairs with swift, light
feet, drawing his revolver as he went.
The man was powerfully built and desper-
ate. If he had met any men on his way
up stairs he would have told them to guard
the door and the windows in case; but only