San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-10-18
There is his picture.o


Ilma's face, upon which, as upon his own,
fell the mellow light of painted win
dow.
The girl drew long breath, and invol-
UNFAIRLY locked her little hands together
as she looked upon the dark handsome
countenance Of Sir Ingelhard of the Curse,
the recreant knight who had shown the
churPs ingrattude, who had brought
shame to the hearth that should have been
sacred to him.
The figure was half-length, leaning on a
sword. and the head uncovered. The
countenance, like Sir Philips, was striking
ly intellectual and of commanding beauty;
but the eyes were sinister, their depth was
all Of the mind. There was an utter lack
Of the tenderness that gave 3 beauty all
their own to Philip DarrelPs eyes; the
mouth too was cruel. One could believe
Philip Darrell ruthless for the state, re-
lentless in vengeance, like ruler of me-
dieval Italy, but never cruel, never one to
trample on all rights to gain his end. His
iron will was tempered by noble qualities.
which might be sometimes obscured, but
never obliterated. Those qualities had no
resemblance between the two faces; but
the advantage of mere physical beau
ty, still more that OF power, depth, and
soul, rested with the famous knights de-
scendant.
Long did lima stand gazing on that
countenance, as if she would imprint ev-
cry feature Oh her memory; and two or
three Cimes she glanced at Sir Philip, as if
comparing the two. Finally, she turned
away with i slight shudder shaking her
head.
"Well," said Sir Philip in slightly
hooking tone, "what is your verdict! He
was brave man, this ancestor of mine; he
did great deeds Of derring-do in the Span
ish wars; he was favored squire of danes
yet you shudderv
she was black-hearted villain" replied
lima, Sand he has an evil face. could
never have loved him."
"You are keen; there is no heart in In
gelhard's face-and you can see that. But
Zarah was an ignorant gipsy-girl. Ay,"
continued Sir Philip, grinding his heel on
the floor, US though he was crushing some
obnoxious object, $50 black deed deserv.
ed curse! Why, Heston flung his life
away for Ingelhard'S-less worth 4 thou
sand times, though he was Darrell and
belted knight. 1t was indeed
"Foulest stain on knIghthood's face,
Deadly blight on noblest race
And have not his children, and his chill
dren's children, to the fourth and fifth
generation, suffered for it: But there"
he added hurriedly, for he saw how his
words affected his listener-'sall this is fol-
ly to you, and | am Il mere slave of super
stition. DO you see the likeness they all
6nd?"
"Yes," answered the girl, trying to
hide the pain one part of her hosts speech
had given her, "there is strong like
ness"
$50 there should be-" said Sir Philip
carelessly, not wishing to compel lima to
explain wherein lay any differences
Snow here follows the long line of Sir In
gelhard's descendants. You do not be-
lieve in the curse? Yet, whenever one of
these loved, woe and death followed: and
we Darrells, unhappiIy, cannot love light
ly. This is highlands son. He married
Stanly; but he had loved Anne st. Maur,
and she was murdered but two days before
what should have been her wedding-day.
Marjorie, his sister, loved her brothers
worst enemy, and they were parted; she
was imprisoned in what we still call Lady
Marjorie's tower, and died mad; and her
lover was lost at sea. Shall l go on:"
eyes" answered lima, in Il low tone;
she was trembling, and her large eyes were
full of suffering.
Sir Philip Darrell seemed not to notice
this. He went on to tell her many a sor-
rOwful tale of the nobe-looking men and
women they passed in review-of brave
Sir Launcelot, whose young wife was i'm
prisoned by Cromwell, and who died OH
the very day she was restored to her hus-
band of graceful Magdalen, who fled with
a lover weIl-born, but not of lineage pure
enough for the naughty barrels, and who
persisted with her lover while trying to
cross the COalmere in I small boat; of
fierce Eyerard Darrell, who had won his
love at the swords point, only to see her
perish before his eyes, struck down by
stray bullet as he was bearing her away
A few he passed over, and lima wondered
why, till they came to gallant-lOOking
gentleman in the dress of George II.'S
reign, when lima touched her companions
arm, and asked
"Did he never love any one?"
cay" answered Sir Philip, after mo-
ment's pause, "not wisely, but too well!
1t was for no lawful love he died in his
own halls. He fed with the wife of
Westmoreland Squire; her husband pur-
sued them, and shot Morton Darrell in the
great hall you passed through when you
arrived"
So, when he passed by others, lima ask
ed no questions-she could read of them,
he said once, in u book he would lend her,
which gave all the family history-but, for
good or for evil, it seemed that this dark
passionate race must needs love, though
they knew the curse that went with it,