Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-04-26

| pressed was of earth and not of heaven. It
| was not transparent, for there was life in
| every feature, II was sad, indeed, almost
| beyond human sadness, but il was sad with
the mortal sorrows of this world. not with
| the unfathomabie melancholy of the suffer-
| ing saint. The lips were human, womanly
| pure and tender, but not formed for speech
| or prayer alone. The droopinc lips not
drawn, but darkened with faint. uneven
| shadows by the flow of many tears, were
slowly lifted now and again, disclosing a
vision OF black eyes not meant for endless
| weeping, nor made so deep and warm only
| TO strain their sight toward heaven above
| forgetting earth below. Unorna knew that
| those same eyes could CLEAN, and fash,
| and blaze, with love and hate and anger
| that under the rich, pale skin, the blood
| could rise aud ebb with the changing tide
OF the heart, that the warm lips could part
| with passion, and. moving. form words of
love. She saw pride in the wide, sensitive
nostrits. strength in the even brow and
| queenly dignity in the perfect poise Of the
head upon the slender throat And the
ciasped hands were womanly, too, neither
full and white and heavy Like those of
| marble statue, as Unorna's were, nor thin
and over-sensitive, like those of holy
women in old pictures. but real and living.
delicate IN outline, but not without nervous
strength, hands that might linger in an
others, not wholly passive, but all respon-
slve 10 the thrill of loving touch.
1t was very hard to bear. A better
woman than Cnorna might have felt some
thing evil and cruel and hating in her heart
at the sight of so much beauty in one who
held her place, in the queen of the kingdom
where she longed TO reign Unorna's cheek
grew very pale and her unlike eyes were
herce and dangerous. 1t was well for her
that she could not speak 10 Beatrice then.
for she wore no mask and the dark beauty
would have seen the danger of death in the
face OF the fair. and W 9uld have turned and
defended herself in time
But the sweet singing of the nuns came
softly up from below, echoing to the groined
roof. rising and falling, high and low and
the full radiance OF the many waXen tapers
shown steadily from the great altar Gid
ing and warming statue and cornice and an
Gent moulding and casting deep shadows
into all the places that it could not reach
And still the two women knelt in their high
balcony, the one rapt in fervent PRAYER the
other wondering that the presence of such
hatred as hers Should have no power to
XIII, and all the time making supreme eff
fort TO compose her own features into the
expression OF friendly sympathy ana inter
est which she knew she would need, so soon
as the singing ceased and il was time to
leave the church again.
The psalms were finished There was n
pause, and then the words of the ancient
hymn tioated up TO UnornaS ears. familiar
IN years gone by. Almost unconsciOusly
she herself, by force OF old habit. Joined in
the first verse. Then. suddenly. she
stopped not realizing. indeed. the horrible
gulf that lay between the words that passed
her lips and the thoughts that were at work
III her heart, but Silenced by the near sound
OF voice less rich and full. but far more
exquisite and tender than her own. Beat
rice was singing, too, with joined hands,
and parted lips and upturned face.
............ pro tua elemental,
Sis praeSul ct custOdia.
PrOcul recedant somHia.
ct uoctium phantasmata:
Hostem que nostrum COmprime n
Let dreams be far, and phantasms of the
nlght-blnd thou our foe, = sang Beatrice in
long, sweet notes
Cnorna heard no more. The light dazzled
her and the blood beat in her heart. 1t
seemed as though no prayer that was ever
prayed could be offered up more directly
against herself, and the voice that sang il,
though not loud, had the rare power OF car !
rying every syllable distinctly in its magic
tones, even TO great distance. AS she |
knelt, it was as if Beatrice had been ever !
nearer, and had breathed the words into !
her very ear. Afraid to look around lest |
her face should betray her emotion, Unorna |
glanced down at the kneeiing nuns. She |
started. Sister Paul. alone OF them all. |
was looking up, her faded eyes liked on |
Unorna'S with i look that implored and vet |
deSpaired, her clasped hands u little raised |
from the low desk before her. most evil
IDENTIFY Offering up the words with the whole !