San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-06-19

paIe, out Slnlllng and entreatlng the
general pardon for having so misbe-
haved, the complexion of affairs re-
sumed its former genialiUy. The tables
had been removed, the music stormed
and palpitated, and the people who
danced began to look at one another and
beat time with their feet, as if appari-
tions, wizards and bloody daggers were
but diverting preliminary to real en-
joyment. Society uniformly deprecates
serious views, and, if its spirits have
been dashed for moment, laughs so
much the more lightly the moment
after
But while the ball was at its height
Sallie took an opportunity to withdraw
unobserved, making private signal to
the count as she did so. He followed
her to the east room, where for a mo-
ment they We're alone.
Il have to thank you for delightful
evening"" she said. Il can never forget
it,"
1.-THE pleasure has been mutual" re-
turned the count, bowling.
81 feel that | know you so much bet
| ter than l did before l came here. Sallie
continued. Before you had seemed
mysterious and enigmatical; you were
something like a prince in fairy tale;
| you might undergo transformation at any
| moment into hobgoblin, or a wisp of
straw! But now-well-now l think
there can never again be any doubt be-
| tween us as to our true relations to each
other"
Il am glad to hear you say 80" re-
| sponded the count courteously.
Sallie eyed him for a moment, and
then stepped close in front of him,
| changing her tone of polished sarcasm
to one of intense earnestness. II can be
| a good friend and a good enemy" she
said. "You have nearly everything that
| a man can wish for, Count de Lisle, but
| if you had twice as much it would still
| be worth your while to make a woman
| like me your friend. And | am ready to
| join hands with you on any terms you
propose. What motive can you possibly
have TO antagOuize me? | have done you
no harm. If | have harmed any friend
of yours it was unRnowingly, and am
willing to make reparation. Come!
| shall we be allies? Am | so repulsive"
Sallie certainly did not look so at that
moment. There was something, not an
| gelically, but superhumanly attractive
| in her eyes and aspect. To see her now
was to understand how some women rise
to the highest points of social or politi-
cal emiaeace with nothing but them
selves to help then-tlemselveS or the
devil Beauty, brains and utter I'M
scrupulousness in combination make a
dangerous power, before which the
| strongest Len have weakened,
The count looked at Saliie, and as he
dill SO he removed his gold trimmed eye
| glasses. This altered his appearance not
little. His eyes were powerful, and il
| seemed to Sallie that she had met their
glance before somewhere-but when or
where she couli not determine. The
count looked Mt her keen, handsome
| face, at Lcr white neck and arms, at her
| graceful figure in its golden hued dress;
and he saw that she was fair. But, in
stead of sOftening, his countenance grew
stern.
You say You are willing to make
reparatiOn for any harm that you have
done?" said he.
She nodded her head slightly.
will you come back to the ballroom
with me" he continued, land tell the
people there who you are-and who you
are not"
"Why should | tell them what they
already know
DO they know that you We're never
married, either in France or elsewhere,
to HaI~'y Trent; that he refused, in spite
of all your threats ana entrenties, to
make you his wife; that after his death
you caused bundle of papers, among
which was viii purporting to be his,
to be discovered in drawer of piece
of furniture in Philadelphia hotel?
And will YOU tell them that this will was
a forgery, copied from a genuine will
written by Trent himself, but deciding
his fortune, not to you, but to another
woman, whom he designed to marry:
For that woman's name you substituted
your own; and you yourself hid it in the
room at the hotel which, as you hap
poned to know, Trent had once occupied.
By means of that will, and of the
certificate of marriage, also a forgery,
but written on printed form which you
had procured while travelling in France.
you made good your claim to the estate.
Will you tell them this?"
II will repeat no such foolish tale" re-
piled Sallie steadily. How could have
forged copy of the genuine will unless
had had the genuine will to copy from?
And how could have become possessed