The Fort Worth gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-189?, 1891-04-30

Gun month before that time, and at that
| point her story ended.
Then YOU are no, married ," Beatrice
| tone expressed III Interrogation, and Il Ger
| tain surprise.
NO said Unorna. i am not married.
And YOU, ii may ASK"
Beatrice started visibly. It had not oc-
CURED TO her that the question might seem
. natural one for Unorna TO ask. although
she had said that she was all alone in tne
world. Unorna might have supposed her
to have lost her husband. But Unorna
could see that it was not surprise alone that
had startled her. The question, as she
knew 1t must, had reused deep and pain
full train OF thought
NO said Beatrice. III an altered voice,
Il am not married shall never marry"
A short silence followed, during which
she turned her face away.
Il have panied YOU said Unorna, with
profound sympathy and regret. Forgive
| me- How could be so tactless'"
How could YOU know" Beatrice asked
simply, not attempting 10 deny the Sug-
gestion.
But Unorna was suffering. too. She
had allowed herself TO imagine that in 'he
long years which had passed, Beatrice
might perhaps had forgotten. 1t had
even crossed her mind that she might. in
| deed, be married. But in the few words,
and in the tremor that accompanied them.
as well rs in the increased pallor OF
Beatrice's face, she detected love not less
| deep and constant and untorgotten than the
| Wanderers own.
Forgive me- Unorna repeated. i
| might have guessed. | have loved, too
She knew that here. at least, she could
| not feign. and she could not control her
| voice. but with supreme judgment OF effect
| she allowed herself TO be carried beyond
| all reserve. In the one short sentence her
| whole passion expressed itself. genuine,
| deep. strong. ruthless. She let the words
come as they would, and Beatrice was
startled by the passionate cry that burst
from the heart, so wholly uureStrained
For long time neither spoke again, and
| neither looked At the other. TO all appear
ances Beatrice was the first 10 regain her
self-pcsses sion. And then all AZ once, the
words came To her lips which could be re-
strained no longer. For years she had
kept silence for there had been no one to
whom she could speak. For years she had
sought him, as best she could, rs he had
sought her, truitlesslH and 1T last hope
lessly And she had known that her father
was seeking him also, everywhere. that he
might drag her TO the ends of the earth at
the mere suspicion of the Wanderers pres
ence in the same country. II had amounted
TO madness with him of the kind not sell
dom seen. Beatrice might marry whom
she pleased but not the one man she loved.
lay DN DAY ana year DN year lLltlt INO
strong wills had been silently opposed, and
neither the one nor the other had ever been
unconscious of the struggle, nor had either
yielded hair0readth. But Beatrice had
been at her fathers mercy. for he could
take her whittier he would, and III that she
could not resist him. Never III that time
had she lost faith in the devotion Of the
man she sought. and at last it was only in
the belief that he was dead that she could
discover an explanation OF ms failure 10
lind her Still She would not change, and
still, through the years she loved moro and
more truly, ana paSsionatcly, and mchanS-
inrly.
The feeling that she was in the presence
OF passion as great, as unhappy and rs
masterful is her own, unlOOSCd her tongue.
Such things happen in this strange world.
Men and women of deep and strong feel
ings, outwardly cold. reserved taciturn
and proud. have been known, once IN their
lives. to pour out the secrets of their hearts
TO a stranger or a mere acquaintance, as
they could never have done 10 q friend.
Beatrice seemed scarcely conscious of
what she was saying, or Of Cnorna's pres
ence. The words. long kept back and
sternly restrained. fell with a strange
strength from her lips, and there was not
one OF them from first to last that did not
sheathc itself like a sharp knife in Unorna's
heart.
The enormous jealousy of Unorna, which
mad been growing within her beside her
love during the last month, was reaching
the climax of its overwhelming magnitude:
She hardly knew when Beatrice ceased
speaking. for the words We're still all ring
ing in her ears and claShing Inadly in her
own breast and prompting her fierce nature
to do some violent deed. But Beatrice
looked for no sympathy, ami did not See
UnornaS face. She had forgotten Cnorna
herself at last. as she sat staring at the op-
posite wall.
Then she rose quickly, and taking some
thing from the iewel-box, thrust it into
Cnorna's hands.
i cannot tell why have told you-but 1
have You shall see him, too What does
il matter? We have both loved, we are both
nhappy-we shall never meet again
What is it," Unorna tried TO ask. hold
ing the closed case III her hands. She knew
what was within it well enough, and he&
sef-command was forsaliing her. 1t wa
almost more than she could bear. 1t was
though Beatrice were wreaking vengeand
on her, instead of her destroying her rivaf'
rs she meant TO do, sooner or later.
Beatrice took the thing from her, opened
it. gazed al it d moment and put il again
into Unorna's hands. 1t was like him.
she said, watching hercompanion as though
TO see what effect the portrait would pro
duce. Then she shraGk back.
Unorna was looking at her. Her lace was
lived and unnaturally drawn, ana the eX-
traordinary contrast in the color of her two
eyes was horribly apparent. The one
seemed to freeze. the other to be on fire.
The strongest and worst passions that can
play upon the human soul were all eX-
pressed with awful force III the distorted
mask, and not trace of the magnificent
beauty so lately there was visible. Beatrice
shrank back in horror.
You know him. she cried, half guess
ing at the truth.
Il know him-and l love him. said
Unorna, slowly and fiercely. her eyes fixed
on her enemy, and gradually leaning to-
ward her, so as to bring her face nearer
and nearer to Beatrice.
The dark woman tried to rise, and could
not. There was worse than anger, or
hatred, or the intent to kill, in those
dreadful eyes. There was a fascination
from which no living thing could escape.
She tried to scream, to shut out the vision,
10 raise her hand as d screen before it.
Nearer and nearer it came, until she could
feel the warm breath of it upon her cheek.
Then her brain reeled, ha1e limbs relaxed
and her head fell back a2fBst the wall.
Il know him, and NIFhim,'' were the
last words Beatrice h1gG.
10 BE sUED.l
/.o/,t,x,.,I 1fae,1 e.. ry.