Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-10-23
Dark DarrelI's Bride.
CHAPrER xI.-CoN1INuEp.

ly, ana her eyes Tell. 81 am sorry hbouC
yesterday. don't want to make excuses.
did net forget my promise to you"
"Yeu need not apOlOgise," returned her
cousin, declining the prohered hand. al
know why you broke your promise and it
is not worth while to ask whether your
other promise WAS made before l said
goodbye TO you the other night or after
wards"
"Other promise! What do you meant"
said the girl haughtily. al made no other
promise. L went out TO avoid you; that is
the plain truth--nothing more."
"Very well, then; wronged you," an
swered Roland, who did not DOUBT his
young Cousins truth. Ii lima had made
an appointment with Darrell, she might
have refused to answer questions; but she
would never stoop TO an uutruth. 81
thought you had promised Sir Philip OAR
rell to meet him; for you were with him.
You were seen walking along the road
with him."
"What thenY" said lima. ais that 80
very new or strange thing TO do? have
never walked or ridden with Sir Philip
before? What is ii to you Orany one IN this
place what do or where I go?"
ait is everything TO me, lima" cried the
young man, eli Darrell is--as believe he
is-your loverl No; you shall hear me
You know that love you; and that can
give you what he, with all his beauty and
his wealth and his intellect, cannot give
you-happiness! Sheer as you will, you
cannot shake of all faith in that terrible
curse. You must believe that to love him
is fatal"
"Then how can you save me!" inter-
rupted lima, with flashing eyes. elf /
love him, il is too late--I must share his
fate"
glove? No, no." said Roland almost
wildly: cit Is not love-only fancy. You
are captiyated by his graces; his very
doom has excited your interests. He Is n
bastard to have tried to win you; aad he
tried from the beginning. Look back, and
you will see that l am not unjust to
him. lie threw himself In your way, he
gave you costly gift, such rs no man
would have given to II girl lie did not
want TO lay under an obligation to him.
Did he mean nothing by those flowers,
nothing by"
"Stop, stop, Rolandl 1 will not listen
to you'll How dare you speak so to me OF
Philip Darrell?" The slender girl seemed
transformed into a woman, as she stood
erect, with stern brow and commanding
gesture, never more superbly beautiful
much already. l should not have loved
you If l had never seen Sir Philip OAR
rell? l never liked you, never trusted
you, and you have proved that my instinct
was right"
"NeYeT liked me, never trusted me 70
echoed Roland, drawing back a step. His
face was ivid-the look in his eyes made
the girl tremble inwardly, though she
showed nothing of this in her fearless mien
and dauntless gaze. Then you love Philip
Darrell, and lie loves your
"Why should | deny It? Even II his
fate is sealed by a gipsy-woman's curse,
am l not tree to choose death with him
rather than live without himW
Roland stood still for moment, gazing
OH the beautiful girl before him. lie felt
as If he could strike her; but not so
should his vengeance be worked out.
Suddenly he burst into u discordant laugh.
eyes, l suppose you have a right to
choose your fate. Yours, Is fair life to
win from him the 'needful sacrifice A
man might well lose all for you. Yours
will be merry marriage-chimes. Ha, hal
Tell them not to toll the minute-bell when
they bring the last Darrell home with his
bride! No, | am not mad; you need not
recoil with that white face. 1t will DO
whittier tomorrow by this timeV
lie laughed again, and, dashing open
the door, rushed from the room aud the
house. leaving lima in the full belief that
his mind was unhinged.
An hour later Roland Sabine stood in
the little wood near the Coalmere, talking
in low tones to job and Zeph Hcston;
and, rs the trio parted, Zeph nodded with
a resolute look of evil in her black eyes,
and said, "All right; Pll do IT," and Job
dropped some money into his pocket and
said, "Agreed--all one to me sir"
Then Roland turned back towards the
village, but not homewards. lie went 10
farther than IA deserted barn little way
up the slope; and there he sat down, with
the wide landscape of hill and void and
river before him, and his heart full OF a
foul design that he scarcely cared even to
try TO veil with euphemlsm.
lie had not told Zeph the whole truth
when he had enlisted her services; he had
not told her that lima should have one
chance for her life, and that that chance
was to fly with him; he had only told her
the alternative, as though IL were the
entire scheme; and, IL lima chose that,
his crime would perish with her. The
HestOns dared not betray him, for his
guilt was theirs. aud Zeph regarded her.
self as in some sort an instrument to fulfill
the curse of her anceStress. Moreover, in
speaking 10 her first, he had filled her
foolish undisciplined heart with wild hopes
. for the future, till lie gave the girl cause
TO think that lie would some day make her
his wife. What the result would be when
Zeph found herself deceived Roland did
not ask himself; he was not man who
at the best Of times was able to forecast
beyond short period, or to hedge round
any contemplated misdeed with safe
guards; aud now he was Ia no condition Of
mind for even ordinary precautions. Had
Sir Philip Darrell at that moment appeared
before him, he would most likely b-ye
sprung nc him with the ferocious Instinct
OF wild beast, without a seconds consid-
GRAFTON Of his inferiorty to bis antagonist
or Of the consequences to himself II even
he succeeded In taking the hated life.
Startling was the change that evil pas
sions had wrought in the young man in
few hours. His cheeks were liyid and bag
gard, his neither lip was dropping, and his
eyes were wild and bioodshot; any one
who had seen him seated In that dreary
place, with his elbows on his knees aud
: his hands proppiug his chin, might well .
} have deemed that lac had committed or
toI