San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-12-26
The Dai1y Eight.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER %. 1891
shall never meet again. ="

IL Nvs INC uliIi, she Sdlu, watching
her companion as though to see wha
effect the portrait would produce.
Then she sank back.
you knew him!" she cried hal
guessing at the truth.
Il know him-and | love him." saiC
Unorna slowly and fercely, her eyes
fixed on her enemy and gradually
leaning toward 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 an
ger, or hatred. or the intent to kill,
in those dreadful eyes. There was a
fascination from when no living thing
could escape. She tried TO scream, to
shut out the vision, to raise her hand
as screen before it. Nearer and
nearer it came, until she could feel the
warm breath Of it upon her cheek.
Then her brain reeled, her limbs re-
Taxed, and her head fell back against
the wall.
Il know him, and | love him. were
the last words Beatrice heard.
Unorna gradually regained her ,elf-
possession After all, Beatrice had
told her nGthing which she did not
either wholly know or partly guess,
and her anger was not the result of
the revelation but of the way in which
the story had been told. Word after
word, phrase after phrase had cut her
and stabbed her to the quick, and
when Beatrice had thrust the min
iature into her hands her wrath had
risen in spite of herself
She leaned back and looked at
Beatrice during several minutes,
smiling to herself from time to time.
scOrnfully and cruelty. Then she
rose and locked the outer door, and
closed the inner one carefully. She
knew from long ago that no sound
could then find its way to the corridor
without. she came back and sat down
again, and again looked at the Sleep
ing face, aud she admitted for the
hundredth time that evening that
Beatrice was very beautiful.
She began to walk up and down the
room as WAS her habit when in deep
thought, turning over in her mind the
deed to be done and the surest and
best way Of doing it. 1t occurred to
her that Beatrice could not be allowed
TO live beyond that night.
There was nothing to prevent the
possibility Of a meeting between
Beatrice and the Wanderer. if Beatrice
remained alive.
There was no escape from the deed
Beatrice must die. UnOrna could pro-
duce death in a form which could
leave no trace, and it would be attri-
buted to weakness of the heart
UnOrna was sure of herself, and OF
her strength, TO perform what she con-
templated. There lay he dark beauty
in the corner of the sofa, where she
had sat and talked 20 long. and told
her last story, the story of her life
which was now to end 4 few deter
mined words spoken in her ear,
pressure of the hand upon the brow
and the heart, and she would never
wake again. She would lie there still
until they found her. hour after hour
the pulse growing weaker and
weaker, the delicate hands colder, tine
face more set. At the last there would
be cOnvulsive SILVER of the queenly
form, and that would be the end. The
phys clans and the authorities would
come aud would speak of weakness
of the heart and there would be
masses sung for her soul, and she
would rest in peace.
Her soul? In peace? Unorna stood
still Was that TO be all her ven
geance upon the woman who stood be-
tween her and happiness? Was there
to be nothing but that, nothing but
the painless passing of the pure
young spirit from earth to heaven?
Was no one to suffer for all Unorna's
pain? 1t was not enough. There
must be more than that. And yet,
what more? That was the question.
What imaginable wealth of agony
would be just retribuLiOn for her ex-
istence? jnOrna could lead her. as
she had led Israel kafka. through the
life and dearh of a martyr, through
life OF wretchedres5 and death of
shame, but then, the moment must
come at last, since this was to be
death indeed, and her spotless soul
would be beyond Unorna's reach for
ever. No, that WIS not enough.
Since she could not be allowed
to live to be tormented, vengeance
must followed her beyond the end of
life.
Unorna stood still, and an awful
light of evil came into her face. A
thought OF which the enormity would
have terrified common being had it
entered her mind and taken possession
OF it. Beatrice was in her power,