The Irish standard., 1892-11-05

and was now fronting me, scanning my
/ face and bearing with curious eagerness.
She held her hands across her bosom,
alternately interlacing the tips of the
fingers and pulling them free again.
Her lips moved as if in speech, but no
sound came from them.
got up presently, looking dare say
very solemn, as indeed felt. Her eyes
followed mine as rose; and now we
gazed straight at each other for some
moments.
Il promised you that you should be
freed" said. ''and you shall be. shall
be sorry to have any mans blood On my
hands; but II you can be saved in no
other way, it must be So
ssYou do love me indeed! she MUIR
INJURED. with sort of sad exultatior in
her tone. But she added: II cannot let
you do it. cannot lose you, even to be
freed from him. It is my fathers fault
after all. Besides"-
81 take it upon myself interrupted L,
with dignity which may have been
absurd, but which did not seem so to me
at the time.
but it would be murder-at any rate
the law would call 1t so. No, you must
not be called murderer, Tom. But l.
they would not hang woman-let me
do It'll should love to do it,
And she spoke with look that con-
frmed the words.
Before could reply, however, her ex-
preston changed again. She appeared
to think intensely for few moments
then her face lighted up. Suddenly she
caught my hand and kissed it.
'And kiss me, Tom!' she cried, ex-
citedly. kiss me, for J. deserve it!
have thought of way that will save us
all!' . b.
Much startled, and half fearing that
the girls mind had given way under the
pressure of trouble, was attempting to
quiet her, but she silenced me by an inn
petuous gesture and went on speaking
eagerly and rapidly.
Tomorrow we had planned to go to
Kohlstein for a picnic. It's great, inn
mense rock, where robbers lived hun
dreds of years ago. Hardly any one ever
goes there now. l have been there and
remember that on the top it is full
of deep clefts and holes, and thought
how, if any one were to fall into one,
they might lie there for months without
} being found, and they could never get
out of themselves. So now-listen! We
will go up there-you and | and-he,
and will lead him near the brink of
one of those clefts and then you must
! rush forward and take him and drop
him downtown to the bottom! So we
shall get what we want and yet there
need be no murder"
mot be murder, Kate?''
sit need not be, for when he is safe
down there, rather than be left to starve,
he would give UP those papers. Don't
you think he would?'
She was tre1nb bling with excitement,
and her state communicated itself in
some degree to me, so that was scarce
| ~ able to think coherently. But there
certainly seemed to be plausibility in
| her scheme; at the worst it would be
better than shooting the man outright.
But would the recovery of the papers
put an END to Slurl's persecution of
Kate as we'll as of her father? Would
not his power over her remain?
s.But we can have him imprisoned
then, you see,'' was her answer to my
objection; .:and for fear of that he would
| never dare to trouble me again He
| would have been in prison long ago but
for the papers.
1T certainly seems O. good plan,'
said after confused attempt to turn
the matter over in my mind. We'll
ask your fathers opinion tomorrow.
ooh, he must know nothing of it?'
she exclaimed, with gesture Of vehe-
ment dissent. s'He would betray it.
You don't know how-what a power
that villain has over him, Slurk treats
him like a child when they are alone
No; Tom, we must do it all ourselves, or
it will fail. Only when it is done will
dear papa get back his courage"
knew more about how Mr.. Birch
more was treated by his valet in private
than Kate was aware; but made no
allusion to this. The more reflected
upon the enterprise, the more inclined l
was to assent to it. It was wild, fan
tastic, unconv entional, but it had inn
portant practical merits nevertheless.
e. Moreover, it possessed the powerful
recommendatio las deemed it) of al
lowing for q fair man to man struggle
betweek anrk and myself. / was to
overpower him by main strength; and
from what had observed of the fellow
fancied he would be able to make just
resistance enough to save my self re-
spect. On the, other hand, he might be
able to do more. than this; and if the
worst came to the worst Of course /
might be compelled to main him with
my revolver. But altogether the pros
pects kindled my magma alton; was
stimulated BY the thought Off distin-
gushing myself 81 my personal proWess
before my mis- ress' eyes, IN conflict with
her dasta oppressor And as ! looked
.at her stantl there me. 10 love-
lysand full of \ said to
myself that 10 kniaEht off yore ever did
battle in Che q 81 yvorthier lady
ssssss ~ IA 1a continued