Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-25

again. A great chance Just then came In
my way. took it, l came here. You," a
little miserable laugh breaks from her,
'you can compare dates, if-if-"
"I want no dates" SAYS he.
"Other people will, however, if
should appear again; but shall not You
have refused to send Sir CASTOR away, and
If he should chance to see me Well, "
with a long, heavy sigh, seven if he should,
shall not 60 back to the old lie. / shall
not appear again with him."
werner shall CO." says he.
"AhP' She smiles little; but it is a
most joyless smile.
"Well-let me finish," says she, with a
sigh. "Both Lord Wyvis and 1 disap-
peared from town almost at the same time.
| That fact gave him-my-Sir Gaston-a
chance of destroying my good nama. He
did not lose that chance. He made the
| most cf it. This is all, says she. This, "
her eyes beginning to burn feverishly, her
lips trembling, ''this is the truth. As I
told you before, there is only my word
mine only"
'Tt is enough" says he
"It is true-it is true-it is trueP cries
she, suddenly-and then she bursts out cry
ing. "You saw that" she sobs, "but you
will be like all the rest-you will not be-
lieve."
''Not believe? I believe in you vi ith all
my soul, says Drayton. who Is very pale.
| "Are you sure?" cries she. "When did
you begin to believe? You did not believe
in me just now. But in this case you must
believe. 1 can find out the exact day Lord
Wyvis left England, and am sure came
| down here day or two before that. I can
verify every word. l."
"Don't," says he, as if hurt. ''Do you
think want verifcation? Are you bent
on Furnishing me? Have 1 not been pun
ished enough already? Have one good
thing on earth to look forward to?"
'You have no doubt, then?" She smiles
as if in measure satisfied, but her smile is
heartbroken; she looks white and ex-
! hausted.
Not one" says he. 'T would to heaven
hadp'
Yes This is the end of it, he tells him
self. He would now, SO strange is human
nature, have gladly grasped the doubt that
| would once more have made her free, to
| give herself to him. But that is all over!
| Thou shalt fear
Waking, and sleeping mourn upon thy bed;
Truly there seems no comfort anywhere.
| "Well-there is no more to say" Bis
voice is very low, and fraught with dull
despair.
''No. No more. There is no more at
all" She lifts detected eyes and looks
around the pleasant little room where she
had refuge found, and sighs. II shall
| leave this tomorrow"
There is long pause.
81 have another better plan" says he.
"Why should you leave? Why should you
abandon the spot that has so far sheltered
yoa-that like to think has grown pleas
ant to you No, you shall stay here, and 1
shall go away"
f'Oh no no mo-
81 pray you not to deny me in this mat
ter, entreats he, earnestly. ST." looking
at her, shall like to think of your being
here, when 1 am" He pauses.
"Where?" She draws nearer to him,
gazing at him with palIid lips
81 shall go back to my old work." says
he with rather forlorn smile. 'You know
how dear the delights of travel are to me.
shall get up an exploring party. shall
find great pleasure in it. L"
'Oh!" She checks him by gesture, and
then covers her face with her hands Poor
hands that tremble so miserably. SIT is
not true" cries she. ''There is no pleasure
henceforth, for you or for me. !"
And, SO saying, the tears OF her eyes
Fell without noise.
They drop silently one by one through
her slender fingers, but not one sob escapes
her. The near approach of death renders
all men silent, and is not this like death?
"PIeasure-no," SAYS he. "But would
have you take comfort. There are other
things besides pleasure. Rhoda, will you
add to my bitterness? Do you think your
tears are nothing to me? For the short
time we still have together before GO
ga short time" Her hand drops, she
SAYS she. "There are your guests-you can
not forsake them, though" She hushes
deeply and makes deprecatory gesture.
"Oh, no, [ did not mean that, says she.
81 know it." He is answering that I'M
spoken apology of hers. If he is forsaking
her. it is not for her good, and to his own
undoing? GAS for my guests, can arrange
for them. did not think Of them, indeed;
l." be hesitates. and lays one hand against
his forehead. ''This is the endr' says he
suddenly.
'The endP' His tone has startled her.
She lays little white hand with q nervous
clutch upon her bosom. 'The endr'
eyes. 1t is our last moment together"
He has grown deadly white, but his tone is
firm. "We part now, Rhoda. Now! We
shall never meet again"
"Never?" She looks at him and sud-
denly breaks into most pi:Iable little
laugh. ooh, no." says she, "you forget,
you forget There will be tomorrow.
'"There will be no tomorrow for us; we
part nowhere; I shall not see you again"
"Not once again? Not in the mornine?"
A look of terror is growing in her wide
gray eyes.
''You don't know what you are saving"
says she. "Do You mean that you are
going away now-now, forever! Oh, no,
you cannot mean that; you," with an at
tempt at confident smile, ''you are only
trying to frighten me! To-morrow-to-
morrow 1 shall see you again" here,
gazing at him all the time, she sees some
thing in the anguish of mis- eyes that bids
she breathes family, desperately. She is
now clinging to him.
"Are you mad?''says he hoarsely. "Why |
will you tempt me like this? Is it for |
my sake-for mine that go? Rhoda! my
soul! my beloved! Have pity on me, and |
on yourself.
"Ah! how can you talk of pity?" says |
she. "What pity is there in you?" Her |
voice gives way, "You will go?" asks she,
in dying tons.
Eyes; I shall 60" If ever she had
doubted his love for her, it is not now. His
voice, his haggard face betray him. 81
shall 60, repeats he mechanically. "We
part here-tor ever"
"Do you know what that means?"
His only answer is long, long look into
her tear-dimmed eyss-those eyes to be so
soon only recollection.
"Ah! you do not know" cries She
when you go, what shall be left me
then?" e..
Memory" says he, sadly, "and the
that you trusted me, and that
did not betrav that trustl'
'tIs Tint alp" asks she tOhi how moor