Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-12-16

voice that was hardly above whls-
per; and with that she went forward
and held ous her hand. He took ii in
both his held il n moment or two in
silence. and then let it go. She could
feel the SILVER that ran through him
| from head TO foot He stood front
ing the west where the last ashes of
the burnt-out day were not yet wholly
extinguished. BY their pallid crepus.
cular light she could see the working
OF his face. and note the flame of
troubled rapture which sprang into
his eyes the instant they rested on her.
before the ardor OF which her own
sank abashed.
'Yes-it is ]. he answered after
pause. which ought TO have been
measured by heart-throbs instead OF
seconds L could not rest longer
without looking again on the old place
and satisfying myself that all under
its roof were we'll But had no
thought of seeing you"
1T is the first time / have set foot
] in the tower since that terrible night
and / cannot tell what impulse
brought me here this evening. You
say that you had no thought OF seeing
me. Perhaps you wished, first of all
to see my uncle. All, Roden il you
had known how he has longed TO see
you. you would have come back long
ago."
mo. have not come in order to
see Colonel Bernage and he must not
know that | have been here. | came
because could no longer stay away
but | had no thought or intention Of
seeing any one-not even you-and
two hours hence l shall be back in
London"
You did not come to see my uncle.
and he must not know that you have
been here Oh Rodent IL was a
cry in which pain. amazement and
sorrow all seemed to have part
Love and sorrow that verged on de-
spair spoke out OF the young mans
eyes as they gaZed into hers. Then
he said Il know well what you think.
and cannot blame you for i"
1T is not what think. Roden but
what the world thinks and says.
coupled with your own silence that
has been such pain to us all Be-
lieve me when tell you that in the
thoughts both OF my Euncles and my
self you have ever been held guiitless
OF that which has been laid TO your
charge"
Heaven bless you for those words!
Then. although the evidence was to
all seeming so strong against me. you
did not-you do not-credit that / am
the murderer OF Captain Darvill" He
spoke quickly. almost fiercely. IL was
as though he needed TO be still moro
fully assured that she held him guilt
less.
Need i repeat my assurance that
we have never lost cur faith in you?'
she asked. with shade OF sweet re-
proach in her voice but as time
passed on. and your silence remained
unbroken. can you wonder il my uncles
sometimes said TO each other May
there not have been a quarrel between
the two and may it not we'll have
come to pass that what was done was
done in moment of passion. OF un-
governable frenzy. caused. perhaps by
some great provocation or insult the
secret of which was known TO them
selves aloneP That is what they have
sometimes said to each other.
Such generous hearts as theirs find
it hard to think i'll Of any one. II they
had thought Infinitely worse OF me-
they would have been justified in do
ing so. My silence must have seemed
incomprehensible TO all of you. But
not even to the extent admitted in
their thoughts am / guilty. had
neither part nor parcel in the death
OF DarvilL am as innocent OF all
participation in if rs Colonel Bernage
himself"
Emma stared at him dumbly. O
strange confluence OF emotions agi-
tating her heart; Joy. thankfulness.
wonder and faith that was justified OF
itself; but over all the brooding
shadow OF mystery in which there
seemed TO Turk an unseen menace
Then Why she said at last
J and then was silent but it was not yet
so dark that he could not read the
J rest OF her question in her eyes
Then why did / not come forward
duu prove my Innocence pelOfe Jnt
world?" he said. This is question
which / cannot answer either to you
or any one-pray pardon the rudenesi
which compels me TO say SO.
7 But Roden | don't understand.
: altogether fail to comprehend oh
help me out-you know what wan
to express.
, You fail to comprehend why oil
: how 1t comes to pass that / am thus
, bound in letters which l am power
: loss TO break. Believe me. il l wer,
, at liberty to tell you. j would. ali
how gladly! But my lips are sealed
3 The secret is not my own. or 1t would
have been told long ago All car
. do is TO ask you not to lose faith II
: me. and sometimes TO think OF me-i
little"
) But this is terribel For how mucl
l longer have you condemned yoursel
to carry this awful purdenp"
a Il cannot tell. My release may COM
t at any hour. or IL may never come
; Never! DO you mean that al
I | vou, lffa laucy unt, tnav havo 20 ,.o,,,o i,