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

|. "Well?" said she, quickly. It is a ques-
tion. She has stopped about yard from
him, and is looking at him anxiously. She
has evidently been tutoring herself into
calm during these last interminable 80
minutes, and her lovely eyes, tear-saddened,
are fastened upon his
Dark shadows lie beneath those eyes
sad, bitter shades that speak of grief, too
great to be subdued.
"Well?" repeats he sternly. He is in no
whit moved by her most moving face.
"You have seen him?"
"It BY him you mean Sir CASTOR Werner,
yes"
"Yes, 1 mean him." says she, growing
very white again-all the serenity, the
strength, she had been praying for during
the past dreadful balf hour (and she had
prryed very hard), NOW forsaking her. 'It
was he then!' she says, IN a despalring
tone. All at once she seems to grow ten
years older-God knows what wild hopes
had held her up during his absence! The
hope, for one, she might have been mis-
taken. That her eyes deceived her "Ah,
yes; it was. Why did you ask him here :?
Were there" lifting piteous eyes to his,
''not enough men in all this miserable
world that you should choose him among
them for your guest?"
"Why should 1 not choose him ?" asks
| he. ~
'sTrue, true r' Her lovely meekness
touches him in no wise. "But," she gazes
at him imploringly, all her heart in her
beauteous eyes, che cannot be of any use
to you in any way. 1t is impossible that
you and he can have one thought In COM
mon, and, therefore, entreat of you to get
rid of bin. Do" rising and coming nearer
to him., ''do get rid of him ! And at once.
foa me- .,h nf
that you will send him away-to- night.
Tonight Oh, if not tonight, tomorrow.
1t, with wild sob, Twill be so easy for
you to do this, while tor me" her voice
falls into a sad whisper, 'tor me, 1t he
stays, it will mean ruin r'
"RuinP' The word falls like q fresh con-
frmation of his fears upon his heart. He
turns from her, leaving her standing there,
alone, crushed, outlawed as it were, and
crosses the room to the window. He seems
to breathe more freely-or so he tells him.
self-when the whole length of the room
lies between him and her.
Some horrible sounds are beating against
his brain. Those old ones-guilt, disgrace,
and now this one, ''ruin," and With all
these newer one still-betooled.
No She shall not befool him, though
she were-though she is-the loveliest thing
on earth-she shall not befool him.
Vernerl If it had been anyone but he-a
man with a reputation so vile, even among
men, that many of his own class give him
the cold shoulder A man who, if he (Dray-
ton) had a sister or mother staying with
him, he would never have asked inside his
doors!
Somebody had suggested Werner to him
as good shot, and he asked him down to
Kingslands, no arriere pensee in his mind.
He had met Werner in town some months
ago, but had known nothing Of him, being
anything in the world but a society man.
But he had heard a great deal since-and
that he-she-should--
Once again he sees her, az he saw her an
hour ago crouching in the corner, her large
eyes Wild with fear; of such fear cometh dis
honor. She had entreated him to hide her
to hide her from what? And those dia-
monds! Great heavensl How slow he was
to read the truth.
And how she had seemed to delight in
them. The very wearing of them had
seemed to lend her a special light, a new
spiritual brilliance. She had sparkled, she
and those cursed diamonds, together; she
had even
His thoughts break of, her voice dispels
them.
"You will send him away?" SAYS she.
She has not moved. She has not attempted
to go to him. Her sad request comes to
him from the other end of the room.