The Progress., 1893-03-11

nuj Lin sitting before tnat plaster cast,
said Nar;a;te, suilenly.
"Oh, its perfectly platonic,' laughed
Erue-t.
"Bah!" said Rose: ''you don't object
to a plaster rival, DO vou:'
TO the health of Nina. cried Ernest.
Charles looked up quickly. These
jibes cut him to the heart.
NINA was a good girl" he said.
THAT remains to be seen" cried Mari
cite; Il am good girl, too, am | not?''
You will be when you are dead, "
Knocked Ernest.
Charles, said Marietta, confess that
you love Nina still"
mo; do notr'
more than you love me?'
mo, no! l love you"
Very well, then prove IT. There is
that horrid skull that you keep as a
sacred relic. I've seen it grinning up
there long enough. Let us make the
punch in it!'
"Ah, that's an original ideay' cried
Ernest. "Mariette, you have the imag-
nation of poet"
80 be it then" said Charles, and
rising he placed the skull in the middle
of the table.
81 am the one to light it," said Mari.
cite triumphantly, pouring the liquor
into this CHASTITY cup.
Suddenly the punch was afre, the
tongues of blue fame mixing amorously
with the smoke of the cigars. An odor
deadly and mephitic exhaled from the
skull. Phosphorescent flames rose and
fell in strange colors of decay, and the
smoke rose in purple spirals into the air.
Charles felt shiver clutch him in its
cold fingers from head to foot. Marietta
showed her teeth in the horrible Joy of
secured vengeance. The rain fell
heavily outside, the windows shook.
Little by little drunkenness overcame
these ribald beings who TESTED with the
sacred mysteries of death. Then Marietta
began to sing a song composed by
Charles for Nina, mockingly begging
him not to weep.
AS Charles heard the words of the
song chanted in her pitiless voice, his
heart beat fast, something rose in his
throat, his voice failed and his head fell
heavily forward upon the table. His
sudden movement overturned the skull,
and the burning brandy touched the
thin folds eff Varieties dress. Her awful
cry of terror was lost in the flames
which enveloped her.
Charles remained in delirious con-
dltion. Idiotic cries burst from his lips.
and in spite of himself, he rested his
eyes upon the mask of plaster, whose
eyes remained fixed upon his with
steady persistence that held his own.
He began to repeat the words of his
early love and those of Nina when she
was happy with him, and finally those
that she had uttered when she felt the
end of all their happiness approaching:
. 4 love you so dearly, my beloved one
1 cannot give you up. shall come back
at night to speak to YOU"
Feverish and trembling he drank greed. !
lily the last glass of punch at his elbow. |
the cast detached itself from |
the wall and came forward through the
clouds of smoke. He felt the sweat |
start from every pore.
A SIGH fell upon the air; he felt it pas
his cheek, moist and terrible; breath
from the tomb. A cry struggled to his
i1ps, but died there. His voice chOked |
in his throat. The figure approached.
and the student recognized the beloved
Of his youth. Silent tears were flowing
from the hollow sockets of the ewes, and
as she bent toward him Charles felt her
lips upon his fOrehead-lips as hard and
cold as marble. Then the phantom
raised her hand, pointing with he1
skeleton finger to the clock, which was
1t the stroke Of 8. AS Charles felt his
leart fail in his breast and his veins turn
% ice the vision faded.
Day WAS just beginning; the first rays
# bright sun lit up the windows of
he little room in the Rue Ores. Charles
woke from profound sleep. He looked
bout sleepily upon the confusion which
him and endeavored to recall
he events of the past night.
These glasses and empty bottles: that
5 natural" be muttere6, land have
lept here on the table, .but-what time
S itT'
He walked dizzily to the chimney. .
The hands were at the hour of 3.
nd the clock had stopped. He remem.
'ered the frightful vision of the night
nd the accident to Mariette, and he !
iurried TO the adjoining room.
'Mariette, Mariette!' he cried. No {
s5y answered. Charles opened the
9or violently. Ernest and Rose were l.
po1 their knees beside the bed.
'.Narietter' cried Charles. :
i'Sne is dead" replied Ernest. !
~Dead!'' Y
'Yes, at 8 o'clock"
'Eaiina is avenged" said Charles sink, .
g upon his knees.-Adapted for Ar !,
)naut from the French of Frederic de Z
\
When the Prince Called on Tennyson. Z