The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-01-23


the pursuing waves caught up at last,
ard descended with q crash upon the
pretty toy, which went to pieces In.
stantly. -
CHAPTER II.
apo THE DEAD AND THE LOST COME 8ACK7s
Edgar Arden had gone down in the
seething depths at the foot Of grim SIeat-
na-Vrecken; when he next looked up the
scene had nightly changed.
He lay In noble apartment, simply
and delicately furnished with pearly
hues sparipgly hecked with dead gold;
lofty walls with dark polished panels
finely carved; tall narrow windows heav.
lily drsped with gray velvets threaded
with tarnished gold; an ancient room as
any in Holyrood
The bed he lay on was canopied and
draped in antique fashion, its curtains
had been swept apart at the foot, to al
low the clear soft light OF q waxen taper
to fall upon his face. This taper was
held in the hand OF lady who was
watching him with rapt attention.; for q
few moments he gazed full in her facs
before she seemed to believe him awake
and in his right mind
The pleasant crackle Of fire in dis
tant part Of the room was all the sound
he heard.
What . strange, sad, brooding face
hers was! So wan, 80 transparent, thai
he felt shock almost as if he had seeR
q spirit 1t was very evident that she
had history; storms had passed over
that face, her eyes burned with the con-
suming fire OF an ever living pain.
She had been very beautiful, OF q
graceful, spirituelle type, with the re.
fined sentiment and elegant graces OF
gentle birth; but the glory OF her day
was past; her noble form was wasted,
deep melancholy darKened her expires.
sion. 81. .,a..... .....s
Her dress was severely simple, no
faintest attempt at decoration relieved
it, and yet she wore it with such grace.
the lines OF her form were so Moving,
that she lent o majesty to the dress
which no splendor could have given.
As his fainting faculties returned to
him, Edgar contemplated this woman as
If she had been vision; but the spell
was broken when she moved to bend
over him with anxious solicitude.
Full recollection returned to Edgar,
and with it the darting consciousness
mans lost wife. ....
Lovely as he had heard her called, sor.
rowful, pining as under a crushing and
ever present affiiction. Surely this was
Engelonde Inchcape, for whose sake
Lord Incheape had renounced the world,
and buried his noble powers and ambi-
tions in brooding solitude in the meridian
of his days.
In sudden overpowering excitement
Edgar sprang up, stretched out his hands
to the lady and made gasping attempt
to utter her name, but he fell back in
stantly, pressed down by the heavy hand
of weakness and pain and could only lie
white and painting, with yearning look
fastened upon hex.
Startled by his abrupt movement, the
lady few to his side and took his hand
in her own small, burning ones
@Are you in pain? I am so sorry"
said she sweetly. "What can I do for
you?"
He lifted her hand to his lips and
k1SS6u III leTNcu1lys duQ Seill uo Coo4o uoe
command his voice to speak
"You are very weak, and must not ex-
ert yourse f." said she, soothinely. @You
have been dreadfully hurt, though not
motally; and no bones are broken. I am
glad to have such good news to tell
Jou" She smiled gently, and seating
herself by his pillow, began to fan him
With a soft plumy scented fan, talking
still in low, friendly tones that stole
about the heart Of ber unknown kinsmaR
with q strange power. "You want to
hear the fate Of your crew; be at peace,
they were al saved, every one. A few
fractures and contusions, that Is the
worst; but they are all made comforta-
BILE and are asleep in the cots OF this
highland nshermen down by the shora
Does that relieve you?" |
He nodded mute assent; his mind was
in such confusion that he could do
nothing but lie and regard her with his
soul in his eyes.
Sweet lady, is this your fste7 Chained
to this sterile rock in the midst Of the
seas, consigned to your gnawing grief
unhelped and uncontrolled, while your
bright beauty wastes in its summer
prime
Alasl beautiful Engelonde Inchcape,
what had you done to deserve this?
HYou are trying to recall whether you
have ever seen me BEFORE" said she,
shrinking uneasily under his uncon-
scious gaze "No, no; we are utter
strangers to each other. You are In
Dunraven Tower, and my simple High
land folk call me their lady, because l
am the wife of their absent chief. How
should you have met recluse like me2
No, no, no; our paths in life lie far
apart Her voice died away, she
brooded mournfully over the thoughts
suggested by her own words.
Edgar shook off the preoccupation
which had hitherto held him dumb; he
had resolved upon his course.
II ha had indeed found Lord Inch
capes vanIsned wI1e ana daughter IN
this seclusion, he had by chance stum-
bled upon secret which the earl had
never chosen to confde to him. 1t wasi
clear that as yet Lady Inchcape did n9xs
suspect that he was her husbands hs{&1s
nor had be any right to complicate t6
situation by enlightening her. H6s
might not long be obliged to intrude
hcre-he determined to make an effort
to maintain his incognita, Et least up-
til he had confessed his involuntaryfn-
trusion to Lord Inc6cape.
Therefore he answered Lady Inch
cape's last wes3ds by the statement,
meant to reassure her evident anxiety
lest he might have recognized her Fact:
"No. 4dsm, am sure I have never
met you anywhere before, far as have
tFayeleM should never have forgotten