The Yale expositor., 1895-04-12

His mouth was half open, his eyes
looking straight at Blanche. She saw
that he had partially recovered con-
seriousness. and recognized her. Was il
fancy or did he call TO her in faint.
low voice, entreatingly?
She stood like stone; then, taken by
a sudden thought, and fixing her eyes
on his, she raised the medallion,
which still lay in her hand, and kissed
IL. He watched her, and seemed to
understand; but the next moment his
eyes turned away in pain, and a con-
vulsion ran through his body. How
lurid, how death-like his face ap-
peared in the faint glimmer of the
night-light!
The small time piece in the adjoin-
ing room struck one. Nearly an hour
had passed since she had last admins
tered the anodyne. Already her venge-
ance had begun. He was sinking,
and she had not put out hand. All
at once, as if by heavenly inspira-
ton, she seemed to hear the voice of
her father speaking to the ear that is
in the soul. The voice was low and
gentle, just as it had always been; but
it sounded like warning. She knew
the chevalier's deeply humane nature;
she knew that he of all creatures,
would have been the last to approve
an act of vengeance. An act, not
merely of vengeance but of murder;
none the less murder because the VIC
tim was a miserable sinner, guilty of
unnatural bloodshed. If she stood by,
with the power to save the life that
was fast going, she was as responsible
for the loss of that life as if she had
used knife or poison to destroy it.
She would have to answer for sin be-
fore the great Judge of quick and
dead.
Tortured between hate and duty,
Blanche now underwent the great
trial of her life. God in his mercy
gave her strength; and at last she
conquered. Come what might, she
felt that she could not let him perish
without making an attempt to save
him.
Father, forgive me-" she moaned,
piteously, while now for the first time
the tears began to trickle down her
cheeks. Forgive me! l can not let
him die!"
Moving quickly to the mantel-piece,
she took the vial, and with trem-
bling hand measured out the life-giv-
ing drops; then holding out the glass,
she approached the bed. Steeling all
her soul into the resolution, she bent
over the man, raised his head with
one hand, and with the other placed
the glass to his lips. His eyes were
half closed, but they opened for
moment and looked gratefully upon
her as he drank the anodyne. Then,
overpowered by that sublime effort,
Blanche uttered a heart broken cry,
and sunk, wildly sobbing, upon her
knees.
After that she lost consciousness,
and remained for some time without
motion or sign of life. Meantime the
man ceased to struggle, and remained
as if in a heavy sleep, under the
magic influence of the anodyne. At
last she stirred. and awoke back to
life-a cruel, pitiful life in death. His
life was Gods, not hers; so she had
spared it. But she could not conquer
the horror with which the mere con-
seriousness OF his presence there now
filled her. She had done her duty
once; she could not do it any more.
Her place was no longer there. Her
face looked quite old and dreadful as
she stole shuddering toward the door.
Before she reached it a cry from the
bed startled her, so that she almost
shrieked. Turning involuntarily, she
saw him gazing at her, with out
stretched hands.
"Fraulein," he moaned, "what has
happened?"
Then he too shuddered, adding,
"Ah / remember"
He uttered groan OF pain, cry
ing
why do you look at me so strange
ly? thought thought that / was
dying; but | am stronger now, ! think.
That draught you gave me-but for
that l should have died. God bless
you, Blanche! God bless you'll"