Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1895-09-12

Iiu" your heart to me!' she cried. "Ohi
lave oeen wild with love and hate for
YOU ana l feel how madly foolish and
uuespicaole | am to act as I do" She
ou IFS INTO passionate fit of sobbing.
Inc me Aght came back to Marsden's eyes.
are woman any man might
Ise, ne said, land as you wisely admit
.nat men can love two or more 1--WE are
senerally broader than women, some wo-
lneh)' you shall have all the love left in
me- or my lifelong gratitude you may be
suie' Lou are making q sorry bargain,
warn you. l shall never be the same
asanl' out II you care to be Mrs. Marsden
OF Evesleigh, so be itv'
An! you are simply selling Yourself,
ana what price pay!"
mo! by heaven! l am grateful and
always admired you! Even that night
when l unclasped your necklace 7 felt
inclined to kiss the pretty white throat
that was so velyety soft to my sacrilegious
touch!"
And why did you not? Had YOU
brought back consciousness by kisses and
conhded your difficulties to me, all would
nave been well!' cried the infatuated wo-
man, throwing herself into his arms
what could q criminal so respited do
put pay the tribute demanded with liberal
lips?
For the moment Marsden was moved
and really grateful, though bitter sense
OF being sold into slavery tinged his feel
ings of relief.
How could you be so fascinated by
Nora L'Estrange?" asked Mrs. Ruthven,
still leaning against him and looking up
in his face. ''She never could under
stand you as I do, she never could share
your feelings as l can
"She is what she is" said he, shortly,
land has been an infinite misfortune to
me-"
Il am glad you see it." Mrs Ruthven
sat down on the sofa and signed to him to
sit beside her. "Can I trust you, Mars
den?' looking intently into his face.
Il think so. Dictate your own terms
settle everything on yourself-everythin
of mine that is available. I shall never
feel more than a dependent on your char
ity."
"You must not say that. You will see
that, together, we shall command society"
'"Tell me-" resumed Marsden, after a
moments pause, "before we drop this &C
cursed subject forever, how did that de-
tective fellow see me?
''Do you remember an engineer, Mr..
Colville, calling here and speaking to me
of his having a little girl, who was my
goddaughter?"
Eyes Shirley was here"
'"That man was Waite l wanted him
to see you. l wanted to test the complete
ness of his disguise by defying Shirley's
recognition. Shirley found him for me-"
''Good God, has Shirley any suspicion"
"Not the faintest. Do not doubt; I
~ ~,
I might possibly bear. I waited, oh, how
impatiently! hoping you would avow your
love and difficulties to me, then [ should
have hidden my knowledge even from
you; but when I found you were going to
marry Nora L'Estrange, to expose me to
the contemptuous pity of all your world
and mine was on the verge of getting
warrant of committal against you. My
relapse saved you. Ay, and saved me.
Does not Nora love you intensely? with
keen curiosity.
Marsden understood the drift of the
question.
ut would be unchivalrous to boast"
said he, with significant smile.
A look of delight in the suffering she
hoped to inflict cleaned in Mrs. Ruthven's
large dark eyes.
Il must let you go, dearest" she said,
laying her hand caressingly on his shout
der, yet he fancied with touch of pro-
prietorship. 'But you will be sure to re-
turn to dinner, and be sure you do not
60 to the L'Estrange's. A letter will do
much better than an interview"
IAN interview? God forbid!' he ex
claimed. with unmistakable sincerity.
Glow pleased Lady Darlington will
be-" said Mrs. Ruthven, meditatively.
ooh, charmed" returned Marsden,
while he thought how cruel fate had been
in permitting his affectionate interlocutor
TO leave Chedworth alive. II must leave
YOU now" he said. II feel I must be
alone. I am still dizzy and unhinged with
with the sense of your great goodness"
"But you will come back? You will net
do yourself any harm?" -anxiously.
"No. I don't think l have pluck
enough left to blow my brains out, or
rather YOU have given me fresh zest for
life. You are looking awfully exhausted.
You must lie down and rest"
"Do YOU care enough for me to wish
should rest?'
"How can you doubt? Good-by for the
present" A little further tribute, and he
fed from her, half mad with rage, de-
spair and self-contempt.
His ruling motive for the last few
minutes had been to escape from Mrs.
Rnthyen. to be alone with his crushing
sense of discovery and defeat. He had
been utterly out-witted. he was at the
mercy of deeply injured woman-a wo-
man from whom he shrunk revolted, all
the more because he had injured her.
The force of degradation could no fur
tber 60. and he had been such doubly
damned fool as to believe himself safe!
That he could defy this keen, subtle,
tena cious woman. and hug himself in the
belief that by so base, so shabby crime,
be could secure an adorable creature like
Norai He had said truly that failure, de-
lection. showed him the depth of shame
into which he had fallen. Had he sue
ceeded. it would not have occurred to him
to repent.
Still aglow with the passion Nora had
;nsnired. it was torture to give her up;
rot no had so much sense of right left. or
rotber restored, that he felt it would be