Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1895-06-08

late, Paul left early in obedience to
n sign from his wise little sister
Again that night the rivals met at the
club, and the Professor began to study
his man in earnest Paul, too, made
notes. He felt and acknowledged to
himself the Professors intellectual
superiority The Professor, however,
did not seem so ready to concede to
Paul his manifest physical advan-
tages.
ave not had gloves on for some
time" he said, "but | warn you I'm
rather handy with them"
As matter of fact, though rather
immodest about it, the Professor
spared with skill, as Paul discovered
the following afternoon at the club,
After that they met repeatedly there,
and Paul, toying with the Professor
and learning his tricks shrewdly ar
ranged for coup de partie. The
other, however, still mistook Paul for
u good natured athletic fool. Other
wise he would not have remarked, rs
he did one day in an atiectedly Ian.
guild tone, that it was rather pity
Miss LorinS was rich.
"T'm sure" said Paul" we both
agree that Miss Loring needs neither
genius nor money to make her per-
feet"
"She is the most charming woman
in the world" said the Professor
warmly; but he had delivered himself
into the hands of his adversary, and
Paul proposed to make away with him
at once.
The next day was Wednesday, and
on Wednesday afternoons of the sea
son Mrs. Hardness usually came I'M
der the spell of the orchestra. There
Paul, entering late, found her and
Gertrude, and back of Gertrude's
chair the Professor. Wedging for
ward, he gained, in the first interval,
his sisters ear.
"Now is the time," he whispered.
"The race is on. want you to bring
her, without fail, to the club on Sat
urday night. He thinks he can do me
with the gloves; | don't"
Mrs. Hardness looked up at him and
began to laugh in her handkerchief.
"Oh that is too absurd, Paul" she
said "but I'll do it.
Then he bent Qyer Gertrude and,
81 came here TO ask ii you would like
to see Bernhard in Cleopatra to-
morrow night.
She started forward in her chair
and turned sideways to him face
grown suddenly white. 1t was the act
of an instant, for while yet he stared
at her the Professor leaned between
them saying, softly, "Now, | know"
And then, rs she sank back in her seat
the blood ran up from her beautiful
throat.
Know what? Turningly savagely
about, Paul was moved almost beyond
control by the complacent smile on
the Professors face to seize and crush
him then and there. But Gertrude
looked around again and beckoned him
with her eyes. "Wait for me-" she
said; "a have something to say to
you"
The music drummed on for ages.
Know what? Then he harked back
to the day at Bar Harbor, and sud
denly bethought himself of the strange
words she had uttered then on the
porch. "If could only tell you what
l know to be true," she had said to
the Professor. And now he said he
knew. What could he know?
Once out on the street with the
Professor and Mrs. Hardness well
ahead, he turned to her suddenly and
asked, "Well?"
But speech came hard, "Oh, anoth-
er time, " she said,
"No, now" he demanded.
"Well, she laughed, what have
you to say?"
"This," he said, in a sudden whirl'
wind of passion. 81 love You and |
hate that man.
"Why do You hate him. she whis.
pered.
"Because l am afraid you love him
do your
Then he looked at her, and the peace
OF heaven descended upon him. She
was mute, but the message he longed
for smiled upon her lips.
"Listen.' she said; 81 know him
far better than you do. Perhaps |
should have learned to know him too
late if it had not been for your sister
She broke the spell. I'm almost
ashamed to tell you, but you certainly
saw enough at Bar Harbor to know
what bond of sympathy was between
us. The books he gave me to read
our talks about them; that was all.
But really l began to believe"
"What did you mean that day
Paul broke in, when you wished you
could only tell him what you knew to
be true?"
"Oh, DON'T" she faltered; then with
sudden courage, said rapidly: "We
had talked great deal of metempsy.
Ghosts maybe you remember | had
about persuaded myself that | believed
in it. Then one day he confided to
me the great discovery and secret Of
his life, that, that-oh, it sounds too
ridiculous now well, the soul of
Marc Antony had descended through
ages into his body. There! But don't
laugh"
81 can't" said Paul, gravely.
Though the descent is tremendous.
"Then you see" she went on, "that
other idea came gradually into my
head. Isn't it simply awful?'
"What idea?"
"You know very we'll; / saw you
knew when he spoke this afternoon. y
"Pon my word, l don't"
"Why, Cleopatra, can't you zee
OF course he knew it all the time,
though he wished the notion to take
root in my mind and grow into con
viction as though he hadn't nursed il
at all. hate him y
Paul stopped short in his tracks
"Do you mean to say" he slowly de
manded, chat you actually believed
that you were Ceopatra?"