The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1895-06-07
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LIE Breton rose and followed Digby.
LIE Breton entered Digby's study He
stood leaning against his writing table,
with his eyes fixed on the door, waiting.
AS LIE Breton entered his hands invol-
UNFAIRLY clinched as If to grapple with the
thief. His brain once more momentarily
clouded over with blind, inarticulate fury
Again reason dominated him. His strug-
gle gave LIE Breton time to speak.
"You know" he said
eyes; know" replied Digby.
81 am sorry began LIE Breton.
Digby raised his hand and waved the
words away.
LET us understand each other" he
said "This was the first timer"
Eyes" said LIE Breton.
"And you intend"-
He advanced q little, as did LIE Breton.
The two men were within few inches of
each other.
"I intend, said LIE Breton deliberately.
| Ito take your wife from you If can"
Digby drew sharp breath. LIE Breton's
audacity paralyzed him. He tried to speak,
but his tongue chung to the roof Of his
| mouth.
Before you tell me that 1 am das-
tard, continued LIE Breton, "let me re-
call your words when / first entered this
house. Morality is inclination you said
| when we act in opposition to our inclina-
tions, we are immoral You remember
this?''
Digby gave a gesture of assent.
| II intend to act upon your theory. I
intend to act in fulfillment of my inclina-
ton
Digby's eyes, which were rapidly becom-
ing bloodshot, were fixed upon his face
"You further said " continued LIE Bre-
ton, with pitiless insistance, "that you
could stand by and see your wife make
love to another man If she were SO inclin-
ed. You have thrown us together for
months, while you sat here alone. You
| have stood by. There is always an IT,
you siid. The If of woman's desire. On
that if hangs my fate and yours. intend
| to put it to the test
"At once?" asked Digby, and his voice
sounded strange in his own ears
cat once" said Le Breton, and he turn
ed to go.
Digby felt for his chair like blind man.
AS Lie Breton reached the door he STUN
bled. Something in the droop of Digby's
figure recalled their old days together.
GIVE played fair" he said. "You can't
deny that?'
kAuu ne WdlJ6u IOr GIl6 reply.
After pause Digby answered mechan-
ically, without looking up, "No, 1 can't
deny that. +"
He sat ON for what might have been
minutes or hours, with his hand resting
on the page of his MS. marked "Finis,"
and his eyes vasantly gazing into the dy-
ing fire.
Then he heard Norah's voice.
"Major LIE Breton has asked me IL we
can put him up. What shall says''
Digby faced her with eyes ablaze and
ashen lips.
"He loves you"
"He tells me so. What shall says"
"You understand what this implies. to
you and to me?"
81 understand. 1t Is for you to decide.
What shall 1 say?''
Digby looked long and silently into
Norah's eyes. Then he moved toward the
door
"What shall sayP" she insisted
"You will not give this answer You
will not decide?'' he said
All her love, all her pride rose up In
arms at the studied GOODNESS of his tone.
He had driven her to bay.
at is for you to say yes or no." she
answered at last.
At the door he turned. Once more he
looked at her as If trying to impress her
image on his memory.
"There can be but one answer-from
me" he said.
And the door closed, and she heard him
turn the key in the lock outside.
1t seemed to Norah as if an icy hand had
clutched her heart.
"My God, what is itP What have
done?" she cried. "What do you mean9
Digbyl Digbyi open the doorl Open the
doorl I love you! I love youP
But the lock refused to yield to her fren-
zied hands, and she vainly bruised their
tender whiteness in a mad endeavor to
gain her freedom.
"Digby" she cried, "Digbyr
A shot rang out.
Digby Stevenson had cut the knot Of his
theories. The boomerang had struck him
home
Norah had received her answer.-Mrs.
Oscar Beringer iu Pail Mall Budget.
AIluvial Gold.
Before the Royal society Of New South
Wales member recently presented
summary of the various reasons which
have been put forth to account for the ex-
istence of alluvial gold other than the old
and accepted one-that it had been set free
by processes of disintegration. Details are
also given of large number Of expert
ments made with a view to determine
whether nucleus of gold, immersed in
gold solution and in the presence of such
substances as would be likely to occur in
nature, will increase in weight the con-
clusion being that gold is deposited when
the nucleus is in contact not only with
metaliferous sulphides and arsenides which
form strong galvanic couples, but also
with such substances as iron oxides, char
coal, graphite, sandstone, granite, quartz,
clay and marble, which form but weak
galvanic couples with the gold nucleus 1t
Is doubtful, he thinks, whether the COM
mon assertion as to the greater fineness Of
nugget as compared with coarse vein gold
has any foundation in fact. With fine al
luvial gold there is such q difference, but
this is Thought to result from the removal
of silver and other impurities by solution,
owing to the larger relative surfaces ex-
posed Furthermore, the author assumes
that large nuggets could be artifcially
produced by methods used in his own ex-
periments, and that gold is probably being
80 deposited at the present day.
Mrs. Psran Stevens Bluntness.