San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-09-26

WORDS wouId nave upon nor.
at looks--I do not say 1t is, but II
looks-as II any such action were i'm
PEELED b. desire TO injure the woman
who had taken the place Of that young
lady Of excellent character as the wife
of Sir Jaffray. The world is a harsh
censor. Miss Leycester," he said. with
an Understandable air Of patronage and
worldly wisdom. land reads the motives
which lie on the surface, especially
when somebody's character is dirtied in
the process. Had you not better be care
full"
"That is nonsense" replied Beryl
CURLY, land you know it as well as L
What my motive may be is my own
concern, and / am not likely to ask you
orr She checked herself, and in a
fash he filed up the gap.
''Say Sir Jaffray's wife," he said,
with grin.
"Or any one" she added, passing by
the interruption, Ito help me to take
care Of myself II things are az that pa
per says, the motives Of those who dis
cover the truth are of no concern. am
not here to discuss motives, but facts Is
that true or not3" pointing to the paper.
Certainly and emphatically it is not
true in the sense in which you seem to
imply it-that I ever married Lola
Crawshay at the Church Of st. Sulpice
in Montreux. The thing is ridiculous. !"
And he shrugged his shoulders again
with his usual gesture.
"You make my part much more diff
cult, said the girl, and then she turned
aside moment in thought "Do you
understand that?" she asked after a mo-
ment Of consideration.
miss LEICESTER, ! understand moth.
ing whatever Of all Of this" he an
swered.
81 have evidence which puts it be-
yond the shadow of a doubt that what
that paper says is true, that you are
the Pierre Turrian named ON the face
of it, and that on the date given you
married the Lola Crawshay mentioned
there, and that the Lola Crawshay Is
the same woman who is now my Cousin
Jaffray's wife. Is that plain enough If
you wish to know how I found it out,
/ may tell You that your own conduct
at the last interview we had set me
thinking. that the monstrous story you
told about your fiddle strings did not
for a moment deceive me, that your
confusion when told you of the mar
riage made 1t as plain as day that your
interest was infinitely greater than you
pretended, while your own mention Of
Montreux and your subsequent obvious
attempt to make me think there was
nothing Of importance in your conneo-
tion with Montreux confirmed my opin-
ion, and that subsequent chain of cir
cumstances, all save one unsought by
me, forced the full discovery upon me-
That every fact is known to me please
to recognize as absolutely certain"
He had listened to her statement al
most breathlessly, yet showing out
wardly no more than sort Of polite
Indifference, but he was revolving hasti-
ly in his thoughts score Of different
courses of action.
There was no use in further conceal
ment.
1t was clear from the pitiless frank
ness Of the deliberate statement that
this girl was speaking the truth, and
it seemed as though all the pleasant
plans Of an easy life were to be shat
tered In moment and he hated the
woman who had done it just as he
hated everything that came In the path
of his enjoyment.
he glanced at her vindiotively as she
was saying the last words, and he felt
that he would give half his life II he
could have seen that cold. hard, merci-
less face lying dead before him at that
instant.
That thought started another and a
grimmer one. 30 grim that involunta-
rily he glanced about him, as IL the mere
harboring of it might be dangerous,
while his lips felt suddenly 30 parched
that he moistened them with his tongue.
The idea grew ON him like the germ
Of a noisome plague, and instinotively
his cunning prompted him to shape his
course by it What he had to find out
was whether any one else knew Of this
secret.
Now that his eyes had been so rudely
opened to the real cleverness Of the girl
who had thus faced him his wits had
been quickened to read her, so as to
know how best to deal with her.
For that new plan Of his he must
have time.
II accept your conditions, Miss
LEICESTER" be said when she finished.
81 admit-for now IL is useless to deny
that what you have found out is true in
every detail. +"
The suddenness Of his change Of man.
ner and of the confession startled the
girl more than anything that had yet
passed, and she shrank back and
clinched her hands tightly.
"Then what business have you heref'
she cried in voice filed with indigna-