San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-10-03
CHAPTER XVII.
FLIGHT.

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That was the burden of Lola's
thoughts as she sat with Pierre's short,
peremptory note lying on her lap.
She had done her utmost in the fight
for happiness. She had striven hard to
retain it in her grasp, but the fates were
fighting against her, and there was
nothing left but to own herself beaten
and accept the defeat as best she could.
1t was hard to give it all up-hardest
of all to lose Jaffray's love and to feel
that he would know her for cheat and
liar and worse. IL.
She ran back in thought over the
events of the time since her arrival in
England and smiled in self contempt as
she saw one after another the line of
false steps she had taken. How paltry
and unworthy seemed now the little
ambitions which she had cherished then,
how utterly weak and poor the objects
for which she had striven!
To be the wife of rich man she had
schemed and plotted and intrigued.
And what had it proved to be? The
one sacrifice that now caused her the
least regret was that of her money and
position. Theon thing she dreaded to
lose now was the one thing which she
despised then--Jaffray's love. She had
traded ON his love to win wealth and
honor for herself. The end was nothing
but dishonor for him and desolate,
broken life for herself.
Vet h, hal lDuol l4-n1 10. 1;I-a
the true, gallant man he was. The
thought cheered her, though it brought
scalding tears to her eyes, which she let
gather and blur all her sight and then
fall unchecked. In all the years to
come and whatever might befall her or
him he would never blot out from his
memory the love he had once had for
her, and she loved the thought of that.
If only the truth could be kept from
him for alwaysl She would give her
life, she thought, if that could be.
What would he think of her II she
were to die? How would he feel if he
were to come into the room and find
her dead?
Now she recalled some words that
Pierre had spoken about drugs that told
no tale and left no sign. What were
they? How could they be obtained?
How would it be to go to Pierre as he
said in his letter, to seem to fall in
with his plan to poison Jaffray, to get
from him the drug for that purpose
and then herself take it? That would
be easier than to find some poison by
herself. Yet stay-there was no diff
Guilty. 1t did not need any such elabo-
rate preparation as that.
She had but to feign bad headache
with sleeplessness and take a sleeping
draft strong enough-for her to wake
no more.
No one would think of poison. Her
life lay all before her, bright with a
dazzling promise of happiness, thought
the world. How little the world knew
Two people would understand, however,
and know the truth-the man who held
her in his merciless power and Beryl,
who had guessed the secret.
What would they think? Nay, what
would they dor
Would Beryl tell? She thought of the
girls cold, firm, deliberate nature and
for moment wavered how to answer
the question. No; Beryl would not
/ carry any feeling, however keen, be.
yond the grave. She felt that. If she
had paid the penalty with her life,
Beryl would be as silent as the grave in
which she herself was to bury the secret.
But what of Pierre2- AS she thought
of him she was cold and sick. She knew
too we'll what he would do. He would
seek at once to trade on the shameful
knowledge. He would tell the whole
story to Jaffray, threaten him with ex
posure if he were not paid hush money
and thus hold him in bondage by the
knowledge of her shame till Jaffray
should come to hate her very name anC
curse the day when he had grown t.
love her.
The gates of death were thus shut
against her, and she felt that she mus