The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-09-21
CHAPTER XVII
FLIGHT.

4
II was useless to fight any longer.
That was the burden Of Lola
thoughts as she sat with Piere's shor
peremptory. note lying on her lap.
She had done her utmost in the flgt
for happiness. She had .striven hard I
retain it in her grasp, but the fates wer
fighting against her, and there wa
nothing left but to own herself beate
and accept the defeat as best she could
1t was hard to give it all up-hardes
Of all to lose Jaffray's love and to fee
that be would know her for cheat an
liar and worse.
She ran back in thought over tn
events Of the time since her arrival il
England and smiled in self contempt a
she saw one after another the line O
false steps she had taken. How paltr,
and unworthy seemed now the it'll
ambitions which she had cherished then
how utterly weak and poor the object
for which she had strivenl
To be the wife Of rich man she hat
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 an6
position. The one thing she dreaded te
yslose now was the one thing which she
despised then-Jaffray's love. She had
traded Oh his love to win wealth and
honor for herself. The end was nothing
but dishonor for him aud q desolate,
broken life for herself.
Yet he had loved her--loved hor like
the true, gallant man he was. The
thought cheered her, though it brought
scaling 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 DO kept from
him for always! She would give her
life. she thought, if that could be.
What would he think of her If she
we're to die? How would he feel if he
were to coma into the room and find
her dead2
Now she recalled some words that
Pierre had spoken about drugs that told
no tale and left no sign. What were
they3 How could they be obtained?
How would it be to 20 to Pierre us ha
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
DO easier than to find some poison by
herself. Yet stay-there was 10 diff.
Guilty. 1t did not need any such clubo-
rate preparation as that.
Sho had hut to fcign bad headache
with slccplessness and take sleeping
draft strong enough-for her to wake
no more
No one would think Of poison. Her
life my all before Ter, bright with
dazzling promise of happiness, thought
the world How little the world knewl
Two people would understand, however,
and know the truth-the man who held
her in his merciless power and Beryl,
who had guessed tho secret.
What would they think? Nay, what
would they do?
Would Beryl tell2 She thought of the
girls cold, firm, deliberate nature and
fnr u moment wavered how to answer
the question No; Beryl would not
carry any feeling, however keen, be.
yond the grave Sho felt that. If she
had paid tho penalty with her life,
Berry would be ms silent as tho grave in
which she herself was to bury the secret.
But what Of Pierrel As she thought
Of him she WAS cold and sick. She knew
too we'll what he would do. He would
seek ut once to trade Oh the shameful
knowledge. He would tell the whole
story to Jaffray, threaten him with TX.
posure if he were not paid hush money,
and thus hold him in bondage by the
Of her shame till Jaffray
shonld come to hate her very name and
curse tho day when be had grown to
love her.
Tho gates of death wero thus shut
against her, and she felt that she must
work out some other means of escape.
Not once i'll all her misery did she
link of telling Jatfray. She know him
20 thoroughly and knew how ho would
urn from her act and her shame that
he mere thought of facing him at such
| moment was more than she could co.
lure.
For this there was another reason,
,nown only to herself. md tho knowl-
dge of it had set up in her mind hun.
lreds Of confusing thoughts, fears, i'm.
'ulses and emotions. There was the
opo of little life that was some day
o lie born. and, like sword piercing
he flesh and turning in the wound to
rolong the agony, was the knowledge
hat the child--hors and Jatfray s..
'ould ba the child of shame.
She knew too well what Jaffray
Gould feel and think aud say if once
us knowledge were forced upon him,
nd tho fear. and the shame, and the
I'VE, and the misery all blended to drive
40 wretched girl to distraction.
Gradually out of the binding mist
nd sorrow an idea began to take shape.
she were to see Pierre and lure him
D to delay ATTY evil plans lie might havo
'rmed by promising to work with him,
might happen to prevent his
ping any harm.
Or. better still, if she were to fly
ON the manor house and let him know
lat she had done So he might be driven
ON his purpose altogether.
She could see him that night at the
me and place he had named, and then
70 fell to pondering all tho points that
Cured to her in this connection.
In the midst of this she was reused by
knock ut the door. She made no re-
onse, but folded up tho letter from
erre and put it in her pocket.
The knock came again, firmer and
oro impatient, and then a voioe-Sir
fray SCALED hor.
She rose, aud, wiping the tears has,
y from her eyes, opened the door.
Hero is letter for you, Lola, from
'ryl," ho said, giving to her letter
itch Lola saw was fastened with
H. Then, seeing by her face that she
IS troubled, he said very gently,
What is the matter, dcarest?" And he
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