Chicago eagle., 1897-10-02
CHAPTER XX.

nfty POUNDS or nvc pOunuS.
CHAPTER XX.
Mr.. Ncstorius' telegram was In the hall
| when Lord I.ashmar returned to the cas-
tie, and Ncstorius himself arrived at half.
past nine o'clock next morning, startling
the select few who remained after the
shooters had gone of to their sport. Meth.
or Lady Carminow nor Mrs. Vavasour
appeared at this early meal and Lady So
phin always accompanied the shooters
when there was no hunting; 10 the select
| few on this occasion consisted Of Lord
I.nshmnr. Mrs. Mulcibcr and Captain Va.
| vasOur. who had stayed ut home to work
at new novel In which all his dramatis
pcrsonae were gradually coming to Sifc
ut nn average Of eleven descriptive pages
| for every character. On these burst Ncs.
torius. haggard and pallid, after u sleep.
less night.
"Havc you found hcr?" he asked asi.
tatcdly.
mo, nor any tidings Of her" answered
Lnshmar, rising. III you will come to
the library I will tell you what have
been doing"
"Why, In heavens name. did she leave
this houscY" exclaimed Ncstorius, alonc
|
made her do such thing? She seemed
to mo tolcrnbly contcnted with her fate
resigned TO live on ns she was living,
TIL her literary talent found IN opening
and gave her independence: and yet, with.
In a few hours OF my leaving her, she
rushcs away as II she were driven By
Furics. What can Il mcanT
ut means that am u brute" answer.
/ nj Tushs,uc atan.ltno hnfnrO NaptOP{Ma
with u dOwncast brow and dogged air:
Eyes, n brute. l have always been
brute to that girl, from the hour when
my poor brother first brought her into this
house to the hour she left II, driven out
OF It by my foul tongue. You do well to
talk Of the Furies. That girl has been
my Nemesis. She has brought the ain Of
pride Of birth. the ovcrwccning confidence
In caste, home to me. She has made me
feel what poor worm am, and that In
gentlemanly feeling rank lower than the
lowest Iron worker In Brumm. ] set my
face against her from the first; was re.
solved to see nothing hut evil In her; !
was hard, cold, cruel, pitiless, saw her
youth bllghted by hard usage and never
entered one plea In her behalf. And then
when l came back to the castle the other
day and saw her grown to graceful wOm-
anhOOd, saw her strange and spiritual
beauty, l was angry with her for being
40 superior to her station. for giving the
lie to all my prejudiccs. The more found
myself yielding to the spell Of her mys.
tical beauty the more set myself against
her. wrestling with the inclination to zee
more Of her, tearing myself from the room
when she was reading to my mother,
stunning her at all times and In all places
as II she had breathed infection. And
yet could not pluck her from my heart;
and yet her image haunted me and start.
cd up out Of my sleep fancying that her
voice was In my ears, those deep, low
tones. which gave new melodies TO Keats
and Milton. hated myself for falsifyina
every principle Of my life, which was tO
SEQ perfection only In the well born; and
every grace that attracted me to her was
an oifense against my pride and made me
more rcsentful Of her existence. 1t wal
In this mood that ] watched her and you
the night before last from yOnder window
] saw her throw herself at your feet and
kiss your hand, and was mad with rage
ut the spectacle. accused her Of trying
to entrap you with an offer-playing fol
high stakes"
"YOu accused her Of trying to cntraT
mel" cried Nestorius. ibid you do that
Lashmar? How wise and far-seeing you
young men are! What II ! tell you that
! had just asked her to be my wife, asked
her with rs earnest entreaty as ever man
mnde to the woman OF his choice? had
SO asked her and she had refused me. II
was friendship, gratitude, which she offer
cd me OH her knees-all unworthy us am
"She refused to marry yOu-she, my
mothers slavew
"Yes; 1t IL strange, Is It not? She has
not seen enough of the world to have
learned how to sell herself to the highest
bidder. She has curious primitive no.
tions that woman can only give herself
In marriage to a man she loves, and she
does not love me-"
"She IL a strange being" murmurcd
I.ashmar, walking to the nearest window
and staring out into the garden, with his
face averted from Nestorius.
ITO be cOntinuCd)