Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-01-26
CHAPTER VIII.
FACE TO FACE ONCE MORE.

Lola's life, but she faced the crlsls
with all the strength of her most re-
sourceful character and came out OF 1t
undaunted and determined
So great was her self mastery and so
strong her powers Of acting that Sir
Jaffray did not detect single symptom
of the struggle which absorbed her.
Through the night she lay awake.
never moving, lest she should wake him
and so disturb her own opportunity for
thought, and perhaps arouse his suspl.
cions that something was amiss.
There were two courses open to her
One was to tell Sir Jaffray at once the
whole matter and trust to his love for
her; the other was to face it out and
dare the man she hated to do his worst
If the man at her side had been diff.
ferent, if his sense of honor and morbid
fear of the suspicion of dishonor had
been less acute, she would have told
him all and trusted to her love to win
linn to cling to her through the pub
licity and scandal which would inevita-
bly, follow when Pierre was set at def
ance
But she dared not.
She knew that Sir Jaffray, with all
the influences that were round him, the
strong love of truth that dominated
him, the capacity. to suffer rather than
be touched with faint OF dlshonor,
would put her away from him at once,
and probably he would never see her
again.
The alternative was to face the other
man and dare him to do what he pleased.
What would he do?
There was that scene on the DEVILS
rock, but there was no proof of what
she had done Besides, if there were,
what did it matter? If she was to be
dragged from the place to which she
had climbed, what did it matter how
far she fell? y little deeper would make
no difference.
Need she fall at all? That was the
question.
She knew Pierre we'll, had seen
throu. ID and through his sordid little
soul, and could count up easily enough
the price that would buy him Com
fort, ease. luxury, money for his vices
these were his ambitions, and she could
satisfy him Sir Jaffray had settled Oh
her all ample dowry, and she could
easily get more money if she wanted it
She would go through with it, face
it as she had faced her troubles and
fought them down, and so great was her
fighting instinct that. though she knew
the whole happiness of ber life would
be at stake, the excitement of the pros
pect was not altogether unpleasing.
In the early hours of the morning she
fell asleep, and Sir Jaffray, waking in
the gray light, found her sleeping quiet
~ and peacefully, with a slight flush
tinting her cheeks such as he had seen
when she was excited and pleased.
When she went down to breakfast
she was quite herself-alert, yigilant,
resourceful, high spirited and SO sug-
gestive of strength of will and purpose
that Sir Jaffray noticed it and was
pleased.
He put it down to her being at home
at the manor.
"Seems to have done you good to get
home, Lola" he said. you're not the
same woman you were on the boat.
Where are your omens?" He smiled.
"Where, indeed?" she replied, laugh
ing back. I'm afraid must have been
upset by the voyage. Perhaps thought
was going to be shipwrecked. But I'll
be safe here, eh?" There was more in
her words than he understood.
"You ought to be if anywhere, he
answered.
Even if manage to offend the very
great personages who come here?"
"You won't do that. People aren't
easy to take offense with Walcote. "
"Wheres the mother-Lady Walcote:
I suppose may call her mother?"
"She's not coming down to breakfast.
She's not used to our wild west early
rising. Besides, she was up late. She'll
be down to lunch.
"Did you sit up late? l was horribly
tired. couldn't stay? What was that
she was saying about some ridiculous
musician or other and five stringed
violin:"
"Bit of crank, fancy" said Sill
Jaffray, laughing; "said he wanted
some rot or other about violin and
that you'd been his pupil or something
years ago. Turrian his name is. Do you
remember him."
Lola laughed musically and showed
her white, level teeth.
"What, Pierre Turrian? Oh, do tell,
as our friends across the water say.
wish I'd stopped up to hear. Remem
ber hir,? Of course. He's only young
man lair, and would be handsome II
he hadn't a curious expression Oh his
face which / couldn't like He's wop
derful fiddler-wonderfrl-a genius
with more than touch of madness
but wonderful player
She spoke as unconcernedly as II sn'
we're discussing a servant.