The Portland daily press., 1898-11-14
PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
IF SINNERS ENTICE THEE.
BY WlLLaAVM - QUEUA,
Zoraida" equity bonus a
Secret Service Findeh a Wife, &C.
(pUBLrsHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
BY WILLIAM LE QUEuN,


She held her breath; the colour no.1
from her cheaks, He lost no opportunity
of reminding her OF the terrlnis pass paS alu the
as he glanced at her and watched ohe
effects of his words he saw with saSisiae-
tion that he still held her in thraloom
of fear.
II thought shs had left France" he
continued, as IL to himself. ~ had no
idea that she was still here. Fortune
must have been kind to her of late. =
Lame said nothing. She had not failed
to notice his anxiety when Madsmoiselie
Bertholet had explained how Mariette
had watched him, and she wondered
whather, after all, he feared this remark
able woman who had played such
prominent part in their past lives, this
notorious gambler who was her bitterest
foe. 5
recognized that to remain longer was only
to endanger herself. The Nemesis she
had so long dreaded seemed to be closing
upon her.
In ths boulevard Carahaoel they took an
open cab to drive home, hut while cross
ing the Place opposite the Post OH1oe,
they encountered George Stratfield walk
ing. As he passed he raised his hat to
Liane, and she greeted him with a smile
of sadness.
Zertho noticed the young Englishman,
and his beardsd face grew dark.
'sWhatl So your lover is also hereP' he
exclaimed in SURPRISE. turning to catch
another glance of the well set-up fguresin
light grey twead She had carefully con
cealed from him and from her father the
fact that George had come TO Nice.
eyes" she answered simply, looking
strai sht before her.
ssWhy did you hide the truth from mef''
he demanded angrily.
Because the knowledge that he was
here could not have benefited you, she
answered
ssYou have met him of course, clandes-
timely he said, regarding her with knit
brows.
stI do not deny it.. -
"And you have told him, I hope i, that
you are to be my wife.
81 have, she sighed
ssThen you must not meet again. You
understand,' he exclaimed fiercely.
"Send the fellow back to London"
She bit her lip, but made no answer,
Her eyes were filled with tears. Without
any further words they drove rapidly
along the Promenade, at that hour chill
after the fNding OF the sun, until the cab
with it's jingling bells pulled up before
the Pensio n, and Liane alighted. For
an instant she turned to him, bowling,
then entered the Villa.
Her father was out, and on going 4 into
her own room she locked the door, cast
down her sunshade, tossed her hat care
lessly aside, and pushing her hair from
her fevered brow with both hands, stood
at the open window gazing aimlessly out
upon the sea. A sense of utter loneliness
crept over her forlorn heart. She was,
she told herself, entirely friendless, now
that her father desired her to marry Ter
tho. Hers had been at best a oheerless,
melancholy life, yet it was now without
either hope, happiness, or love. The sea
stretching before her was like her own
future, impenetrable, ID great grey ex-
panse, dismal and limitless, without a
single gleam of brightness, growing every
instant darker, more obscure, mora mys-
teTiouS.s
Thoughts of the man she loved so fondly
surged through her troubled mind. She
Remembered how sad and melancholy he
had looked when she had passed him by !;
how bitterly he had smiled when she
lowed to him. The memory of his dear
face brought back to her all the terrible
past, all the hopelessness of the future, all
the hideousness of the truth.
She sank beside her bed, and burying
her face in the white coverlet gave way
to her emotion, shedding a torrent OF
tears.
The dusk deepened the twilight faded
and darkness fell, still she sobbed on,
murmuring constantly the name of the
one man on earth she loved
A low tapping at the door aroused her,
and thinking it was her father she hastily
dried her eyes and stumb bled blindly across
the dark room to admit him. 1t was,
ho wever, the Provencal femme de
cham bere' who handed her note, say
ing in quaint patois-
"a letter for Mademoiselle. 1t was
brought minute or two ago by man
who gave it to me with strict injHnotiofis
to give 1t only into Mademoiseiie's own
hands,
'.lhank you, Justine she answered, /,
in a low, hoarse voice, then, closing the
door again, she lit candle, and mechan
ically tearing open the note found that it
was dated from the Villa Fortunee,
Monaco, and signed by Mariette. In it
the woman who was her enemy made a
strange request. She first asked that she
should say no word to her father or to
Zsrtho regarding The recent receipt of
the note or inform them of her address,
and then, continuing, she wrote: '1.o-
,aorr wv, at two O'Clock, call upon George
Stra5feld, who is, as you know, staying
at the Grand Hotel, and he will bring
YOU over here TO my house. 1t is impera-
tive that I should see you. Fear nothing,
but come. George is my FRIEND and be
will be awaiting you.s'
(To be conitnued.)