The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-24

| / smiled 1ncredulouSly.
"You will perhaps deny that here, with
in six yards of this very spot. you stopped
and burst forth into tears?" l exclaimed
with cold oynlcism.
II admit that. The words he uttered
were of sufficient significance to bring
tears to my eyes," she replied vaguely.
"He must have spoken words Of love to
you," / argued 81 watched you both. "
Il deny that he did, Godfrey" she cried
am even ready to take an oath before my
Creator that the subject of our CONVEX
sation was not love-"
"What was Beck persuading you to
d OF" demanded
ono. no." she CRIED as if the very
thought was repulsive to her. mo, do
not ask me- | can never tell you never
''Then there is a secret between you
that you decline to reveal" 1 said, re-
proachf1lly.
She laughed harsh metallic laugh. an
sWering in tone OF feigned hippancy
Really, Godfrey, you are absurdly and
unreasonably suspicious. | tell you
love no other man but yourself, yet mere
| ly because it pleases you to misconstrue
What you have witnessed you brand me
as base and faithless. 1t is unjust"
'But your letter?' | cried.
| 81 had no intention of conveying the
idea that any secret existed between Mr..
Beck and myself. He was, as you we'll
know, an old friend of my fathers, and
| me he is always friendly and good
natured, but swear he has never spoken
| to me of love.
"But you cannot deny, Ella. that a
secret-some fact that you are determined
| to keep from me-exists, and that If not
of love, it was of that secret BecK spoke
| to you so earnestly in the garden hereil
II I,,A .ol
| them. She shivered. saw my question
had entirely nonplussed her, and felt
instinctively that 1 had uttered the
| truth.
AT that instant, however, servant
crossed the lawn in the moonlight, and
approaching, handed me a telegram,
stating that .Juckes, my man, had
brought it over from Shepperton, fearing
that it might be of importance.
Hastily thrust it into my pocket I'M
opened and when the servant was out of
hearing | repeated the plain question /
had put to the woman l loved.
In the bright moonlight watched how
pale and agitated was her face, while in
Voluntarily she shuddered, as if the
thought that l might ascertain the truth
terrified her.
"Geo frey she said at last in a low
plaintive voice as, sitting beside me, her
Slim fingers suddenly closed oonvulsively
upon mine, "why cannot you trust me,
when you know 1 Low 9 you so dearly?'
why cannot you tell me the truth, in
stead of evading it? You say you are un-
worthy of my love- Why2 f5
"I-I cannot tell YOU she cried wildly
breaking into historical sobs "Ah! You
do not know how | have suffered, Geoff
rey, or you would not speak thus to me.
If you can no longer trust me, then we
must alas! part. But if we do, shall
think ever of you as one who mlsJudged
me and cast me off, merely because of my
inability to give you an explanation OF
one simple incident. -
"But I love you, Ella'' I cried. "Wby
should we part Why should
high pitched, genial voice. i've been
looking for you everywhere. We're all
going for d moonlight row, Come
along"
Further conversation was, saw, out
of the question, and few minutes later
we had all EN- barked, with the exception
of Mrs Laing, and were gliding slowly
down the stream, that glittered in the
brilliant moonbeams. Dudley had
brought Elias mandolin from the house,
and as our prov. cut the ripping waters
he played a soft, charming gondolier's
song. My love sat beside me in the stern,
and her eyes mutely asked forgiveness as
ever and anon she turned to me. L saw
how beautiful she was, how full of deli
cate grace and how varying were her
moods; yet she seemed nervous, highly
strung, with a strange harshness in her
voice that l had never before noticed. She
spoke no word to Beck, and l remarked
within myself that she avoided him,
while once, when he leant over to grasp
her hand, she shrank shud deringly from
it's contact.
An hour after, when, after rowing
down to Laleham, we had returned to the
"Nook" and, at the instigation of the
tally placed my hand in the breast poe ket
of my dress coat and there felt the tele-
gram that had until that moment en-
tirely forgotten. Opening it. l was
amazed to find it in cipher. The cipher
signature was that of the Earl of Warn
ham, and l saw it had been transmitted
over the private wire from Warnham, his
seat in Sussex.
Taking pencil from my pocket 1 at
once proceeded to transcribe the myster-
ious array of letters, and when L at last
discovered the purport of the message, I
sat back in my chair, breathless and
rigid, while the f1imsy paper nearly fell
from my nerveless fingers.
"Why, Geoffrey!" cried Ella, starting
up in alarm and rushing towards me
"wbat's the matter? You are as pale as
death. Have you had bad news?"
"Bad newsl" answered, trying to
laugh and slowly rousiug myself. "No
bad news at all, except that | must leave
for town at once"
''Well. you certainly look as if you've
been hard hit over a race Beck ex-
claimed, laughing.
"You can't possibly get train now
tillsl1.SO. It's hardly ten YETI said my
we'll beloved. exchanging a strange, mys-
FERROUS glance with Dudley.
"Then / must go by that, l answered,
again re-reading the pink paper and re-
placing it in my pocket, endeavoring to
preserve an outward calm.
Presently, when Ella was again alone
with me, her first question was:
"What bad news have you received,
Geoffrey?'
"None," answered smiling. "It was
of private matter, of really no impor-
tance at all. ~
ooh, 1 thought it must have been some
thing very, very serious, your hand trem-
bled so, and you turned so pale"
'tDid I?' i laughed cheerily. "Well,
Thus reassured she continued to chat
with that bright vivacity that was one of
her most engaging characteristics. /
have, however, nc idea OF what she said;