The Portland daily press., 1898-04-01
BY WILLIAM LIE QUEUx.
COPYRIGHTED, 1897, BY WILLIAM LIE QUEUx.

Inc man VINO uSed GnaU seal co1nnlGUsu
one of the worst crimes of which man
can be guilty"
what was it, tell me?" she asked
quickly "Surely Dudley never commit
ted any offence 7"
~ am not certain l answered gloom
lily. Gan enemy who would pose as g
friend, as he has done, might be capable
of any deceit.
Have not already told you that he
was not your enemy, Geoffrey9' she OBJ
served, calmly.
''Ah, Ella cried in disgust. "An
these falsehoods only render your con-
duct all the more despicable. You will
deny next that you went down to Warn
ham to meet him surreptitiousIy.
"To Warnham!' she cried, white to the
lips.
Eyes. Do you deny itP''
mo. lit is quite true that I met him
there, she faltered
''You spent the day with my rival,
unknown to me-. l went on bitterly.
''Yet you declare that you never loved
him"
Her breath came and went in short
quick gasps, her haggard eyes were fixed,
and she stood silent, unable to make re-
ply.
ut is useless to further prolong this
painful interview" | exclaimed at last,
turning from her.
81 swear l never loved b i'm, she cried
suddenly" Some day, when you know the
truth, you will bitterly regret how you
have misj judged me, how, while striving
to serve you, have fallen under Sis
picion.'
"But your visit to Warnham !'' said.
SIS that an act such as can be overlooked
without explanations?
81 only ask you to place trust in me,
and I will prove ere long that I acted
under co,npulsion"
"You want me to believe that he held
you irrevocably in S power, suppose"
said with biting sarcasm.
She nodded, and held her head in down
cast, detected attitude.
sit is easy enough to allege all this,
now that he is dead" observed doubt
ingly.
III have told you the truth. feared
him, and was compelled to obey" she
exclaimed, hoarsely.
"What was the object of your visit?
Surely you can explain that?"
"No. / cannot.
"You absolutely refuse?"
Absolutely" she answered, in a low,
strained voice, looking straight at me
with an expression OF determination.
"Then we must part, l said, slowly
but firmly disaDgaging myself from her
EN- brace.
''No, no." she walled. sobbing bitterly
and olinging more closely to me. "Do
not be SO cruel, Godfrey. You would
never utter those words could you know
ALL"
'But you will not tell me-" cried.
cat present / dare not. Wait; be
patient, and you shall know everything"
''HoW long must l remain in doubt and
ignorance?' asked.
81 know not. Tomorrow the bond of
secrecy may be removed from my lips, or
it may be many months ere 1 can fear
lessly speak and explain" she answered,
in strange voice, almost as if speaking
to herself.
From your words it would appear that
some person still holds power over you,
even though Dudley is dead said,
looking into her eyes seriously.
She sighed deeply, and her hand, rest
ing upon my shoulder, trembled violent
". ssYes, you guess the truth" she an
swered. ii would tell you ali; explain
all these facts that no doubt puzzle you
and cause me to appear base, heartless
and deoeitful, yet fear the consequences.
If did SO we should be parted forever"
"But if you told the truth and cleared
your conduct / should then have conf
dence again, and love you. How should
we be parted?"
Pale and silent she stood with her eyes
resting upon the distant line of dropping
willows. Not until had repeated my
question did she move and answer in a
voice almost inaudible, as she chung to
me:
s'We should be parted by death. she
whispered, hoarsely.
"By death p cried, tismayed "What
do you mean. EllaP Do you fear that the
same tragic fate that has overtaken Dud
ley will overtake your"
She shuddered, and brrying her white
~I,o h,.rr iv,%o
a torrent of tears. Hers was indeed
woeful figure, bent, detected, and grief
stricken. Raising her head at last she
stified her sobs with an effort, and i'm
plored with earnestness:
'sTell me, Ueoffrey, that you will not
PREJUDICE me. Tell me with your own lips
thaS you will be content to wait in
patience until can present the facts to
you in their true light. / am not an ad-
ventures, as you think. / have never, l
swear before Heaven, looked upon any
other man with thought of affection. I
have told you of my inability to speak;
can tell You no more. -
I made a movement, steady, stern, and
deliberate, to put her from me, but, with
her arms entwined fondly about my
neck, she cried in an agonized tone;
''No, Godfrey. At leastishow me sim
gle grain of pity. Be patient, If you
desire it l will not come near you until l
can reply to your questions and clear my
conduct of the stigma upon it; l will do
anything you ask, SO long as you give me
time to pursue my Investigations and free
myself from this terrible thraldom. Say
you will, and bring back peace to my
m ind and happiness to my heart. L love
you, GeoFrey, love youP' and her hot
passionate lips met mine in a manner
that. showed plainly her terrible agitation,
and her fear lest l should cast her off.
Slowly, during those moments of pain
full silence that followed, my anger and
bitterness somewhat abated, and even
against my better judgment. feelings of
pity swayed my mind. 1t seemed to me,
as L reflected upon tie past, that Dudley
Ogle had been unfortunate in his early
surroundings and education; his charac-
ter had received a wrong bias from the
very beginning and the possession of
wealth had increased it. And yet, In spite
of all that, there had been something
pleasant and good in him. No man is al
together hideous when truly known, and
had not yet accurately ascerta1ned the
character of his mysterious relations with
my well beloved. 1 had, during this in
terview, caught glimpses OF the real
true woman beneath the veil of falsehood
and evasion of the truth; l had seen
wistful look occasionally in Elias eyes,
L.