Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-03-23

his worst fears on her account that he
looked across at her with an expression
which she seemed to read intuitively.
"Do you think l am guilty Of the
death of Pierre Turrian, Jaffray?" she
cried in avoice Of pain and resentment.
"And you, Beryl, do your And with
out waiting for any answer in words,
reading one in the momentary embar-
rassed silence of the two, she cried in a
voice all sorrow and suffering: "Heaven
help mel 1t is indeed time came backl
Oh, Jaffray, JaffrayP' And, bursting
into sobs, she buried her face in her
hands on the head Of the sofa.
Sir Jaffray could not bear the sight
of her distress, but went quickly to her,
and, laying a hand on her shoulder, said:
"Give me your word that you know
nothing of this, Lola, and l will believe
you against the world"
She shook his hand off as though his
touch burned her, ad, rising to her feet,
looked him steadily in the face.
"Were the positions changed l should
need no word of yours to make me feel
your innocence, Jaffray," she said in a
tone which stabbed him, "but you shall
have my word. AS God is my judge |
know no more than yourself how this
man met his death.
A flood of relief. burst over him at the
words, and again he made as though he
would clasp her IN his arms, and again
she prevented him.
Then Beryl, who had waited with
suspense for the avowal Of her inno-
cence, and who was quite ready to &C.
cept it and to be convinced by it, feel
ing something of the agony which Lola
must at that moment be enduring, went
to her, and, making her sit down again
on the sofa, insisted on sitting by her.
She put her arms round her and held
her in close embrace and kissed her.
Forgive me, Lola, for I, too, have
wronged You in thought. know what
you must have suffered. Why did you
not come to me!"
At first Lola tried to prevent the girl,
but the touch Of sympathy was too
sweet to be long repulsed, and she first
suffered, then welcomed and at last rev.
eled in the consolation thus offered.
"You make my heavy task lighter"
she said to Beryl presently, and then,
after another pause, she began her con-
fession, beginning, womanlike, with an
implied attack upon Sir Jaffray himself.
"No, Jaffray, the blood of that man
does not lie on my hands, she said in
low, clear voice. "It was not for that
reason that would not let you take me
in your arms just now. Heaven knows.
I am bad and mad enough, but I am
not like that"
The baronet made gesture Of pro-
test, but she checked him, and sitting
up on the sofa, with her hand in one Of
Beryl's, she went on, speaking in low
tones and with frequent pauses:
II will not try to make my faults
less than they are. Do you remember a
story which that man told few nights
ago at the dinner table hero? Well, the
husband AID wife in that story were
Pierre Turrian and myself You have
asked me often whether there was any
thing in the past that l had not told
you. There was-that l was Pierre
Turrian's wife. Now you can guess
what have suffered, and you know the
reason why I fled. "
"Pierre Turrian's wife!" exclaimed
Sir Jaffray, repeating the words over
and over again as though he could not
understand them. pierre Turrian's
wifel His wife!" Then after long
pause he asked, Ibid you know this
when"- He did not finish, but she un-
derstood.
"You heard the story as he told it,"
she answered.
"He said you tried to kill him then"
"That is true, as true as light" cried
Lola vehemently, and Beryl felt her
start and her muscles harden with tenn
per. lit was an impulse, coming either
from heaven to free myself from a
devil, or from hell to bind myself closer
than ever to him, know not which,
but acted on it, and never from that
moment till now, when see you shrink
and culver at the thought of it, have
regretted it. will not palliate my act
or belittle it, but this may say do
not know that he could possibly have
saved himself had not stamped Oh his
fingers, but 1 did not think of that then.
He had made my life hell, and when
the chance seemed to come in my way
I tried to free myself, and I would do
the same again.
She stopped and looked eagerly across
at Sir Jaffray, hoping to read on his
face an expression less hard than that
which by her words she seemed to ex-
pect and not to fear.
But he made no sign of any kind, and
she went on:
1.-THE rest you know now or can guess
nearly, except one thing. l will tell
the truth now, the whole of it, and
you shall know the worst of me that
can be known. ! thought he was dead,
and when my father died l dropped the
name of Turrian like a hated thing and
came here to England merely as Miss
Crawshay" "Then her voice grew harder,
and the note of defiance again was per-
ceptible 81 meant to marry and to mar
ry we'll, and had no wish to be known
as the widow of such cheat and vii
lain as Pierre Turrian. Then met you
and resolved that you should marry
ME, and I married you without loving
you"
The last words came slowly, and when
she had finished she hid her face again,