Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-02-09

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lcoks-as if any such action were i'm
PEELED by desire to injure the woman
who had taken the place of that young
lady of excellent character as the wife
of Sir Jaffray. The world is harsh
censor, Miss Leycester, be said, with
an indescribable air of patronage aud
worldly wisdom, land reads the motives
which lie on the. surface, especially
when somebody's character is dirtied in
the process Had you not better be care
ful?"
"That is nonsense" replied Beryl
curtly, land you know it as we'll as I.
What my motive may be is my own
concern, and l am not likely to ask you
orr She checked herself, and in a
fash he filled up the gap.
'Say Sir Jaffray's wife, he said,
with grin.
"Or any one, " she added, passing by
the interruption, Ito bel lp me to take
care of myself. If things are as that pa.
per says, the motives of those who dis
cover the truth are of no concern. am
not here to discuss motives, but facts. Is
that true or not?' pointing to the paper.
Certainly and emphatically it is not
true in the sense in which you seem to
imply it-that ever married Lola
Crawshay at the Church of st. Sulpice
in Montreux. The thing is ridiculous. I"
And he shrugged his shoulders again
| with his usual gesture.
"You make my part much more diff.
cult" said the girl, and then she turned
aside moment in thought "Do you
understand that?" she asked after a mo-
ment of consideration.
Miss Leycester, understand moth
ing whatever of all of this" he an.
swered.
/ II have evidence which puts it be-
yond the shadow of doubt that what
that paper says is true, that you are
the Pierre Turrian named Oh the face
of it, and that on the date given you
married the Lola Crawshay mentioned
there, and that the Lola Crawshay is
the same woman who is now my Cousin
Jaffray's wife. Is that plain enough? If
you wish to know how found it out,
I may tell you that your own conduct
at the last interview we had set me
thinking, that the monstrous story you
told about your fiddle strings did not
for moment deceive me, that your
confusion when told you of the mar
riage made it as plain as day that your
interest was infinitely greater than you
pretended, while your own mention of
Montreux and your subsequent obvious
attempt to make me think there was
nothing of Importance in your connec-
tion with Montreux confirmed my opin-
ion, and that a subsequent chain Of cir
| cumstances, all save one unsought by
me, forced the full discovery upon me.
That every fact is known to me please
to recognize as absolutely certain"
He had listened to her statement al
most hreathlessly, yet showing out
wardly no more than sort of polite
Indifference, but he was revolving hasti-
ly in his thoughts score of different
courses of action.
There was no use in further conceal.
ment.
1t was clear from the ritiless frank
ness of the deliberate statement that
this girl was speaking the truth, and
it seemed as though all the pleasant
plans of an easy life were to be Stat
tered in a moment, and he hated tie
woman who had done it just as he
hated everything that came in the path
of his enjoyment.
He glanced at her vindictively as she
was saying the last words, and he felt
that he would give half his life if he
could have seen that cold, hard, merci-
less face lying dead before him at that
instant.
That thought started another and a
grimmer one. so grim that involunta-
rily he glanced about him, as if the mere
harboring of it might be dangerous,
while his lips felt suddenly so parched
that he moistened them with his tongue.
The idea grew on him like the germ
of a noisonie plague, and instinctively
his cunning prompted him to shape his
course by it. What he had to find out
was whether any one else knew of this
secret.
Now that his eyes had been so rudely
opened to the real cleverness Of the girl
who had thus faced him his wits had
been quickened to read her, so as to
know how best to deal with her.
For that new plan of his he must
have time.
81 accept your conditions, Miss
Leycester," he said when she finished.
81 admit--for now it is useless to deny
that what you have found out is true in
every detail. 5"
The suddenness of his change of man
ner and of the confession startled the
girl more than anything that had yet
passed, and she shrank back and
clinched her hands tightly.
"Then what business have you here?'
she cried in a voice filed with indigna-
tion and anger.
II will tell you all, erything, !"
he said.
He paused moment in indecislon.
He was doubtful even at the last mo-
ment whether for his purposes he wculd
be wiser to put the blame Oh himself or
on Lola, nor did he settle the point un-
til he had begun to speak again.
lyon have learned much of the
truth" he said, "becauSe you have
learned the foundation fact of this most
sad and terrible matter. Sir JafTray
Walcote and | are both married to the
woman who is known as his wife, but
by law and right she is my wife. y
The expression OH Beryl's face deep