Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1899-01-19
CHATTER K, Continually

riIeWe1l, cCliOeu, iul 1ioNcu
slowly to the door. Even then l was
hoping that she would say something
to recall me, but She did not move or
utter sound 1 slowly went out, and
closed the door behind me.
But even then l could not bring my
self to go away to my own rooms. 1t
was hard, oh! it was hard. to leave Eer
i'll that fashion. If Irene had the rank
of a princess. still she was Il woman,
and l loved her. 1t was cruelly-hard
that | should be forced to leave her.
it might be for the last time, and allow
her to think that was the heart
less. selfish creature She now believed
NE to be.
My hand was OIL the door, had not
made up my mind what l should say
to her. or whether l should say any
thing at all-and almost without any
conscious effort OH my part, l gently
opened the door
AS did it, the sound of Il sob caught
my ear. The next moment l was stand
ing beside IL chair at Irene's side. Her
face was buried in her hands, and,
even as | stood there, another sob
shook her breast. And then. as |
stood there in helpless distress, she
Sprans to her feet. as ii my presence
We're such a contamination that she
must forget her sorrow in order to rid
herself of it. She Sprang to her feet.
and her cheeks were flaming scarlet,
and her voice, when she spoke, had an
angry thrill i'll it. What she said
scarcely remelnber-it was something
i'll the nature of a demand to know
why | had returned-but l broke i'll
with
Il have come back to tell you that l
cannot bear to leave the castle while
you think as badly Of me as you do
now. You see how weak l am. had
intended, for the sake of sparing your
anxiety, to keep what l am about TO
say a secret. from you as well as the
Princess Kropenski. But perhaps it is
better that you should know that
there is just chance that l may be
able to do something for your father.
I ami going to England, it is true: but
that Will be only halting place on my
Journey
What journey do you mean? Where
are YOU going"
Il am going to see your father
What. 10 see my father. And l
was thinking you SO Geld. so heartless:
Oh. Mr.. Heath. can you ever forgive
me-
Indeed. there is nothing to forgive"
S'Indeed. there is. And you will see
my father. You will speak with him!
You will find out where these wretches
" III, inf
the lolice-they will rescue him from
their clutches. He will be back again
before lorg! Is that what you mean to
dor
.!Ai!, Princess" l exclaimed, you
are asking the impossible. 1 will not
be allowed to see the Prince without
pledsing myself to secrecy; and. even
if could bring myself to violate that
pledge, it is not likely that the Mill
lists would trust themselves entirely to
my ssHse Of honor. They will be sure
to take cffectual steps to protect them
selves"
"!s.en what is the use of your 60
ing?'
st seems that the conspirators wish
me to do them service-what it is
do not know-and they have limited to
me that. by consenting to do what
they require Of me, l may get them to
set your father at liberty. Whether l
shall be able to do what they ask Or
not, do hot know, so l beg you not to
raise your expectations too high
Irene made no answer for some sec
onds. Then she seized my hands and
kept them imprisoned in her slender
fingers, while her eyes searched my
face in the darkness.
you may, then, bring him back:'
she murmured.
81 believe it possible"
Suddenly, as if remembering that She
still held my hands, she dropped them
and drew back a step.
''Nill you take a letter from me to
my father?' she asked.
I dare not carry q secret mean a
closed letter. But if you care to in
trust an open one to me, and allow m
to ask the permission-'
"Ask the permission of those assas-
sins, those bandits, whether l may
write to my own father! Submit what
/ may write to their inspection! No
thank you! Neither my father or
would care for such correspondence
And, after all, what could l say to
him that he does not know well al
ready? You will tell him how we are
my mother and ~
I assured her that l would: and she
gave me many loving messages to be
delivered to the Prince when l should
see him.
"And to think that you will see my
father, that you will undertake long
and toilsome journey for the purpose
and put yourself in the power OF me1
who are outlaws from society! VIII,
should you do all this for us-you, who
are a stranger"
:'It is too bad. Princess, to say that
am stranger 1 laughed.
you know what l mean. You are
not in any way bound to do my father
this great servicenot to speak of the
greater service you may be able to dt
for hinl-to secure his being set at lib
erty. Why should you do all this fo1
us?''
.Can you not guessY' I said, in :
voice that sounded in my own ear
Harsh and strange, like the voice o