Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1899-07-06
CHAPTER XIII.

In her SumptuOuS and palatial home,
alone in the great. silent house. save
Tor the lackeys. was she whom yester-
day the little world of st. Petersburg
had known as Madame Florence
alone, but neither in darkness, in desc
Ation, nor in mourning.
In the center of the great drawing
room, she stood, still wearing her we'd
ding robes. though hours had passed
since the name she had chosen to bear
had been stripped from her more pitt
iessly than the banlage from Louis
GervaSe's face. and her own old name
cast back at her as a direct insult.
She had dined in her old state, Flow
er5 had bloomed upon her table: course
after course had been served; and
wines Of rarest vintage poured into the
glasses at her elbow. True. the dishes
had gone away almost untasted, the
glasses undrained. but the farce Tor
tragedy had been played to the emil.
Then she had swept into her dra wing
rooms to find them, as she had COM
handed, in blaze of light
''They do honor to my second bap-
tism,' she murlnured. scornfully
She had she'd no tear since the MORN
ing; she had sought no solitude OF
grief. The pallor Which had marked
her had fled. One bright spot of Grim
son blaZed on either cheek. Her eyes
burned into blackness; her jewels did
not hold more brilliance, more hidden
fire. She was beautiful in this hour
with beauty which exceeded belief
Heretofore her heart had been numbed
to Slumber. Had not its death fol-
lowed this second blow:
admit none.' she had told her ser
wants. Il will see no one. l entertain
new guest tonight" she added to
herself. THE ghost of my past-F'lor-
ence Eane dimes with me-
So she stood alone in the center OF
the rooms, which We're a long vista of
radiant light and color Slowly she
paced their length. smiling as in innu-
merable mirrors she caught glimpse
of the tall. graceful figure, clad in it's
bridal white.
sit was Madame Florence who was
to have been the princes BRIDE" she
murmured, mot Florence Vane. lam
glad of that. For her. new and more
fitting honors waas; aud spared Dam
croft to her Fool, fool that l was!
Why did they not fight? But what
was it that this -. said about a sis
ter? Florence Vdne has no sister
wishes none!"'
She paused as she spoke; then. with
new impulse, hurried on. until she
reached the ante-room where Ark
wright first had seen her. And then
she moved toward the picture of the
white and cleaning cross. Lifting her
beautiful arms. she disengaged it from
the wire by which it was suspended.
gently laid it on the floor, and then set
her heel upon it, and crushed the
glass into a thousand fragments. Did
she fear it's future softening influence
upon her? Had she not rather used it
as the milestone to her revenge?
Standing there. another sound than
the breaking glass disturbed the 81
lence. 1t was a low. demOniac laugh.
she turned. There in the shadow OF
the doorway. stood a witness to k,r
act-Louis Gervase. Her lackeys had
betrayed her for his gold. AS in the
morning. he had made no attempt to
shield from curious gaze his terrible
Disagreement. The full glare OF light
revealed its livid horror. The marred
cheek rendered the contrast more fear
full, and lent the man scarcely human
air. 1t were as though devil and man
were mingled into one; nor would the
eimile fallen far short of the reality.
She turned and saw him. but the col
or faded not from her cheek: she nei-
ther blanched nor trembled. Thus they
met-they who once had murmured
softest nothings in each others ears.
who each had found a heaven in the
others eyes, and who had held the sa-
cred relation. blessed by God. of hus-
band and wife. He, in his hideous de-
formity, confronting her who had
sought his body's ruin: she. in her ex-
puisite beauty, facing him who had
t-er-ss-,e