Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1899-09-21
CHAPTER XIV.

and beautifully furnished; room that
might have been the sleeping chamber OF
a queen.
Thinking that Lady Vernon was not
well, her maid had lighted beautiful,
bright fire, and she lay back now IN one
of the low lounging chairs near 1t. Her
maid had taken off her evening dress, had
removed the jewels from her neck and
hair, had given her a dressing gown OF
quilted blue satin, had left the wealth OF
golden hair falling like a veil over the
matchless neck and shoulders No woman
ever looked more lovely, more graceful,
more lovable. SO Miss Beaton thought,
as she opened the door and looked at her
for one minute with the very spirit of
hate and vengeance, looking at her out
of those dark, Southern eyes. Lady Yer
non looked up as she entered.
Il am glad you have come, Glade,
she said; Il was making pictures in the
fire. Take a chair near it; the nights
cold,' and despite the quilted dressing
gown, Lady Vernon shivered.
Glade drew one of the luxurious chairs
to the fire, and sat down opposite to her;
In the heart of the crimson glare those
two women made beautiful picture, the
fair one so blonde, so spiritual, the dark
one with her Southern face and liquid
eyes. Glade sat quietly silent for some
minutes, then she said, slowly:
IF you were a wise woman, Lenore,
you would let the matter die here, just
where it is, and seek to know no fur
ther," she said. "You insisted to-day
that 1 have something on my mind. 1t
Is true, but you will be sorry if you ask
me what it is.
stFTIl-z
never shall be- Glade l have just as
much curiosity as any other daughter of
Eve, perhaps a little more. Now tell me,
what is it?'
81 cannot tell,' said Miss Beaton,
whether the news will impress you as it
did me-whether your thoughts will take
the same dark turn as mine did; if so, I
am sorry for your
Before 1 tell YOU said Miss Beaton,
''you must give me your promise, binding
as an oath, that you will never betray
me, that you will not ask how | have OBJ
tanned my knowledge, and that you will
swear never to mention that it was |
who told YOU"
Il need not swear" said Lenore; my
word is good as my oath. l promise you,
on my honor, | will never name you, nor
will / ask you where you got the infor-
nation. 1t is of Austins death, is it
not?"
sit grieves me that you should connect
the two circumstances even in thought"
she answered. Il cannot say for certain
that it is not-you must judge For your
self This is it: know that your pres
ent husband, Sir Cyril, was at Eastwood
when Austin was shot!''
The beautiful face flushed crimson with
hot, passionate indignation, the blue eyes
lost all their languid sweetness, and grew
clear and bright like steel, the soft lips
grew hard and stern.
I do not believe it, she cried; 81
would not believe it, Glade Beaton, if
you swore it with your dying breath!''
$50 much the BETTER" said Miss Bea-
ton; II need not have been so frightened
at telling you. l wish l could share your
unbelief.''
mo, l do not believe it; my husband
is the soul of truth, the soul of honor,
the perfection of justice. If he had been
here he would have said so; he is truth
ITSELF"
Il do not deny it; he may be truth,
honor, justice and loyalty embodied; yet,
for all that, he was here, at Eastwood,
the same day that the fatal shot was
fired"
81 will never believe it!' cried Lady
Vernon: yet even as she spoke her heart
turned sick with pain and fear; there
was the ring of truth in Gladie's voice
81 cannot believe it." she continued;
"he would have told me had he been here.
Why should he hide it? Nothing shall
ever make me believe that. 1t is false,
cowardly slander-a calumny-a lier'
Nevertheless he was here" repeated
Glade; st was he who followed you
home that night when you were so star
tied; it was his footsteps you heard, his
eyes you saw shining through the trees;
1t was he whom the servants saw by the
garden gate and on the lawn-he and no
other, so true as heaven Is above u.s."
81 do not believe it, Gladier'
81 can go no further-I saw him my
self Looking from my window in the
early dawn, l saw him standing looking
ut yours"
ooh, heaven, that 1 should not know
how to deny such things, yet should
know they are false!'
NAY, my darling, they are true; do
not hug that false hope to your heart;
do not say for one moment that 1t is un-
true. II it were so / would thank heav-
en- for the lie. Lenore, / saw him!''
"Then why have you never said so be-
fore? Why have you lived under our
roof, eaten of our bread, been one Of us,
yet kept this secret in your breast like
poisoned asp, all these years-why, GIa-
die, why?'
Hush my dear, calm yourself.
spoke the truth-nothing but the truth,
before heaven. / saw him; but remem-
Der it was the early dawn Of morning,
and had been thinking Of him during
the night. / really believed that it was
n delusion. | knew man stood there,
but said to myself that it was my fancy
which had given him Sir CyriPs features.
I should have thought it wicked to have
told that which would most certainly
have drawn suspicion on him-but, to my
great horror, my fancy was truth.