The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-04-02

was soon lost in one Of her gurgling
laughs.
Els my touch so burdensome?" she
demanded. "If the pressure of one fin
ger is SO unbearable to your sensitive
nerves, how will you relish the weight
of my whole hand?"
There was fierceness in her tone, a
purpose in her look that for the first
time in his struggle with her revealed
the full derth of her dark nature.
Shrinking from her appalled,, he put UP
his hand in protest, at which she
changed again in a twinkling, and with
a cautious gesture toward the room in
to which Mr.. Sutherland and his
friends had disappeared, she whisper
ed significantly:
1--WE may not have another chance to
confer together. Understand, then, that
it will not be necessary for you to tell
me, in so many words, that you are
ready to link your fortunes to mine;
the taking off of the ring you wear and
your slow putting of it on again, in my
presence, will be understood by me as
a token that you have reconsidered
your present attitude and desire my 81
fence and-myself."
Frederick could not repress q shud-
der.
For an instant he was tempted to
succumb on the spot and have the long
agony over. Then his horror of the wo-
man rose to such pitch that he utter
ed an execration. and, turning away
from her face, which was rapidly grow.
ing loathsome to him, he ran out of the
passageway into the garden, seeing as
he ran persistent vision of himself
pulling off the ring and putting it back
ngain, under the spell of look he re-
beIled against even while he yielded to
its influence.
81 will not wear ring. l will not
subject myself to the possibility Of
obeying her behest under a sudden
stress of fear or fascination" he ex-
claimed, pausing by the well curb and
looking over it at his reflection in the
water beneath. eff 1 drop it here,
at least lose the horror Of doing what
she suggests under some involuntary
impulse But the thought that the
mere absence of the ring from his fin
ger would not stand in the way Of his
going through the motions to which
she had just given such significance
deferred him from the sacrifice Of a
valuable family jewel, and he left the
spot with an air Of frenzy such as a
man displays when he feels himself
on the verge of doom he can neither
meet nor avert.
AS he re-entered the house he felt
himself enveloped in the atmosphere
of coming crisis. He could hear
voices in the upper hall, and among
them he caught the accents Of her he
! had learned SO lately to fear. Impelled
by something deeper than curiosity
and more potent even than dread, he
FASTENED toward the stairs. Wher
half way up them, he caught sight OF
Amabel She was leaning back agains
the balustrade that ran across the up
per hall, with her hands gripping thu
rail on either side of her and her face
turned toward the five men who hat
evidently issued from Mr.. Sutherland
study to interview her.
AS her back was to Frederick, HI
could not judge of the expression o
that face save by the effect it had upol
the different men confronting her. Blu
to see them was enough. From thei
looks he could perceive that this youni
girl was in one of her battling mood
and that from his father down, no
one of the men present knew what t
make of her.
At the sound his feet made, a relaxa
ton took place in her body, and. sh
lost something of the defiant attitud
she had before maintained. Present.
he heard her voice:
81 am willing to answer any ques
lions you may choose to put me here
but cannot consent to shut myself i
with you in that small study. | shoul
suffocate."
Frederick could perceive the look
which passed between the five men a.
sembled before her and was astonishe
to note that the insignificant fello'
they called Sweetwater was the firs
to answer.
Every WELL" said he. eff you EMO
the publicity of the open hall, no OF
here will object Is not that so. gel
tlemen!
Her two little fingers, which wei
turned toward Frederick, ran up an
down the rail. making peculiar ras
ing noise. which for u moment was tt
only sound to be heard. Then NJ
Courtney said:
How came you to have the handlil
of the money taken from Agatl
Webb's private drawer?"
1t was a startling question. but
seemed to affect Amabel less than
did Frederick. 1t made him start. b
she only turned her head trifie asid
so that the peculiar smile with whit
she prepared to answer could be SCI
by any one standing below.
Suppose you ask something less lea
ing than that to begin with" she su
gested in her high. unmusical voic
"From the searching nature of this
auiry you evidently believe have !
formation of an important character