Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-05-07
cHApTER XII.--lContlnued.l

| s9lF lApt.
1t is tho twilight Of the next day, and
Iyor Grant starts from train Of long
| and painful thought, and looks stupidity
at the man who has delivered the mes
| sage.
ITO see NE? What Manner
As Tyor reads it the red blood Pushes
| to his face He rises with fierce ex-
clamation, that as suddenly prudence
suppresses.
"Say | am coming" he mutters with
painful effort. Then as the door closes
| he sinks slowly back on his chair. Il
| may as we'll face it Quit is time / fore
| ed him to speak" he says bitterly. Il
| can't half understand the mystery yet
Impassive as Count SavOna usually is,
| he can hardly repress a start of horror
| as he meets that changed face of Ivor
Grants. 1t is bIoodless as marble. aged
and haggard as if by years of suffering,
yet so fearless in its proud composure
that he cannot withhold an Involuntary
feeling of admiration as he meets the
dauntless eyes.
1.-THE sort Of man to die game he
thinks, following up the thought by a
bow aud murmur Of sympathy that lvor
involuntarily cuts short.
'You need offer no apology" he says
motionng him to take chair. Sooner
Or later an interview would have been
| necessary. AS for condolences, / scarcely
think they sound we'll from the lips that
| have bounded on suffering woman to
her death"
"What do you mean?' cried the Count
iereely. "a 1 beg your pardon. he add
ed, in more temperate tone; Il should
have remembered your recent grief, and
excused any outbreak of this sort. Pray
explain your strange words"
ITO be BRIEF" said Iyor. calming him
self by strong effort, you have for
several years past been trading on some
secret of my mother's-a secret of which
| she gave me no faintest hint, and Of
| which am still in ignorance. How you
became possessed of it rests between You
and herself only know that your pow
er had gradually undermined her health,
broken her spirits and occasioned her
death From a memorandum of hers, now
in my possession. | find she has been in
the habit of paying you large sums an
| nually in order to buy your silence. You
certainly seem to have a noble and man
| ~ method of making an income, Count
Savona."
For a moment the dark eyes flashed a
look not good to see at the pale, hand
some face confronting them with so cool
and cutting a contempt. But the Counts
plans were not matured sufficiently to al
| low OF his losing bis temper He lowered
| the lids over that dangerous gieam. and
said, eoolly;
"Your mother was very foolish wom-
! I a. mai
whose business it is TO trade on such fol
| lies. She would not have purchased my
! silence. be very sure. unless it had been
worth her while The shame of the bar
| gain with her, not with mel"
| Again the hot blood surged to Ivor
| Grants face, and beat dizzily against his
| temples.
| "How dare you malign her!" he cried,
| with sudden fury. You eur, you hound ]!
| who make 1t your business to spy out ev-
cry error and misfortune of the women
| you meet. Do you call yourself man
| at aTlP'
Most assnredly l do" answered the
| Count, coolly, and man who woul1
make you answer for your words. Sir
Ivor, were we in my own land now. You
| should at least be aware OF what your
| mothers past was before accusing me Of
| defaming her name"
| For moment Ivor was silent. In the
face of all his contempt, his Indignation.
his passionate anger. he yet remembered
that his mother had held this man in
terror SO great that her very life had paid
its penalty. Remembering that, il seem
ed of very little use TO insult or accuse
Ione' SO worthless ard apparently so in
vulnerable.
"Win you drop hints ANA come to
factsT' he asked, curtly. Tell me what
1t is you know"
The Count shrugged his shoulders con
temptuously.
'''I do not know from what you draw
the deduction that | am quite a fool" he
said. The secret is your mother's-was
should say. With her let it die. II
can do you no good TO learn it, and
am willing to forego lis profits 10 ms
for-~for the sake of The friendship
bear you
For moment, as Ivor Grant met that
knocking glance and evil smile. he felt a,
If the very manhood within him force
him to defy the insult OF those words. Lt
made a step forward. HIS hand Glen he'd
!, his eyes cleaning dangerously. PerAap,
the Count thought he had gone toe far
In any case, he raised his own hgn nd al
IL TO warn him back.
stop" he said. speaking very low
''you had better not make an enemy O
me. You forget Beryl Aarsden."
The name was like magic. Ivor step
ped back, and threw himself into a chair
Are you a man or n demon r. he criet
bitterly.
"a little Of both. perhaps" said tn
Count. with his slow, cruel SMILE d"
have been playing piteh-and-toss Wit
Fortune for many years. l wish Il max
you reasonable proposition. VIII yol
listen?'
Iyor bent his head. He dared not trus
| himself to speak.
From what you have cleaned Of you
mothers affairs" continued Savona, wit
| & rapid and somewhat uneasy glance a
| the paper in Ivor Grants hand, "yo
must see that she deemed it worth b
while TO pay me a sum Of three hi 4drc
and fifty pounds yearly. her deceas
cut short our bargain. that this sum wa
to be continued until it reached the pric
originally asked, Besides. the secrt
that was SO valuable TO her may not be )
10 you. l don't say it is not, but | hay
another matter 20 settle with you. an
can afford to waive bargain number ont
As regards Mrs MarSden | would oni
ask if you are prepared 20 keep you
promise made at N2uX-if il is wort
your while Ia buy ny silence. or face th
I natural Indignation 0f an outraged hui