The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-07-30
A GILDED SIN,
BY CHARLOTTE N. BRBAMB.
CHAPTER y.

Crushing the green leaves and sweet
blossoms under his feet. trampling
down the smiling flowers. beating aside
the trailing SPRAYS, his heart beating,
his brain on fire. Sir Marc fastened
across the park. 1t seemed TO nm
that the whole world had suddenly
crumbled to ruins. He muttered but
ter, terrible words to himself. II the
stars had fallen from heaven it would
have surprised him less than the TACT
that Veronica had done wr0ng-hlS
ideal. the one pure. noble, gentle soul
in whom he had placed all his trust.
All that was beautiful, poetlcal, NAL
denly ana charming seemed to be
vested in her: and now his ideal had
been rudely destroyed.
II will never believe in any human
being again while live he said to
himSelf-"never.. SOfair, so beautiful,
so loving, so tender. yet so lost to all
sense of what is right. l will never
look again at woman'S face"
He reached the railway station at
HurstwoOd and there. half hidden by
a long black veil, he saw Clara Morton.
She rose as he came up to her.
1T is well,'' he said, that you are q
woman: if you were a man l would
horsewhip you..'' There was such
fierce, hot anger in his eyes that she
shrunk back. "You need not fear"
he added scornfully. "Give me your
proofs, name your price. and then
never let your shadow fall across my
path again"
Dealing with a man was different
from frightening delicate. refined
girl, Clara Morton found. She began
whole string Of excuses.
mot one word,'' he said. Simply
repeat the story. Let me hear all the
details, and then give me your proofs
and name your price
She told him the story, and then
added:
my proofs are charred remains of
the parchment that ! took from the
fire, on which you will plainly see these
words, Last will and testament Of Sir
Jasper Brandon. )"
'What doyou want for it," he asked
contempJuouSly.
at is not for myself, Sir Marc-it is
not indeed. l want five hundred
pounds
"You are modest in your demands,
certainly, and you have ruined-But
why should l waste words upon such
as you? If I give you me sum YOU
name, you must not On,y surrender
what you are pleased to call Jour proofs,
but you must take an oath to call your
proofs. but you must take an oath to
keep the secret and leave England.
If you return-liSten to my threat-lf
you dare to return and address by let
ter or by word of mouth that 'hapleSS
lady, will have you indicted for con-
Spiracy, and your sentence will prob
ably be hard labor for life. AS to your
conduct, it is so utterly, horribly base,
I have no patience to speak OF it."
The woman murmured some words.
He did not even listen to them.
II have no wish to hear more he
said. II will give you check for five
hundred pounds on condition that you
give me your proofs and take the re-
Quired oath. Tremble if you dare to
break it-tremble ifyour false wicked
face is seen here again
He took out his check-b0ok, and go
ing into one of the station offices, made
out check for the sum named On
returning he placed it quietly in her
hands. and she gave him the packet
containing the charred fragments Of
the will, and took tie oath upon which
he had insisted. Silently he pointed
to the great open gates, and she passed
out Of them. They never met again.
AS she passed out Of the gates, so She
passed out of his life. Whether the
punishment Of her wickedness ever
came in this world he never knew:
Then Sir Marc went away to Lon
don. What to do with himself he
could not tell. He felt that it was
impossible for him to take up the
broken thread Of his life. In the first
hot angry flush of his disappointment
he had not realized what life without
Veronica would be. Now that it
stretched out before him in all its
chill, terrible reality, he was at loss
how to endure it. There were times
even when he almost wished that he
had forgiven her. Then he recoiled
from the thought. How could he love
q woman to whom the word honor
was an empty sound?
Sir Marc was most unhappy. He
read with stony face all the para
graphs which said that there was no
oundation for the rumor Of the ap-
preaching marriage OF Sir Mare Caryll
that he was going abroad. He made
no complaint, no moan: but he owned
to himself that his life was ended. He
would close WervehurSt Manor, and
spend the remainder Of his days where
nothing could remind him Of the love
he had lost. There was to be no angel
in the house for him. He knew that
he must love Veronica until he died
that no one else could ever take her
place-that no one else could ever be
to him what she had been. Had she
died, it seemed to him that his grief
would have been easier TO bear. That
he would have retained al his love:
now his love must go, while he was
stranded. Life had lost all its attrac
tion for him.
He had freed Veronica from her
bondage-of that he was pleased to
think. No one could frighten her
now. She was quite safe. and the
terrible secret was dead and buried.
He locked away the charred fragments:
he did not detroy them-he could never
Sell why: and that one simple proceed
ing altered the whole destiny Of his
life. Had there been fire in his room
when he reached home. he would have
tossed the little packet into the flames:
as it was, the door of his iron safe was
open, and he flung the packet into it.
Then he set about making arrange
ments for going abroad: but he found
that it would be impoSSible-that he
could not leave England until after
Christmas without neglecting duties
that his conscience would not allow
him to neglect. He said to himself
that ne must be content. There was
no help for it. He must shut himself
up in the old Manor House, where