The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-07-11
THE HEART OF DENISE
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After that we sat in the garden, where
the moonlight was full and bright and
the breeze brought us the scent of the
roses. Then De Clermont, bringing out
his lutte, sang to US. He had a voice
such as neither l nor any one else
knew who had listened to it had ever
heard equaled. So perhaps sang his
old troubador ancestors, and the sweet
notes had died with the days of chiv-
airy to be born again in Raoul de Cler-
mont. The song he chose was one
that was perchance written by one Of
his minstrel forbears and described in
that old tongue that we no longer use as
lovers agony at being separated for
ever from his mistress. The words
were perhaps poor, but there was gen.
uine feeling in them, and sung by De
Clermont it might have been the wall
of an angel shut out from paradise.
Never did I hear the like. Never
would | care to hear the like again,
and as the last of the glorious notes
died away in a liquid stream of in
effable melody | saw madame's face
buried in her hands, and there was a
great sob behind me that came from
the broad chest of Lalande, who had
stolen up to hear and was numbering
like child. Then Nine. de Termes
rose and hurried off, followed by La
lande, and we were alone, / sitting
still with my whole soul full of that
wondrous song and every nerve strung
to its highest pitch, while De Cler-
mont remained standing, his lutte, slung
by its silken sash, in the loop of his
arm.
Denise" he said, "you understand,
dear?
eyes" l could barely whisper the
word, and then he bent down and kiss
ed me softly on the forehead, and the
! touch of his lips seemed to burn into
me like a redhot seal. With a little
cry rose to my feet and, hardly know
| ing what l was doing, ran past him,
never stopping until l reached ny
room. Here l remained as if lost in a
dream, with hundred mad thoughts
dancing in my brain. l tried to pray,
but my lips could only frame words,
for there was nothing in my heart, and
then l thought would seek forgetful-
ness in sleep, but sleep would not
come, and lay awake watching the
broad banner of moonlight that came
in through the open window and all
the memories of the past awake within
me- De Clermont's kiss still burned on
nv face, and | shivered with the shame
and the sin of it, for | was another's
wife-and heaven help me! thought
then that loved De Clermont. Oh the
misery of those hours, when l tossed
from side to side, with dry, burning
eyes and bitter shame in my heart! A
last, as the moon was paling, | coulc
endure it no longer and rising from
my bed, began to pace the room. | fell
that what l needed was motion, move
ment-I could not be still. If | coulC
only pray! And as the thought came t.
me once more ! heard a little clint
and, STOPPING. picked up a small locke
containing a miniature of my motne
which wore round my neck, the gol'
chain by which it was suspended hay
ing broken in my restless movements
J. opened the locket and, standing nea
: the window, looked at the picture, and
as / live, it seemed to tighten so that
: could see each feature, with the sof
eyes bent ON me in pity, and then
l. voice-it was her voice-said:
; "Denise, pray"
e And then my eyes were blinded wit
# tears. and, flinging myself on my knee:
n with my hands clasped on the mullion
d of the window, sobbed out, "Go(
# dear God, have pity on mer
n could say no more, but my Who'll
+, soul went out with these words, and
d knelt there, still and motionless. wit
o the sense of great peace falling upo
Ie me. Then it was as if the very heaven
Is grew bright as day, and the light file
70 my room so that my eyes were dazzle
h and / could not see, and / covered m
face with my hands to shield my eye
a from the splendor.
,s When l looked up again, the glor
1s4 was gone, but my soul was at rest.
n. stood at the window and let the COZ
1. breeze fan me, while peered out I'M
10 the darkness, for the moon had sun
and it was now the black hour tn;
touches the dawn. AS l watched
nc heard the bells of st. Etienne callir
a the lauds across the grave of nigh
and knew that in two hours it wou
ho 40 ulipbf aDd falf that Tho rrncoe