Evening star., 1903-07-18

| slowly brimming with superstitious fear,
and then she asked a duplicate OF the ques-
| ton that had been asked Of her few
| hours before
| Did YOU kill Cromwell?"
| 'Cromwell! I never saw him"
| From whom then did you wrench that
| parchment"
From the thief; of course. He never
20, am going mad! Who is the thief.
| who is the thief?''
| DE Courcy. II you must know. Why
does this trivial matter disturb you? De
| Courcy followed us from oxford last night,
| and was lodged at our inn. BY some means
| ne penetrated into my room. stole this from
me- and l never missed it until l saw him
ride for Broughton, and not even then. to
! tell the exact truth But remembered that
| he had seen me place this paper in the in
side pocket of my vest, in the kings own
| presence, and then the whole plot came to
l were down upon him like Highland
storm on the Lowlands. My sword, you
| should have seen u.s. For moment there
| was one whirligig Of horses legs and
| Frenchman, like a raree show of acrobat is
| struck by whirlwind. If | had not been
so angry 1 would have had the best laugh
OF my life and the genial William threw
| back his head and made the wood echo
| with his merriment at the recollection. But
| the girl was sober enough.
This is not the kings commission" she
said quickly
| ''Oh. but it is
1T is not. Have you read it?''
| mo. but that's soon done
He united the cord and unfolded the
| sheepskfn. She leaned eagerly forward and
scanned the writing. while Armstrong read
| 1t aloud.
You see he cried gleefully. "Of course
| IT is the commission. There are the ma mes
! of Traquair and all the rest. just as | gave
them to the secretary. and there is Charles
| Rex in the kings own hand"
| 1t is duplicate. Cromwell has the orig
| 1naL You never left De Courcy alive within
| mtte Of Broughton castle?'
| Il did that very thing. Not as lively as I
| have seen him. yet alive. nevertheless"
| Then ride ride for the north. We have
| stood too long chattering here"
All in good time. Frances. There is no
| more hurry than ever there was: less in
| deed: for 1t seems to me that Cromwell for
| some reason. wants to come at this by
| fraud and not by force. But now that De
| Courcys name is mentioned between us
| ask you what you know against him more
| than | have told you?"
| Against him? l know everything against
| him. Would that You had killed him. He
would sell his soul. if he has one. He rob-
| bed my dying father. and on the day of his
| death. when | was the only one in London
| who did not know he executed De
| Courcy lured me to his apartments at
| Whitehall. under pretense of leading me to
the king that might plead for my father S
| life There he attempted to entrap me-
snapped in my hand the sword which 1
| had clutched from the wall to defend my
| self. and struck him twice in the face.
| and blinded him with his own false blood.
and so escaped. Judge. then. my fear when
| L saw him there at Oxford
| The truth, The truth at last the truth
| shouted Armstrong. as if weight had
| fallen from his shoulders The truth has
| ring like honest steel and cannot be mis-
| taken when once you hear it. He lied to ME
about You in oxford. and | called him liar
| and would have proven it on him. but that
| he told me you were in danger l should
have killed the whelp this morning but
| that he could not defend himself"
The truth bIJt ART of = IJo
| did not rob you last night"
Nonsense. He did
II robbed you l stole into your room and
| robbed you. l carried the original of that
document to Cromwell himself and it is
now In his hands. 1t was the price of my
brothers life. My brother was set on your
track by Cromwell. and, being wounded. L
took up his task. Do you understand? That
was my mission to Oxford To delude you
to rob you. and I have done It,"
Girl. you are distraught."
true 49,
You are saving that to shield some one"
LOOK, William Armstrong For two
hours and more last night you held me by
the wrist. There is the bracelet with which
you presented me, bla ck proof of the black
guilt l confess to you
She held her hand aloft and the sleeve
fell away from the white and rounded arm,
marred only by the dark circles where his
fingers had pressed
DO you say did that?'
Yes. If still you do not believe me-
measure your fingers with the shadow they
have cast
She reached out her hand to him. and he
took it In his left. stroking the bruised
"rlst with his right, but looking into her
eyes all the while
Frances. 1t is this secret that stood be-
tween us?'
Yes
rs this all that stood between uso"
AN. Is 1t not enough? All. 1t is a noun
tam of sin that bears me to the very
ground"
why. dear lass. did you not tell me?,
Tell you? 1t WAS from you of all the
world. I must conceal It until now
hand S '
Bless me. how little YOU know, What
Is quaffehng king or rebelliOus country TO
me compared with you? No wonder nv
heating heart did not awaken me with your
mana upon It, for it was co-conspirator with,
you. and wholly your own. Heaven mend
my broken patriotism but If you had asked
me would have ridden myself to Crom
We'll with the kings signature"
DO you-can you forgive me- then?'
Forglve you? You are the bravest lass
IN all the land and with that. before she
was aware or could ward off his attack If
She had wished to do so, he reached i'm
pulslvely forward. caught her off her horse
and held her in his arms as If she we've =
enid kissing her wounded wrist, her eyes.
her hair. her lips. '
,,a And now. do you forgive me- Frances?'
respass AS we forgive them that trespass
against us. But set me on my horse again.
l beg of YOU '''
II can hardly believe you are here yet"
Cease this fooling The moments are
too precious for it,
This is no fooling. I never was in earn
est all my life before"
VIII. VIII. l implore you. Do YOU not
understand? You are jeSting on the brinl,
of the grave. De Courcy has crawled to
Cromwell ere this. and that grim man is
llshting the north against US. They are
The way IS clear There is no one in
sight and We can outride them when thev
come '
They are riding across country to in
tercept us. oh. let not my arms hold Won
back for destruction Cromwell himself |
told me he would hang you if he had to |
take you openly.
He dare not. Have no fear
He dareS anything. You do not know
that man and your condemnation this doc |
ument. rests now on the heart 1t would |
still Cromwell will move the world to tear |
1t from you. If YOU love me as YOU saw. |
let us to the north at once"
Well he knew the truth of her warning |
now that he understood the case but was |
I ynf - lnf