Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-05
CHAPTER XV-Continued.

Lorelie took up another letter, which was
dated moro than q twelvemonth after the
first.
"HOTEL dANGLETERRE.
Salerno, 10th May, 1915.
IT verify believe that the continual men
ton of an absent evil has the power Of
causing that evil to appear. In every one
OF your letters you have alluded. despite
my forbiddance, to Eric Marville and his
innocence. Your persistency in this respect
seems to have raised him up again from
the things Of the pasta past / was be-
ginning to forget.
You can guess what Is coming.
II have met with Eric Marville. More
than a year has passed since l parted from
him in the village inn of Pajares, hoping
never more to set eyes upon him: and now
his disturbing presence Is with me again.
Disturbing?' you say. Yes. You know the
aphorism, We hate those whom we have IN
jured;' and 1 suppose I have injured him:
you so often say it in your letters that I
have come at last to believe it.
What folly led me to Campania? I
might have foreseen our meeting: for, prior
to the rescue. did not transfer his bank
ing account under an assumed name to
Messrs. Stradella of Naples?
But to our meeting.
Yesterday made an excursion to Paes-
tum, and. fortunately, had the place to my
self. Not one tourist was there. Solitary
and charmed I wandered for whole day
among the magnificent ruins Of the past.
Amid the stiffness of a lovely twilight I
sat down at the base of a marble column
belonging, to the Temple of Neptune The
whole circle of the sky from the wine
dark sea before me to the peaks of the cy
press-clad mountains behind, was flushed
with the deep violet hues to be seen only
in this southern cline. --- - -'
Il smoked cigar and drank in the pure
air of peace. It was time disposng one
to turn poet, monk or somebody equally
moral. had almost forgotten that night at
Nantes.
Suddenly my eye caught sight of a shad-
ow. looked up; and there was Eric Mar
vile watching me with expression that
made me feel uneasy, 1 could not tell
why.
"On seeing that I had noticed him he
came forward. He did not offer his hand,
but smiled mysteriously. almost exultantly,
so it seemed to me, and took seat oppo-
site me a fallen pillar.
AT first we talked commonplace Pres
emily he remarked:
~ am going yachting among the fiords
of Norway. You must accompany me-
His manner implied that he was master
for his compagnon de voyage. seeing that,
as matters are at present. we are so un-
Ike each other. he gloomy, 1 gay?
There is fine yacht for sale al Naples.
Inc price Is moderate. l propose that we
divide it between u.s.
DO you believe. Therese' that man is
free agent, with full control over his own
actlons? OF course you answer Yes
your father-confessor has preached the
doctrine hundred times. I answer Nor
How. otherwise, can 1 account for my con-
duct? l hate the fellow; 1 do not wish to
go yachting; have a presentiment that i'll
7 hay cri1y
him my promise. Explain that, If you can"
''The Hotel Crocelle, Naples,
4.s.. '.2d June, 1876.
It is as pretty a. vessel as one could desire.
Over it my first open variance with Mar
vile arose. 1 say open because, secretly,
we have been in state of hostility to each
other since the day of our meeting at
Paestum.
'Marville was DESTROYS of changing the
name of our new-bought yacht. 1 suggest
ed Lorelie, after the little daughter whom
trust one day to see: he wished 1t to be
called Idris. after his child. The spin of
coin decided the point in his favor The
crew are all English. and have given proof
OF it. When Marville ordered the new
name to be painted they begged him not to
rechristen the vessel, declaring that to do
so would bring ill-luck. Marville treated
their opinion with contempt. He rolled up
his shirt-sleeves. slung plank over the
side. and set to work himself, painting the
name Idris as If to the manner born. Two
of the crew deserted in consequence
Strange that English sailors. SO bold in
fight, should be so superstitiousr'
THE Yacht Idris. Gibraltar
9TH July 1876.
"Marville is a wretched companion.
Twelve months of freedom ought to have
made him as bright and gay as in the old
days instead of which he is the same mel
iancholy being who left me at Pajares, with
only one topic of conversation-his unjust
conviction.
You ask me whether I shall ever tell him
that 1t was I who slew Duchesne? You
might as we'll ask me whether I want INV
throat cut at once? That little affair at
Nantes was the beginning of a train of
circumstances that ended in the death of
his wife. He would hold me primarily re.
sponsible for this last unlucky accident.
Tel him the true story! 1 would as soon
tell the minister of justice, who would al
least see that l had fair trial. whereas
,Marville. in his present state of gloom. ia
incapable of listening to reason Yester-
day. while toying with his knife at dinner,
he muttered. L would that the assassi of
Duchesne were before me now!' You can
guess how l felt at those words 1 am in
a trying situation. Every day I have to
listen to new theory accounting for the
cause of the murder. with remarks as to
how an intelligent detective ought to set
TO work. 1t Is not enough for me to smoke
DIN silence; he wants to hear theories from
me on the matter. and becomes angry be-
cause l have none to give. l wish to God
die would talk or something else besides the
one everlasting theme! 1 feel that l shall
be betraying myself some day.
You remember the silver altar ring en-
graved with runic letters. the ring that he
Entrusted to my secret keeping on the
morning of his arrest? After his trial I
handed the relic to his wife, but scarcely
Knowing why. l made a copy of the runic
inscription. This copy happened to be
among my papers on board the Nemesis.
and, believe me, when leaving the sinking
yacht, Marville betrayed more concern over
this wretched piece of writing than over
anything else on board.
1T seems that he has been studying my
transcript during the past year, trying to
extract some meaning from it; and though
failing hitherto. he still perseveres.
He talks oddly at times and 1 am be-
ginning to believe that his mind is I'M
hinged. He declared today that he Is the
rightful heir to a peerage and could take
his rank tomorrow il he chose. or course
believe thisn'
The Yacht Idris, Penzance,
18th July. 1875.
''If you perceive difference in my pea-
manship ascribe it to my trembling hand
L am in state of nervous fear. The
strangest, the most inexplicable. the weird
est event of my life happened yesterday 1
was cleansing my hands in a bowl Of
water. Marville was standing beside me-
Suddenly he observed in a very strange
Tone DO your hands always redden the
water like that?'