The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1904-11-17
||FS Bound by a Spell sri


doing, with her face half towards me,
was an elderly woman, a stranger to
me.
Having finished my survey. crawled
back to my pillow and lay still for
time, feeling very much exhausted with
my slight exertion. Presently the wom-
an woke up, came to the side of the bed,
drew the curtains, and looked at me.
You are letter." she said, kindly.
81 am so glad. You have had long,
weary time of it, but the doctor said
there would be a change one way or the
other tonight You're with friends, who
have taken every care of you"
Tell me, is Clara found?' 1 asked,
eagerly.
'Oh, yes, she's all right, and will come
and see you as soon as you grow strong
er; but you mustn't talk, or you'll have
a relapse"
If / had asked for the Emperor OF
Russia, l believe she would have told
me that he was coming to see me as
soon as was better. Her answers were
By no means satisfactory, but l could
perceive that it was useless to try to
extract others from her.
Several days passed, and l saw no
person except the nurse and the doctor.
put some questions to the latter, but
he answered crabbedly, that if | wished
to get well. 1 must keep my mind calm.
ind not ask questions.
To keep my mind calm with such
memories as were haunting me was inn
possible, yet, in spite of my anxieties,
l grew stronger and better day by day.
But the anguish Of my mind waxed
strength with my body.
Nurse" l said one day, determined
ly. II must know where l am, under
whose care. and / must have certain
questions of vital Importance to me SOW
ell. l know you are concealing these
things from me for a good motive, but
it is a mistaken one. Instead of calm
ing this incertitudc is torturing me, re-
tarding my recovery. For heavens sake.
tell me where am, whose house this is.
aud what people l am withT'
well, SIR" she answered, II am only
obeying my instructions: il l was to go
fion, them, l should offend my employ
ers and the doctor, too. and l can't af-
ford to do that. / will ask leave to tell
you what | know, which l can assure
you is very little. But if you make haste
and get strong, and get about, you will
be able to find out everything for your
self"
That day l got out of bed for the
first time. and sat at the window. 1t
looked into an extensive garden, encom-
passed, as far as l could see. by high
wall. lined within by rows of tall poplar
trees. My room was upon the ground
floor, and this wall and the trees bound
ed my. vision. could see naught beyond
them.
One afternoon had fallen asleep over
the fire. suddenly | awoke with je1k:
the rays of a red. autumn sun were
streaming across me. and falling full
upon the face Of Judith. who was lean
ing against the fireplace, looking at me.
At first, thought it was specter of
my sleep. l could not believe my eyes:
tut | was not long left in doubt as to
the reality of the vision. An ironical
smile curled her lips at the sight of my
dismay.
"a visit from your wife is evidently an
unexpected pleasure" she said, hooking
ly.
l could not answer her; ] could only
bury my face in nay hands and shudder
at her appearance.
lis this my reward for all the tender
care that has been given you during
your illness?-for bringing you away
from those wretched lodgings, where
you might have died? Our married life
seems likely to be a bright one"
Would to heaven you had left me to
diew l cried. you are no wife Of
mine.''
You will find it rather difficult to
prove that, or to shake me off,"
What pleasure can it be to you to
torture me in this mannerw l cried.
why not leave me to myselfY
Because 1 hate you, and because
have motives of my own. 1t gives me
pleasure to torture you. No living being
has ever made me feel so deeply the deg
radiation Of my life as you have; you, a
miserable, spiritless outcast. you, whom,
as a brat. l have beaten with a rod,
and always despised; you shudder at
my approach, and turn your eyes from
me with loathing; and you ask me what
pleasure it can be to me to torture you!
From the hour Of my birth. my life has
been one torture. I have ever been the
victim. At last, the tables are turned
you are my victim; and as others have
dealt by me, so will deal by you! No
mercy was ever shown to me; why, then,
should 1 show it to others"
She was still standing against the fire.
place. I dared not look at her, hrt I
could feel the tigerish ferocity of her
eyes.
But / did not come here to rave.
First, / came, like a dutiful wife, to
congratulate my husband on his conva-
lescence," she went on, resuming the old
irony of voice; land to comfort him
with the knowledge that he Is in affec-
tomato hands; and, in the second place,
to arrange certain matters of business
with him, which, If he will oblige me
with a few moments attention, l will
explain In the course Of tomorrow a
Woman will come herein short, the
v-s man who committed you to my faith
ers charge. require that you shall
unliesitati ngly acknowledge me az ycur
wife in her presence"
"Neverw l exclaimed, firmly. You
may kill me. but l will never utter such
wordsr'
II have the means of forcing you to
speak them, or any other words that
may choose to dictate to you"
At that moment the door was thrown
OPEN turned my head and saw Mr..
Rodwell standing upon the threshold.
CHAPTER XIV.
was sitting in large easy chair,
with my back towards the door. and he
did not see me for a time, although, by
a sidelong glance, could distinctly see
him. He started at the sight of Judith,