Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-25
XVI.
The Castle of Romance.

IJopr sjent the forest was! The brook no
longer murmured the rustic of the leaves
was without sound. A spar of sunshine, FL
terIng through the ragged limbs OF the
trees fell aslant her, aud she stood in an
aureola AS for my hero, species of par
alysis had stricken him motionless and
dumb II was 81 so unexpected. all so sud
den. that he had the sensation of being
whir,ed away from reality and bundled I'M
tremendously into the unreal Sne
knew md had known! leaf brushed his
face. 1t; lie was senseless to the touch OF
it. All he lad the power TO DO was to stare
at her Sic knew, and had known!
Dick stepped into the brook and began to
paw tie water. and the intermiss.on OF
speech and acton came TO an end. -.
"Nou-and you knew What strange
sound lis voice had IN his own ears
Yes. From tie very beginning l kne"
you to lie gentleman in masquerade; that
is to say. when | saw you IN the po-loe
court. The absence of the heaFu coiiusSu
me at first Lut presently ! recognized the
gentleman whom / had noticed on Ioafu
the shin
So she had noticed him.
THAT night you leLeved me to ne your
sister Nancy Eut / did not know this TIL
lately And the night l visited her ste eX-
hibited some photographs Among these
was a portrait of you without beard.
Warburton started. And tie thought that
this might he the case had never trickled
through his thick skull! How she must
have laughed at him secretly.
She continued: Even then l was not
sure. Tut when Colonel Raleigh declared
that you resembled a former lieutenant of
his, then | knew" Sire ceased. She turned
to her horse as if 10 gather the courage to
go on, hut Jane had her nose hidden in the
stream and was obliv.ous of her mistress
need.
He waited duly for her to resume. for
he supposed that she had not yet done.
II have Inundated you in hundred ways,
and for this | want you to forgive me. L
sent the butler away for the very purpose
of making you serve in his stead. But you
were so good about it all, with never a
murmur of rebellion, that ] grew ashamed
of my part in the comedy. But now" Her
eyes closed and her body Swayed; but she
clenched her hands, and the faintness pass
ed away. But for you. my poor father
would have been dishonored, and l should
have been forced into the arms of man
whom | dcspisc. Whenever | have humil-
ated you, you have returned the gift of
kind deed You will forgive me?'
Forgive you? There is nothing for me
to forgive on my side. much on yours. 1t
is you who should forgive me. What you
have done l have deserved" His tongue
was thick and dry. How much did she
know?
NO. not wholly deserved it" She FUN
bled with the buttons of her waist; her
eyes were so fun that she could not see.
She produced oblOug slip of paper
When lie saw it. a breath of ice envel-
oped him The thing she held out toward
him was the Cancelled note. For while he
did me the honor TO believe that l had be-
trayed him.
Il understand the kind and generous i'm
pulse which pro@Dted this deed Oh. l adj
mire it, and | say 10 you, God bless you!
But don't you see how impossible it is? 1t
cannot be; no. no! My father and | are
proud. What We. owe we shall pay. Pow
erty, to be accepted without plant, must be
without debts of gratitude. But it was
noble and great of you; and l knew that
you intended TO run away without ever
letting any one know"
Who told you?''
mo one / guessed tt
And he might have denied all knowledge
of it,
Won't you-wont you let it be as it is?
] have never done anything worth while
before, and this has made me happy. Won't
you let me do this? Only you need know.
1 am going away on Monday, and It will