Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-21
SUNDAY MAGAZINE for JANUARY FL. 1906

Nay father, I pray you to stay here for the
nonce," said Nigel. And you, Mary, do you bide
with the good priest, for know not what may be
within
Again he turned to the door, and again the two
men barred his passage.
Stand back, l say, back for your 1ves" said
Nigel by Saint PAUL 1 should think it shame
to soil my sword with such you, but my soul is
set, and no shall bar my path this night"
The shrank from the deadly menace of that
gentle voice.
Hold" said one of them, peering through the
darkness, is it not Squire Loring of Tilford?"
That is indeed my name"
Had you spoken it for would not have
stopped your way. Put down your staff, Wat
for this is no stranger but the Squire of Tlford'
As well for him. grurnbled the other lowering
his cudgel with an inward prayer of thanksgiving
" Had it been otherwise l should have had blood
upon my soul tonight But master said moth
ing of neighbors when he ordered hold the door
| will enter and ask him what is his will
But already Nigel was past them and had pushed
open the outer door. Swift as he was, the Lady
Mary at his very heels and the two passed to-
gether into the hall beyond
1t a great room, draped and Curtained with
black shadows with vivid circle of light in the
center, where two oil lamps shone upon a small
table. meal was laid upon the table, but only
two were seated at it, and there were no servants
in the room. At the near end Edith, her
golden hair loose and streaming down the
scarlet and black of her riding dress.
At the farther end the light beat strongly upon
the harsh face and the high-drawn misshapen
shoulders of the lord of the house A tangle of
black hair surmounted a high rounded forehead,
the forehead of a thinker, with two deep-set cold
gray eyes twinkling sharply from under tufted
brows. His curved and sharp like the
beak of cruel bird but below the whole of his
clean-shaven powerful face married by the loose
slabbng mouth and the round folds of the heavy
chin. His knife in one hand and half-gnawed
bone in the other he looked fercely up, like some
beast disturbed in his den, as the two intruders
broke in upon his hall. ~
Nigel stopped midway between the door and the
table His eyes and those of Paul de la Fosse
eted upon each other. But Mary, with her wornan's
soul flooded with love and pity, had rushed for
ward and cast her arms round her younger sister
Edith had sprung from her chair and with averted
face tried to push the other away from her.
Edith, Edith! By the Virgin, l mplore you
to come back with us, and to leave this wicked
mani cried Mary. % Dear sister, you would not
break fathers heart, bring his gray head
in dishonor to the gravel Come back! Edith come
back and all is WE'LL
But Edith pushed her away, and her fair cheeks
were flushed with her anger. What right have you
me, Mary you who but two years older,
that you should follow the countryside
though | were runagate villein and you my
mistress2 Do you yourself go back and leave me
to do that which seems best in my eyes
But Mary still held her in her arms and still
strove to soften the hard and angry heart. Our
mother is dead, Edith. l thank God that she died
ere she saw you under this roof! But l stand for
her, as l have done all my life since l am indeed
your elder. 1t is with her voice that beg and pray
you that you will not trust this man further, and
that you will come back ere it be too latel"
Edith writhed from her grasp, and stood flushed
and defiant, with cleaning, angry eyes fixed upon