The Washington herald., 1906-11-12

even yet she had hot properly escaped.
With gasping cry full OF horror, for
panic had seized her. she ran like one
pursued, springing recklessly down steps
and over crags. until the sudden dark
ness warned her that she must pause
for safety. Trembling in every limb, she
lighted her candle, then hurried on again,
and soon had gained the boatshed.
Even that old haunt OF her working
hours brought her no sense Of security,
for the explosion had smashed the cleo
trio lamps one and all, and BY the dim
light Of the candle its ruin appeared TO
resemble Ia some way the broken body Of
her father. With "a deep sob Of relief
she passed out into the night, whose
mourning dome OF black. leaden- -colored
clouds. in spite OF their sad ColoTing. had
never seemed SO friendly. and at that
moment Desire sOrely needed friends
She was about 70 return 10 the castle.
when another fear beset her. She saw in
Silhouette against the sky q band OF
silent. black-robed figures stealing down
the steps. her grandfather's paianduin in
the van. Sinking behind a rock. she
watched their subsequent proceedings.
the murder Of her fathers boats crew.
the launching Of the torpedoes. the de-
strucuon OF the Turkish yacht. She saw
her mother pass like a phantom upward
10 the castle, she marked the count and
his black servants emerge from their
hiding after the explosion, she heard her
grandfather's wild laugh Of triumph and
the orders that he gave for the disposal
OF the wrcckage. as soon as daylight
came; she watched him depart, carried
upward in his paianquin by the two
dumb slaves, accompanied by the other
servants
Left lonely then. Desire thought Of
what the counts rage would be when he
knew that his precious boat had been
destroyed, the boat which he had helped
TO construct by long hours Of painful
toll, the boat that constituted his one
ardent hobby, the only pleasure Of his
existence which was not evil. She asked
herself the question. and its answer was
in her heart She knew that he would
Kill her as remorselessly a s he would an
offending slave; more still she feared
that he would torture her before she
died, in order to wreak on her a vengeance
fit and proper in his estimation for her
crime.
1t was then that her eyes rested on the
yachts skiff, which still idly foated beside
the beach, its resting place marked by the
bodies OF the four slain sailors
The counts servants had vanished with
the count, fOrgetfUl in their excitement Of
the boat Desire, still possessed by the
panic which had seized her in the cavern,
ran like a sprite across the sands. and
leaping into the little craft, pushed from
the shore, only half conscious of her ulti-
mate intention. but wildly anxious to fly
the dreadful place where she had wit
messed so many horrors and where death
seemed to wait for her.
No one saw her flight. no one interrupt
cd her She reached the mouth of the
harbor, working at the SOULS like one
pursued by furies. She gave no thought
to wind or tide. and although a stiff
breeze had sprung up and she was soon
drenched with spray. II did not serve to
arouse her from her abandon of terror.
On rounding the nearest headland, she
steered straight out to sea, but just then
a strange thing happened She had not
watched her course, thinking only of pos
sible pursuit. and so gazing always with
strained eyes at the fast receding coast
line of the bay.
Suddenly she heard a mans voice
sharply hailing her: STEADY there, my
hearty Drop your oars. and hands up,
or you are a dead man.
In very CONSERVATION she obeyed. The
darkness was profound, but at the dis
tance Of twelve feet she dimly discerned
the outline Of a large. duck-shaped launch,
whose sides were studded with the figures
OF men. Next moment her own boat
crashed into the stranger, and the shock
hurled her into the thwarts. Though half
stunned, she felt herself seized by rough
hands and lifted bodily on board the
launch, then a voice said sternly: What
was the meaning Of the tbunderous ex-
plosion that we heard a while ago?'
Desire listened dreamily, only half
comprehending the question, for the voice
appeared marvelously familiar to her
ears, and she was wondering where 1t
was she could have heard it before.
But her silence exasperated the ques-
tioner. rs the fellow dumb?" ne de-
manded, and shook her roughly by the
shoulder.
Lord Francis." she gasped.
What" almost shouted the man. |
Who, then, are you?"
"Desirew
MY God can it be-" He pressed his |
face close to hers and passed an arm
around her. 1T isl'' he cried, excitedly. |
What Of Miss Elliott. Is she weIl2"