Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-29
CHAPTER XVII.
Looking Backwards.

familiar to You at all? 1t is not a common
name"
AS Lance spoke he saw a swift and
subtle change pass over the face of his
companion A flame of color stained either
cheek: then 1t gone, leaving her stu
more CHASTITY white than before.
Il have not told you quite the truth, the
woman said: but in twenty years one for
gets even the keenest of SORROWS. Now |
come to think of it. the name of Flavio re-
minds me of one of the most unhappy cx-
periences in my existence. There was a
certain Count Flavio, whose estates Joined
those of my father. For some generations
there had been a deep and bitter feud ex-
istinS between the F'lavios and the
Descartis. The head of the Fiavlos was
a very old man. who had two sons. Not to
make a long story of it. the young people
met and fell in love with each other, the
young people on one side being my sister
and myself. The intrigue was found out,
of course, and for the next ten years | was
practically a prisoner in my fathers house.
He had a gloomy old fortress somewhere
up country, and there l was detained l
might have been there still had my parents
lived"
And your sister," Lance asked. What
of her?'
Again the woman hesitated. Again the
look of pain and suffering swept like a
wave across her face.
They told me my sister dead" she
murmured. Il had to take their word for
it"
And you believed it? You believe 1t still?
l hope you will pardon me for my per
sistent questions, but it is quite necessary
that should put them Do you feel quite
convinced?"
Once more Mrs Delahay hes,tated. Once
more she seemed 10 shrink if in physical
pain.
How can 1 know? How can 1 tel?" she
asked. Did l not say that l had been a
prisoner all those years? This would ac-
count COR the fact that l know nothing
about that Flavio tragedy. Are you going
to tell me that it Is one and the same
family to whom my sister and myself were
attached?''
Indeed 1 do" Lance went on. Your
Count Flavio had two sons. When he died
his elder son came into the title and es-
tates. That was the man who was after
ward poisoned by his wife; at least, a
great many people think so. And his
wife's name Carlotta. Her surname
was Descarti. Ny dear Mrs. Delahay, it is
impossible to believe that this is conci
denca."
Il quite agree with you" Mrs. Delahay
said, in d low voice. They seem to have
deceived about my sister. and my
parents told me that she was dead. l sup
pose they meant that she was dead TO the
family. She must have made her escape
and married her lover after all. l was less
fortunate. But what you say absolutely over
!. whelms me. The man that my sister loved
a splendid specimen of humanity; he
kind hearted and generous in every
sense OF the word he was gentleman And
l can vouch for my sisters many good
qualities To say that she poisoned him is
absurd. Why, she simply worshiped him.
But tell me. what opinion did the world
form as to the merits of this extraordinary
case?"
II want to spare you as much pain as
possible Lance murmured. But your
sister was held up to eXecration a tiend
III human form. One servant after another
gave evidence to this effect. They seemed
to think that your sister was not alto
gether sane-but why should l torture you
with these details? What l really came
here to tell You is this. The Italian detec-
tive Bert, who had the case in hand, is in
England at the present moment, and he
has seen YOU. He declares that you are
Countess Flav!o. You can see how serious
ly this accusation may tell against you
later on
lance uttered the last two words reluc-
family enough, but Mrs. Delahay saw their
full. significance.
oh, know what you mean" she said.
You mean that l have placed myself In a
perlous position. But there is one thing
/ assure you'll am not the Countess
tlavio. If necessary when the time comes,
I can prove this in a manner which would
set even that Italian policeman's suspicion
at rest. 1t is very kind of you to take all
this trouble my behalf. l suppose you
want me to tell the whole truth, and say
why 1 denied being away from the hotel
the other night, when three people came
forward and show that my statement is
false. Well, it false. 1 don't mind
going as far as that But more l cannot
and will not say. except that 1 am III
IOcent woman who has been d prey to cruel
misfortune all her life"
There was determination rs well as sad
ness in the words. Lance could see that
he was merely wasting his tine.
Think it well over he said: give 1t
every consideration. will call and see
you again in the morning.
No reply came from Maria Delahay. She
merely held out her hand, and Lance took
his leave without another word. Then the
woman dropped into a chair and covered
her face with her hands.
Why did fate prosecute her in this way,
she asks herself. Why had her life been
such a misery for the past twenty years.
Surely all this was terrible price to pay
for a childish indiscretion. And yet though
the years had been long and burdensome,
it seemed but brief step BACK to the
happy, sunny days when she and her sister
had been children playing in the woods at
home and getting every drop of enjoyment
out of life. Then they had hardly compre-
hended the feud that existed between the
Descartis and the Flavios Indeed they
had looked upon 1t as rather a silly bust
ness altogether, and a distinct nuisance to
mutual friends and neighbors. They had
begun to notice, too that the sons of old
Flavlo were good to look upon, and finally
one day a slight adventure in the woods
had thrown the young people together.
The thing had begun in harmless fash
ion enough. They met again, and yet once
more. They fell in the way Of discussing
the family quarrel and making light of it.
From then the path was pleasant and
easy enough, and one day the two girls
awoke to the fact that they We're both
deeply in love with the sons of their hered-
itary enemy. 1t was at this point that
stern old Desc2rt discovered the great
secret.
What happened after that Maria Descarti
hardly knew. There was a terrible storm
of rage and passion, sleeplsss nights and
tear bedewed pillows, and then such lie
OF grayness and despair that the girls had
never dreamt of. When at length she ven
tured courage to ask after her sister, she
was told that the latter dead She
took this statement literally, and she re-
signed herself to the inevitable.
The prison doors were open at length but
only on the death of her parent, and there
she was at forty years of age, helpless and
friendless. with no knowledge of the world,
and nothing to aid her besides her brush
and pencil. The struggle indeed a
hard one, and it looked like ending at
length when she came in contact with
Louis Delahay. She had no strong passion
to give him, nothing but the tranquil affec-
ton Of approaching middle age.
She had been perfectly candid in the mat
ter, and pelahay knew exactly what lie
had to expect. Perhaps the prospect of
tranquil happiness was far better than the