Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-20
BY IAN MACLAREN,


hill on the scaffold.'
For my sake?" said Jean. looking at
him in Amusement What have l to do
with him more than other women"
If / have touched upon a secret thing
which ought not to be spoken Of, l ask
your pardon upon my Bonded knees. But
l was told, it seemed to me from sure
quarter, that there was some love passage
between you and Henry Pollock, and that
indeed you were betrothed for marriage
AS Claverhouse spoke the red blood flowed
over jeans face and ebbed as quickly. She
looked at Claverhouse steadily, and an
swered him in a quiet and intense voice,
which quivered with emotion.
'Ie were told wrong. tnen, Claverhouse,
for l have never been betrOthed to any
man, AID / shall never be the wife of
Henry Pollock | am not worthy, for he
is saint. and God knows 1 am not that,
nor ever likely to be, but only woman.
But l tell you. face to face. that l re-
spect him, suffering for his religion more
than those who pursue him unto his death.
And when he dies, for his testimony, he
will have greater honor than those who
have murdered him. But they did me too
much grace who betrothed me to Henry
Pollock: If l am ever married it will be to
more ordinary flesh and blood, and l doubt
me'-herc her mood changed, and the ten
sion relaxing, she smiled Claverhouse-
whether it Will be to any covenanter.'
Lady jean" said Claverhouse, with
new light breaking on him, for he began
to suspect another cause of her anger, lit
is this fair seat. and with your leave, may
sit beside you? Can you give me few
minutes of your time before We part-1 to
go my way and you yours / hope
mine will not bring me again to Paisley
Castle where l am, as the hilmen would
say, "a stumbling block and an offense.'"
Jean, glancing quickly at him. saw that
Claverhouse was not knocking, but speaking
with note of sad sincerity.
when you said brief While ago that
mine was work without glory. ye said truly.
But consider that in this confused and dark
world in which We grope our way like shep-
herds in a mist. have to do what lies to
our hand. and ask no questions-and the
WEAKNESS of it is that in the darkness We
strike ane another. We know not which be
right and shall net know till the day
breaks we maun just do our duty. and
nine. by every drop of my blood, is to the
king and the kings side. But mind ye.
Lady Jean. it will not be always through
TIE moss-hags chasing shepherds, plow-
men and Sickle: by and by it will be on
the battlefield, when this great quarrel is
settled in Scotland. May the day not be
far off. and may the RIGHT side win.
As Claverhouse spoke he leaned back In
the corner of the seat and looked into the
far distance while his face lost it's chang
ing expressions of cyncism, severity. gra-
cious courtesy and keen scrutiny, and
showed nobility witch Jean had nerei
seen before. She noticed how 1t invested
his somewhat effemnate beauty with man
illness and dignity.
That is trUe'-and Jeans voice grew
gentler--'nane kens that better than my
self, for name has been more tossed in mind
than l have been. Ilka man, ana also
woman, must walk the road as they see it
before tlom. and do their part till the
end comes; but the roads cross terribly on
the muirs in the west country. If L was
uncivil minute syne I crave your par
don, for that was not my mind. But If
rumCr be true 1t matters not to you what
any man says. far less my Lady Cochrane's
daughter, for ye were made to gang yir
ain gait
we are wrong there, Lady Jean far
wrong" Claverhouse suddenly turned
round and looked at her with a new coun-
teaance. Il will not deny that l am made
to be careless about the strife OF tongues,
and TO give little heed whether the world
condemns or approves If l do my devoir
rightly to my lord the king. But it would
touch me to the heart what you thought
of me. They say that woman knows If
q man loves her. even though his love be
sudden and unlikely, and If that he so,
then surely you have seen, as we walked III
this plea Saunce those fair evenings, that
you in the hall that day. Confess it, JEAN
IL that be not so. l, with what l heard of
Pollock. was bound in honor to be silent
Was Pollock the only bond of honOr?'
and Jean blazed him with sudden fury
rs there no other tie that should keep you
from speaking of love to me and offering
me insult in my fathers house? Is this
the chivalry of a royalist, and am l. Jean
Cochrane, to be treated like light lady Of
the court. some poor lass of the coun-
trySide We can play with a your leisure?
Pleased by your notice and then flung aside
Ike a flower We wore till it withered.'
Before God, what do ye mean by those
words?" They were both standing now,
and Graham's face was white as death. rs
the love of John Graham of Claverhouse a
dishonor?"
1T is. and so is the love of any man if
he be pledged to another woman. Though
we go not to court, think you | have not
on w l,ay1 ha h3ir nf
teith, and your counting of her-where, the
story goes. we have been more successful
than catching ministers of the kirk? Ye
would play with me. l thank God my
swordsman."
IF 1t were as you believe, my lady, and
l had spoken of love to you when l was
betrothed to another woman, then ye did
we'll and worthy of your blood to be angry.
and my Lord Cochrane's sword, if 1t had
found its way to my heart, had rid the
world of a rascal. Rumor is often wrong,
and 1t has told you false this time. deny
not. since | am on my confession, that l
desired to wed Helen Graham, and l will
also say freely, though it also be to my
shame that | desired to win her, not only
because she was a Graham and gracious
maiden, but because l should obtain rank
and power, for l have ever hungered for
both, that with them / might serve my
cause. My suit did not prosper, SO that we
were never betrothed, and now l hear she
is to be married to Capt. Rawdon, the
nephew Of my Lord Conway. / would
have married Helen Graham In her smock
If need be, though l say again l craved
that title, and ! would have been faith
full husband TO her. But | have never loved
her any other woman before. Love,
Jcan'-he went on, and they both uncon-
scously had seated themselves a little
apart-'is like the wind spoken of In the
Holy Gospel. II bloweth where it listeth,
and is not to be explained by reasons. an
my coming and going to court / have seen
many fair women and some of them have
smiled me and tried to take ME by the
lure OF their eyes but none has ever been
so bonnie to me you, Jean, and your
hair of FURNISHED gold. Doubtless l have
met hoier women than you, though my
, way has not lain much among the saints
but though one should show me a hundred
faults in you, ye to me today the best,
and declare II ye had sinned 1 would love
you for your sins only less than for your
| virtues. l love you q man should love
woman: altogether, your fair body from
| the crown of your head to the sole of your
| FOOT your hair, your eyes, your mouth,
! your hands, the way you hold your head
| the way you walk. your white teeth when
| you smile and the dimple on your check
Yourself too, the Jean within that body,
| with your courage, your pride, your scorn,
! your temper, your fierce desires, your fiery
/ To-