The Washington herald., 1908-01-12

TUARY 12, 1908.
or less in difficulty OF course. It is
money-hateful, horrible. horrible money"
She got up and moved away from him.
still drying her eyes.
'T dare say lots OF people have told
you all there is to know about me, and
so you may have heard that the only
money / have In the world TO live upon
has come to me from my husbands peO-
pie Wei! then you viii understand
little bit why I am so upset to-day,
when I tell you that Col Lanclng. that
is, the chiidren's grandfather, is so an
CRY with me that he has stopped my
money, and-and--" she broke of here
and put her hands against her trembling
lips. "Ife thinks to force my hand, you
see" she said, hoaTseiy; "he knows
have nothing, that there IS no one TO
give me anything but himself; he knows
that II / am content 70 starve myself l
cannot let the children st8rve, and that
is why he says the children are TO be-
long to him. Oh.' she turned again,
flinging out her hands with a little ges-
ture of despair, Il am not going 10 try
to defend myself What a multitude Of
wrong things / have done. / have been
preparing myself for some sort OF pun
ishment-people who do wrong always do
get punished, don't they? But ! never,
never thought Of this. OF course. he can
not take them from me by law. i am
their mother. they are mine-mine. But
il he cuts off the money. that gives him
law"
She sat down on q couch on the other
side OF the room and dabbed her eyes
with her wet handkerchief. and Rupert
Haverford looked across at her with eyes
that were wet. too.
The silence that was so natural 10 him,
and so irritating to Camilla. became op-
pressive now. She got up with jerk.
you would make me tell you what the
matter was with me, and now ] have
bored YOU" she said. Other peoples
troubles are bores say what one will''
And then he found his voice.
"Oh. don't let us play with realities,
he said. Il could not speak at first be-
cause-WeIl, because I am not good at
words You must have realized that by
this time; and you must have realized
something else. Camilla. and that Is that
everything that concerns you is dear 10
me. so dear that | tremble AT the thought
AlkaL / dlt sum UuAElAE fEAA llLt AAF
left the fire and went nearer to her. i
came here to-day" he said. because I
found that / could not go through an
other twenty-four hours without seeing
YOU. You mean so much 10 me. I had
no idea whether YOU would care for me
to come; indeed. the last time I saw you
! tormented myself by imagining that you
found me tedious and dull; that you
wanted 20 have no more 10 do with me.
Still / had 10 come
Camilla gave a sharp sigh and turned
round; her face was blurred with tears,
she hardly looked young or pretty at this
moment
Il know what you are going TO say,
she said. 4 knew what you are going
10 ask me. but ] am afraid 10 listen.
"Afraids" his brows met afraid OF
what?"
"Oh. you don't know me-" said Camilla,
with "a broken sound In her voice, you
think me pretty, you like me. Perhaps
fascinate you but you don't know me. 1
Il am not going 10 refuse to be your
wife" she said-she spoke with her teeth
half clOsed-'but / don't want any false
pretenses, / don't want you 10 imagine
things about me that do not exist ] am
full OF faults, I am not a bit good. You
don't knOw'-she opened her eyes for a
minute and looked at him-'yOu don't
know how ungood I am. and yOu-you
are 50 good You VIII want TO make me
like yourself.
God forbid" said Rupert HaverfoTd
He was so near 70 her now that he al
most touched her. she was trembling
with excitement.
"Oh, / don't mean that you would do
II unkindly. only that you look at things
differently I am so afraid you VIII be
disappointed in me. but the tears
were running down her cheeks, Il know
one thing about you I know that you
are true, and that IL you give your word
Il will be your bond" Her lips Quivered.
The children" she said. bTOkenly, and
then she was lying with her face pressed
down on his breast. and his arms were
folded about her.
What he said she hardly heard; she
was only conscious in that moment Of a
great. a wonderful relief. II was as
though some gnawlng pain that had
fretted into her very soul had been
lulled: that "a beautiful rest had followed
on the pain.
She closed her eyes. and she nestled
nearer to him. Then, little by little, she
came back TO the reality, and her hear,
ieaped in her throat: she tried 20 free her
self but those strong arms held heI
tightly. Some one was kissing her brow
and close beside her she could feel ths
quick beating of a strong heart.
Once she had said 10 herself. He viii
! love me too much.
And now she had accepted this love
she had bartered her freedom for it.
It was so characteristic Of her that ever
/ in this moment the thought Of a bondage
burned her. And yet It had come about
so naturally.
I did not seek him." she said TO her
self, he came, he would have come
/ little later, but he came now-just wher
/ / needed some One-s0mething-"
/ How her heart beat! How strong hi
was. When he kissed her brow and hail
and eyes she could feel his lips QuiveT
/ He would love her too much. He die
not ask her to kiss him in return. Ht
/ was so gOod-sO generous. He had giveT
/ her back her children. For that she coult
| have knelt at his feet. But she almost
prayed that he would not ask for hel
/ kisSeS-nOt yet-nOt Yet
TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW.