Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-07

j urassured He was essentially roluI-
tuarN. a marriage with stephen would
worlds goods and pleasures. and the
benefit of such a marriage was. h" felt,
slipping away from him He was alto
gTther cold at heart. and We highly
strung With apprehension. as he vas
shown into the blue drawing room, and
left TO wait the coming Of Mss Norman.
for whom he had asked.
stephen came in alone. closing the door
+ behind her. She shook hands with him.
and sat down by a writing tabl, near the
window. pointing to n IN To sit an
otoman a LITTLE distance away. The mo-
m3nt he sat down ne realiZ ii thai he was
N a strategic dsadrant age: he was not
close To her. and he could not get closer
Wltheut manfestinG his intention Of so
doing. He must either pull over the
heavy ottoman. or r:sa up and get chair.
He wanted to he closer. both for the pur-
pose OF his suit and for his own pie 1sure:
the proximity cf Stephen began to multi
ply his love for her. He thought that to-
! day she looked better than ever. OF q
warm. radiant beauty. which touched his
senses with unattainable desire. She
could not but notice the passion In his
eyes. and instinctively her eyes wandered
to A silver gong placed on the table well
within reach of her hand. The more he
glowed, the more icily calm she sat. till
the silence between them began to grow
oppressive. She a'ted. Diet ermined that
he should be the first to speak. He had
sought her, rad forced her into the posi-
ton OF receiving him. Now she would
not help him by hairs breadth Recog-
! rizing in the course of time the helpless
ness of his silence. he began to speak.
husky. does one whose nervous weak
ness takes him in the threat:
Il came here today in the hope that you
would listen to me-" Her answer given
with a conventional smile, was not help.
full:
II am listening
Il cannot tell you how sorry | am that
did not accept your offer. II had
Known when I was coming that day that
you loved me - She INTERRUPTED
hand.
II never said so. did l? Surely / could
not have said such thing. ! certainly
don't remember ii. Leonard WIS puz-
zled. He had been under the impression
that she had pressed him 10 marry her.
and that she had given 1t as the reason
of her importantly that she loved II m.
Altogether IL had a just enough surnis'.
and though his m Emory could net recall
the words used. he was fairly sure OF Ia
effect of them. Therefore he was ag-
erieved at what he felt to be her in.
Justice
You certainly made me think so. You
asked me to marry you, didn't you?"
Her answer came calmly, though in low
voice:
Il did"
Then IL you didn't love me. why did
you ask me To marry you?" 1t was his
nature to be mere or loss satisfied wien
he had put any enc oppc sed to him pro-
pGrtionaily In the wrong. and now his ex-
ulta:ion at having put poser mani
tested itself In his tone. This. however.
braced mp Stephen TO cope with a dim
cult and painful situation. 1t was with
a calm. seemingly genial frankness that
she answered smilingly:
do you know that is what has been
puzzlng me from that moment to this"
Her words appeared to almost stupefy
Leonard. This view of the matter had
not occurred to him. and now the puzzle
of it made him angry.
DO you mean TO say" he asked. hotly
that you asked man to marry you
when you didn't even love him.?
That is exactly what / do mean. Why
did it is. l assure you. a much q puzzle
to me as ii is to you. l have come to tht
conclusion that il must have been from
my vanity. I suppose wanted to doni-
nate somebody. and you were the weakest
wi; hin range
Thank you He was genuinely angry
by this time. and. but for a wholesome
fear of the consequences. would have
used stronger language. The more angry
he grew the NOR readily self-possesed
became Stephen. She felt safe now. He
had actually entered on the subject which
had caused her such bitter shame, and
TO her surprise the effect did not justify
the apprehension. She had spoken. and
IN speaking lad freed her soul. In this
new-found sense Of liberty. which was by
contrast with the past in itself happi-
ness. she felt strong enough to make
Leonards fall as light as she could.
QUEEN deus vut perdare prius demen. at.
At that moment. in his selfish anger and
wounded vanity. Leonard said something
which turned her pity to gall:
Il don't see that l was the weakest
about. Somehow this sc. her on her
l.
asked:
who elsa?'' Il
Harold An Wolf. You had him on a
string alre ady.''
The name came IKE sword through
her heart. but the bitter comment braceu
her to further caution. Her own voice
seemed to hsr to sound as though tar
away:
Indeed. And may ask you how you
came to know that?" Her voice seemed
so cold and sneering to him that ne lost
his temper still further.
Simply because he told me so him
self 1t pleased him TO do i'll turn TO
Harold. He did not forget that savage
clutch at his throat. and he never would.
Stephens senses were all alert. She saw
an opportunity of learning something
ard went on in the same cold voice:
And ! suppose it was that pleasing
confidence which was the cause OF your
refusal of my offer of marriage: of which
and SO courteously reminded me- This.
somehow. seemed of good import to
Leonard. If he could show her that his
intention to marry her was antecedent to
Harolds confidence. she might still 60
back to her old affection for him. He
could not believe that II did not still
exist. his experience of other women
showed him that their love outl.ved their
anger. whether the same had been hot
or cold
1T had nothing in the world to do with
it, He never said a word about IL till
when he threatened TO kill me--the great
brute This was learning something, in
deed. She went on. in the same voice:
And may l ask you what was the
cause of such sangunary intention?"
Because he knew that l was going to
marry you. AS he spoke he felt that he
had betrayed himself he went on hastily.
hoping that it might escape notice:
Because he knew that loved you. oh!
Stephen. don't you know il now, Can't
you see that l love you. and that | want
you for m. wife" The expr .ssfon OF his
own Ing seemed 10 add fuel to the
fame of his passion. But while he lad
been speaking Stephen was putting two
some result. She had wondered long how
Harold had got possession OF her letter.
But did he thr eaten to kill you out OF
mera JEALOUSY? Do you still go in fear
of your life? Leonard was chsgrined a;
her ignoring of his love suit and in his
self-engrossment he answered. sulkly:
I'm not afraid of him. And besides I
believe he has bolted. called at his
house Yesterday. and his servant SAID
She said in as steady voice as she could
NJ