Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-16
All Rights Reserves.

NO, no. no. she whispered hoarselv.
somewhat wildly. as she took step Cor
ward. no. no. no-not yeti is not true
not yet
The thin crust o. ice which had enve-
oped her heart Was melting in ;he broad
garish light OF The actual awful fact. the
commencement OF WesseN's t:.al
She tottered and might have fallen.
but for the table close beside her. against
which size leant.
Her calm and composers were ry'ng
from her h:t by bit. She had - last
begun 10 UNDERESTIMATE realize Up to
now II had all been So shadowy. SO 80
mote. almost like a dream. She had lot
seen HesseX since that last happy mo-
ment when he had pressed her against
his heatt-since then she had only heard
rumors-wilu statements-she knew OF hls
Observation-Disclosures terrible crime which
had been commit;ed-but her heart had
been numb through the very appalling
nature Of the catastrophe following %
closely upon her budding hspptness-it
had all been intangible all this while
while now
the cardinal. and his voice seemed 10
come as II fin direct answer 10 hop
thoughts. In an hour at most judgment
VIII he pronounced against him. and then
sentence OF death"
She passed her hand across her moist
forehead. trying 70 collect her scattered
senses She looked once or twice at him
IN helpless. appealing misery but his faca
now was stern and implacable: he seemed
10 her 10 be the presentment of a relent-
less justice about to fail on an innocent
man. Her throat felt parched: her lips
were dry. yet she tried TO speak.
1T cannot be" she repeated mechanical
ly. 1T cannot be-no. no. my lord; vou
are powerful-you are great and clever
You Will ind a means TO save hTn-you
wiil-you will-you sent for me-Oh. was
II In order to torture me Ike this that
you sent for me?"
MY child
THAT woman" she continued wildly.
not needing him. that woman?-whers
is she? Find her, my lord-fnd her and
lei me speak 10 her. oh. III find tne
right words 10 melt her heart-she must
speak-she must tell the truth-she cannot
let him die-no. no-not like that"
Gone was all her pride. all her icy re-
serve. even jealousy had vanished before
and his death. She would have dragged
herself at the feet OF those Judges who
were about TO conuemn him: OF this man
who was taking cruel delight in tor
turing her: nay. she would have knelt
and kissed the hands OF that unknown
rival. for whose sake she had endured
the terrible mental tortures of the past
few days. il only she could wrench from
her the truth which would set him free
from all this disgrace.
THAT woman" she repeated with
agonfzing passion. that woman? Where
is she?
She stands now before me- said the
cardinal sternly. ''repentant. hope,
ready to speak the truth"
No! No! 1t is false. she protested
vehemently. false. i tell you-lt was not
Her voice broke in a pit;able. wistful
sob. which would have moved n heart less
stony than that which beat in the car
dinafs ambitious breast.
Oh have 1 no0endured enough" she
murmured half TO herself. half I'm ap-
for that woman who he loves as he never
hath loved me-whom he loves better than
his honor-for whose sake he will stand
there anon. branded with infamy''
Her knees gave way under her: she fell
half-prostrate on the floor at the very
feet Of her tormentor.
Find her. my lordr' she sobbed mas.
sionately. find her-you Canyon can"
But for her sole answer he once more
pushed the door ajar !
Another. voice came from the body oe
the hall now. that of Mr.. Barham. the
queens sergeant:
And having proved Robert d'Esclade,
Duke of Wessex. guilty Of this most
will presently ask you. my lord. to pass
sentence Of death upon him.
No. no. no. not death!' she moaned.
mot death. They are mad. my lord
are they not mad? He guilty Of murderi
Oh! will no one come forward to prove
him Innocent"
mo one can do that but you. ma
daughter" replied his eminence sternlys
as he once more closed the door.
But you do not understand. In Gods
name. what would you nave me do?
loved him. Il IS true. butt was another
woman-not /, Another woman. whose
honor is dearer to him than his own
for whose sake ne kilied-for whose sake
he is sflent-for whose sake he will die
but that woman was not mot IT,
Alas" he replied placidly. then In
deed nothing can save his grace from
the block
He sighed and returned TO his former
place beside the table. like a man who has
done all that duty demanded OF him. and
now Is weary and ready TO let destiny
take its course.
Ursula watched him DULY stupldly:
she could not read just then what went
on be.-.nd that mask of suave benevo-
lence. Could she have read the cardinals
innermost thoughts she would have seen
that complete satisfaction filled his amhi-
tious heart. He knew that he had sue
ceeded: it was but a question of time-a
few minutes. perhaps. but he had good
quarter of an hour to spare in which The
tortured soul before him would fight
its last fight with despair There was the
long arraignment to he read out by the
clerk OF the crown; then the names Of
I he triers 10 he called out in their order:
all that before the prisonY was actually
called 10 the bar. Oh yeS he had plenty
of time. now that he was sure OF vic
tory.
The girl wandered mechanically toward
the door. her trembling hand sought the
latch but was too weak to turn it, She
glued her ear to the lock anu perchanca
heard word or two, for even the car
dinal caught the sound of a loud voice
reading the deadly Indictment.
The prisoner hath confessed"
This most heinous crime.
For which sentence of DEATH
Return his precept and bring forth tho
prisoner"
Ursula Strengthened out her girlsh fig
ure: with a firm hand now she smoothed
her veil over her hair and rearranged
the disordered folds of her kerchief Shs
recrossed the room with an unfaltering
step and once more took seat on the
low stool opposite 10 his eminenCe the
She seemed TO have reassumed the same
icy calm which she had worn earlier In
the interview: she was quite pale again
and all traces Of tears had disappeared
from her eyes.
Quite instinctively. certainly against his
will the cardinal failed to return the
him. As she sat there close TO him her
great. lustrous eyes trying 10 search HIS
very soul. he knew that at last she had
guessed.
She knew that he was fully aware OF
the fact that she was not the woman for
whose sake the Duke of WesseX was
condemnation at this very
moment. All the meshes of the base in
trigue which had landed the man shs
loved IN a feon's dock escaped her ut
terly. but this she realized. that the