The Ordway new era., 1910-04-29


"Hush!" she pleaded. II only want
to be sure of one thing. Do you
love me?"
Tempest kissed her II don't think
that's the word"
"Ah!" she said. softly. Its good
one. and enough to keep me with"
She drew the hand she held against
her heart.
You don't realize. my darling" he
said. that am going blind. ! shall
be as blind as Sleep"
With great sweetness she asked:
Would you think 1t a lovely dream
to find me always in that sleep?"
He answered her without words
touched by the delicacy OF her
thought.
Against the arm she leaned were
the marks of the temptation to which
he had yielded In moments OF supreme
suffering. Should he tell her? The
habit begun before she came to him.
had been ever since her advent en-.
tirely under control. 1t could never
tempt him now again. Why should
he tell her. and cause her added
let her 60? She must share his lot.
1t was her fate.
But he said:
You will save me. Lucy?"
Il will love you. Basil"
"You will save me So
As he held her. so tenacious Is the
woman OF her points that. as Lady
Ormond's brilliant figure flashed
across Lucy Carews mind she whis-
pered her name.
And ! shall fear every woman
now"
Tempest laughed.
You needn't: think l have loved
you all my life-you in other women
and now all women in you"
This sweet. dear room. Basil!"
"Ah. you like it? ! couldn't think
of anything else to do In those hor.
rible days when you kept me wait
ing, so | transformed 1t. I have
dreamed OF seeing you here-my love
my wife-:in dozen different pic.
lures. but never of finding you like
this"
She told him how she had come
and of her meeting with Lady Or
mond. Il was jealous Of her-even
that night here"
Il knew it," he laughed.
oh" she exclaimed. chagrined.
''how did you?"
Il hoped 1t. at all events. and that's
why ! burned her picture before you
so that she. at least. shouldn't be
between us"
"You-cared-then- me?"
Then? cared the night you came
In your little. wet shoes. could
have kept you then. with no further
words. no parting. and never let you
go. love like that" he said.
She drew little from him. "How
we'll you know how you love. Basil!"
He held her by force. drawing her
until her lips were on his. +I
YES" he murmured. "how we'll I
know"
It was past the luncheon hour when
Mrs. Henly. who had wandered tho
house over for her master. gently
opened the morning-room door. At
first she distinguished nothing in the
somber room where across the win
dow the mists blew a gray curtain.
Then she saw Tempest standing
with a slender. dark lady by his side.
They were talking earnestly and did
not hear her come in. She waited q
minute in the shadow. her loving eyes
on his transfgured face. The dear
old room had taken its aforetime form
once more.
Give me back my blue chintz walls
and my old-fashioned furniture" she
had said to Miss Carew. and back
again they were. as though the fairy
wand the girl had brought had re-
called them. Tempest. thus surround
ed. seemed to have found his youth
again. His face. as she could see 1t
bending to the woman's before him.
was radiant. He was smiling. and in
the picture he made to the eyes Of
the old creature who had mothered
him, she forgot the blight. and NAL
ady, and only saw the wonder OF the
love that should be eyes and light for
Basil Tempest. and holding him di.
vinely by the hand should lead him
softly all his days.
THE END.