The Washington times., 1910-12-15
CHAPTER XVI.
Though Your Sins Be as Scarlet -

7 y THE meantime LathTOp had found
Rita In state Of nervous excite
ment bordering on frenzy. II was
evident that she had passed a
sleepless night and that the dawn had
brought her no comfort
Morris NoTrisr' she cried when he
entered the room, and she dew to him
and would have thrown herself upon his
breast had ne not repulSed her cOldly
and sterniy- There was an slOOfness in
me expression Of his eyes which caused
her 10 shrink from him with a gasp OF
You have come at last" she said
81 zane as soon as II was possible
after yOur letter arrived he replied.
What IS the trouble? What IS there
that / can do for you2 Don't you think
II would have been more consistent If
you had sent for 8ffllinzton?''
She started at that and regarded him
He has told your she said
He has told me that YOU accepted
htm-yes- As his promised wife YOU
should nave sent for him, not for me-
1t IS a faIsehoOdr'' she cried, wildly
7 am not his promised wife. I VIII
never be his wife-never-'
Have you not promised him you VIII
marry him2 or has he lied 70 me-
! said Yes 70 him. but II was a
trick trick"
I confess that I do not understand
you, Rita LathrOD retorted, with
manifest suspicion
Morris let me tell YOU. in my own
way the girl pleaded 7 have SUI
fered so since that morning when
when we were TO have been married.
When you ran away LathTop re-
torted- Yes, I remember. 1t IS not
so very long ago.
= did not run away. was the an
swer. Z was here in the house when
you came I was looking at you from
behind the DOTLieTes all the time you
were here I have not been out OF
the house since then You may ask
Edna Trevor She knows"
Edna Trevor LaLhrOp exclaimed
n establishment How is II that she
"She came here that morning. soon
after you were gone Rita explain
ed at first my maid would not ad-
mit her. but she persisted / was
there, upon the couch, crying. and
she came and put her arms around
ne and said that she was sorry for
what she had said. 10 me the day
when we net al your room and she
kissed me and begged my pardon
And she made me love her. although
wanted 10 hate her because I
thought she loved YOU She does love
yOu- Morris. but as q sister does And
then I told her all and she COnsOIed
me and promised me that II would
end happily She made me promise
that I would let her tell you about It
She was 70 tell you yesterday, and I
thought that you would come to me
~ once But-but YOU did not come"
'She did not tell ne" LathTOp said.
Get me finish. Norris the girl be-
sought him. Yesterday, IN the fore
noon, Mr.. AIIllingtOn came here I was
IN the corridor. near the door, when
he rang. I fed, but he heard me, and
he guessed that / was here. He enter
ed, and In this room he wrote note,
in which he said that you were IN great
trouble, and that It might be necessary
that I should assist him in freeing you
from It Here is the note You may
read it He said, also. that he would
call again in the evening. but Il was
nearly 20 O'Clock when he came. An
I wish he had not cOmal wish he had
not come heTe-eveTl He told me that
you were going away. told me OF the
concerning me- told me that II was on
my account you were going, and he
made me believe that If I would say
Yes 10 his proposal you would be pre-
vented from going. I do not know how.
but he convinced me that It was 50.
And he promised that the engagement
should not continue more than five
minutes Then. when ] had said Yes,
he sDrang up. laughing. and ran away.
and I have ben half mad Morris. OH
tel me I am not bound by such -
prCmise-a promise secured by a trick
And tel me, Morris, is 1t true that
you are going awSy2''
Yes am going away Lathrop de
clared- somberly, and I shall not re-
turn-at least not for a long time. As
for you, Rita. I think II best that you
should marry Jack ATiIlington- He loves
you. He e IN honorable man he is
rich he can make you very happy I
had no right 20 ask you 10 be my wife
when 7 did So 7 have forfeited nv
honor-my right 70 ask any good woman
10 share her life with me Let me tel
you who and what I am-what I was
when I asked Tou 10 marry nue-then.
perhaps, you viii be glad that I an go
az ~ NJ - The -4-I o-ss5 ,-f7y,1-
DO not say that, MOTIFS
ct IS true. I an a thief-a common
theft I have stOlenl It was from the
outward consequences Of 4 theft that
Jack Wilmington has saved me. He was
right when he said that ] would suffer
more in secrecy than IN public. II 7 can
hope that others VIII respect me7 Do