Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1910-06-22
CHAPTER XIII.

CHAPTER XIII.
Jeanne's color comes.
1T is Hal. No. Too soon, unless
he has turned back
Instinctiyely she thinks of the count,
and glances toward the inner room:
II It should be he, what should she
do? While she is yainly trying to
decide on some line of action, the
sound suddenly ceases, and, with a
sigh Of relief, she closes the window
"A few hours longer" she thinks.
''and the dawn will nave broken Hal
and Vane will be here, and" here
her anticipations cease; she is too
tired to indulge in conjecture.
Suddenly there comes through the
fiutter of the leaves a repetition of
the thud-thud. and this time more dis
tinct. With d start, Jeanne holds her
breath and listens, as before, until
the sound dies away. But Jeanne
cannot rest inside the room; itseems
like a seritable prison, hot, sitting,
and peopled with creatures of her
over-strained Imagination At one mo-
merit rises before her the voice of
the count. angry, accusing, demand
ing at her hands the runaway Verona;
at the next, Vane, haggard and stern,
appears to overwhelm her with pas
sionate reproach and blame.
With a hot. uncertain hand she
opens the window again. and bends
over the balcony. But not a sound
reaches her ear, save the sough of
the wind among the leaves, and the
rustic of the vine at her feet.
There then falls upon Jeanne that
vague, indefinable dread which all Of
us have felt at some time or other
a horror of the silence, a longing
for ZONE sharp and sudden souni,
though it be the sound we are dread
ing to hear-anything to break the
horrible tension of the overstrained
nerves.
Restless. battling against this name
less terror, Jeanne argues with her
self. She is not alone; in the next
room, not dozen PAGES distant, lies
Verona; the people of the house are
close at hand; and, above all, within
call lies George, whose devotion can
be relied on. And, after all. what
has she to fear-what has she to
fear?
With quivering laugh, she goes
back into her room Opposite the
window is large mirror, set in an
old, carved frame-one of those pieces
of antique which would fetch hun
dreds OF guineas.
As Jeanne crosses the room, she
catches sight of her figure in this
mirror. and starts at the pale face
which looks down at her.
Afraid of my own shadow" she
says. half aloud. Where has my
courage gomez"
And. with an effort, she goes up to
the glass and arranges her hair, try
ing to call up smile on her pale
lips.
Three such nights as this she
laughs. "and all the beauty which
poor old Fleming is never tired of
talking about would be fed All, and
who would carer"
She sighs, and is about to turn
away. when suddenly her heart seems
to turn to stone; for there in the
glass before her is reflected, not only
herself. but some one else, and that
with a mans face and figure.
For a moment Jeanne thinks her
senses have deserted her, the next
she turns and springs to the window.
AS she does so, a man drops on
one knee at her feet. and speaks her
name
"Jeanne!"
With low cry, Jeanne shrinks
back. still instinctiyely trying to close
the window.
Jeanne" SAYS THE voice again.
for Heavens sake do not look ter
rifed, Do you not know me? 1t is
Clarencei"
Clarence Lord Lanei' gasps