Evening star., 1912-02-04
Continued from page s

See, the sight of you has broken the ice that
froze my heart | cannot do without you!
1 can fight no longer, pray no longer! Ell
enne, Etienne!'
All! if he only could speak!
"My poor beloved, how i'll you look!
What, not one little smile for Marguerite??"
A tender playfulness struggled with the
er's cheek; bent low SO that her hair touched
his forehead. "Why-you know me, Dear!
See, | am wearing the dress you admired so
much at the English Ambassadors, the dress
in which fled that night, yielding to an inn
pulse that had to obey instantly, or never
at all. My hero, do you know that just be-
fore | took the final vows | had to put on
my finest clothes, to adorn myself with
flowers and jewels, these Jewels to make my
hair as beautiful as | could-as you loved
best to see it? And then had to PROSTATE
myself on the stones, and was covered with
black cloth, and the chants for the dead
were sung over me. And all my beautiful
things were taken away. But have fetched
them again. See, have put them on! l
have made myself just as when you saw me
last when we danced the cotillion together!
Shall be forgiven for this sacrilege! | am
insulting God! If break my vows, betray
Him! But did he not fashion my heart?
Did not God make me love you?'
The sufferer rolled his eyeballs, which
were filled with wild desires.
@Mother of pity, the sorroacs Of the zOorld
plead for thy cOmbaSSiOn!"
"You will not die, now that | am here?
l left you; but implore you not to leave
mep Lower and lower she bent her head,
and she kissed him on the lips with that
caress | break my VOWS | confess my utter
weakness. Come back to me in life, Etienne!
l have wronged you. Come back and pray
with me for His pardon! Don't you want
me still? will give myself to you! Never
anyone loved as we love. You will not die
and leave me to this anguish"
The franc tireur made terrible struggle
to answer.
at is so dark without you, Etienne! And
| have suffered so"
A strong cry broke from the wounded
man. "Marguerite-at last-at last!" And
he flung up his right arm to encircle her neck.
But it met empty air; for what he had
seen, what he had heard, was but a fevered
fancy in his wild dreaming, after all. He
rocked to and fro, to and fro, calling out her
name continually.
A ND she entered. But not clad in a white
4 silk evening gown; and her shoulders,
not bare, cleaning white as snow; and no
necklace of pearls round her throat; and no
emerald burning with lustrous fire, with a
pale green fire, in her hair.
Sister Cecile indeed entered, and kneeled
by his side; but in the dress of her order.
The franc tireur's eyes were open, fear
fully wide open; but they could not see her
because of the phantasmagoria that burned
in the tortured brain. Yet he kept calling
her name.
"I am here" murmured the Sister, strok-
ing his forehead with beautiful caress.
1t was at this moment that Count Dago-
bert and the Prussian Commandant ap-
peared silently in the doorway by the high
altar.
"Where are you, Princess? Where are
you, Beloved" cried the sufferer.
"By your side, Dear" answered the Sister
quietly.
Lepaul made a sound as if choking. "Ten
years, ten years! What an abyss!' cried the
franc-tireur, staring into space. "But shall
find her. Why, | saw her just now, as she
was when we danced the cotilion together!
She-she- Marguerite S Sister Cecile mo
more-you said-you said-that you would
break your VOWS that you-would give
yourself yourself to me!'
The nun shrank back as if serpent had
reared its head before her. For an instant
she almost believed that the sufferer could