Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-12-30
"Suppose"-he said in that sinister

/ "Suppos tonight you drive me up in
your motor-to a village church-and
the date in the register and on the
certificate were put back ten days and
the names came out as yours and
Brancaster's?" he asked.
| In her excitement, now that their
hitherto unspoken mutual thought
was out, she got to her feet.
"Impossible!" she exclaimed. "The
risk"
What risk? A bare chance of re-
covery-and none of memory. You
heard Sir Andrew. He'll never be able
to deny that he'd married you, since
he wouldn't be able to remember any
thing that had happened during this
period And when he'd forgotten the
special license, the marriage certificate
would remind him. Where's your
pluck?"
| In her turn the woman clinched her
fists and swallowed a lump in her
throat.
where's your parson?" she asked.
| He smiled pleasantly at the pros
pect.
How much?" she asked in a hard
voice. thinking of the only motive that
could impel him she knew.
| With a shrug of his shoulders Sar-
toris returned:
I'VE needn't bargain. I'll see to MY
share"
where's your parson?" she asked
again.
| AS If in answer to her urgent re-
quest for a spiritual adviser, the Rev.
Werner Halsam passed along the ter
race on his return to the vicarage.
With a contemptuous gesture Sartoris
indicated the man.
| There he is" said he. Then with a
quick stride he passed before the c!er-
gyman and stood directly in his path,
while the woman sank down on the
bench again. covering, for the moment
her face with her hands.
"Well, Haslam," said Sartoris, leer-
ing into the others face, what are
you doing here?"
| Haslam made a motion toward Fal-
conhurst.
| "T'-he began.
Il know what you are doing at Fall
conhurst," went on Sartoris. But 1
mean in the village?"
Il am taking the wears duty" he
said as his head sank beneath the
others contempt.
Has the vicar any idea who you
are?" came brutally from the captain.
Does he know you are a drunkard
and were deprived of your living?
For one brief moment Haslam rails
ed his shamed head.
MY bishop knows-that I have
striven to conquer an evil habit-that
all but ruined me. He knows that l
am striving to win back
"And what else. does he know?"
broke in Sartoris. You have several
other little habits that aren't a credit
to your cloth. There was card scan
dal when you were in Paris"
II beg, 1 entreat you-if that were
known-may not a man repent sim
cerely Of everything?"
by all means go ahead, but you'll
find that that is rather large order.
Tell-me-any marriages in your
church Iately?"
"None-for three weeks" said Has
lam, glad that his tormentor seemed
turning from his immediate object.
| In a seemingly happy humor Sar-
toris slapped the man Of the robe on
his back.
Capital" he calculated. mo dates
in the register for three weeks! Now,
If a marriage took place and some
how-owing to your habits-names
got bit muddled and dates a bit set
back-couldn't you include it in
your list of-er-regrettable reminis-
cences?"
| "Include"-stammere Haslam.
That" said Sartoris forcefully,
handing to him the license to marry.
"Brancaster," gasped the curate.
"Brancaster, whom I've just left
Dying probably" went on Sartoris.
leaving undone what he meant to do
Leaving a great wrong to a woman"
There now came into the voice Of Sar-
toris a great irony. While he seemed
to be framing a plausible argument to
Has,am, still his tone implied that he
himself understood how specious it all
was, and his irony was directed not
alone at himself, but at Haslam, Mrs.
D'Aquila and, indeed, the whole world