Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-07-05
Continued from page IL

Continued from page IL
smiling cousin. at is true that Mr.. Troy
sleeps in the Black Breton room. There was
no other decent place in the house. | told
him it was supposed to be haunted. He
said he didn't care. You have no right to
say such things about the room, or about the
Scores. 1t is hateful!'
Dear me, what a STORM exclaimed
Vane. Il am sorry I spoke, l assure you.
If YOU have already told Mr.. Troy that
everybody who sleeps in the Black Breton
room is supposed sooner or later to go mad,
or disappear, never to be seen again, no
doubt it's all right-as he is brave enough
not to mind. But l must say, while I'm on
the subject, that if l really liked a man well
enough to dance for him, with my hair
down, and give him flowers for his birthday
out of my own garden, l should have rugged
up a corner in some garnet for him to sleep
in, rather than trust him to the tender
mercies of the Black Breton ROOM
Miss Erskine, having said what she had
looked aggravatingly virtuous. and in
tensely self satisfied. She had had her re-
venge, and was entirely content.
CHAPTER XXI
T IKE douche of iced water, Vanes words
- put out the fire in Troy heart. He had
known that Lady Daura Score had used all
the power of her womanhood to beat him
in the duel they were fighting in secret, and
he had been all but down in the dust at her
feet; yet he had felt for one wild, wonderful
moment that she was at his mercy as he was
at hers. He had thought that they were
just man and woman; and because she was
such a wonderful woman he had been ready
to give up for one kiss of those parted lips
the VOW to which his life was pledged.
But her cousins laughing words changed
the girls warm beauty in an instant to cold
clay. She was meaner than he had thought;
for behind the screen of sweet kindness, of
loyal trust for gallant foe, she had been
coldly planning to put him out of her way.
The certainty that she had believed in the
room thrust itself upon Troy. In way it
was laughable, a credulity that could call
upon the aid of ghosts to kill an enemy; yet
the foolishness of it did not excuse the
treachery. She had hoped that her stupid
old family ghosts would rally at her bidding,
and murder him, or drive him mad.
How disappointed she must have been
each morning, when he turned up alive and
well! What trouble she had taken since,
when the ghosts had failed her, to make
fool of him, and accomplish alone what they
ido doI OCCli SLioiiS OiiooSi " w. liz
shameful thing was that she had nearly won;
and all the contempt that was in him, all the
GOODNESS of reaction after passion, he put
into the look he gave the girl as a reward for
her dance.
Only too clearly Daura read it; and for
few seconds of anguish she was ready to give
up, defeated, knowing her secret weapons
to be in the enemy's hands. But then she
thought of Mira and of George. She could
not abandon them. She had promised
George, if he would bear his burden of life,
to be his screen, and save him for Annira.
She must stand by him at any cost to her
self. She would not give up!
3If there's nothing worse in this old castle
than the ghosts in the Black Breton room,
Miss Erskine- the dangers here, even
for an ignorant sort of chap like myself,
aren't formidable" Troy was saying, with
bitter meaning for Daura's ears. Il don't
intend to disappear just yet; and if there's
been any fear of my being driven mad,
reckon it's over. 1t was very pretty dance,
and mighty clever in every way, that Lady
Daura's been kindly giving me. by Lord
Gorme's request, and I'm much obliged to
her. sha'n't forget it as long as live
Thank you," Daura answered tremu-