The Washington herald., 1914-02-01

Il ner. 1 could see that she recognized me,
and was aware that I recognized her.
Her face changed again. and look came
INTO her eyes which haunted me long
after had quilted the room.
| The next morning I got UP early. Ny
window looked out across the garden.
As l peeped to see what sort OF weather
1t was I saw Mrs. Athelstan Ward come
through the great front door Of the hotel
She was dressed for walking I had one
OF those intuitions to which am sub
5ect. and was out In the street in I am
| afraid to say how few minutes. Mrs.
| Ward was out OF sight, but I knew the
direction In which she was going. and
| or / tore.
Presently saw her. She was near
| ly at the point where one begins to as
cend the grassy slopes toward Beachy
Head. That some special attraction was
drawing her to Beachy Head at Z o'clock
in the morning 1 felt convinced. She
was nearly out Of sight when 1 gained
the point from which one can sec the
top Of the Head A minute or two later
some one came out of the little hotel
which lies in the hollow on one side, and
crossed to her. 1t was a man who had
Joined her. on the .op of Beachy Head,
at an hour wnen they were likely to
have It all to themselves.
! had with me a pair of those folding
opera glasses which lie down fiat. so
that they occupy scarcely any space at
all. focused them on the pair In front
/ was anxious to see who the man might
be. Something within me gave quite a
little jump as I recognized the red
headed youth OF the teashop and the
signaling blind. He was talking both
with heat and volubility.
Presently they stopped on little knoll
which was just on the other side Of the
lighthouse. Down / dropped IN a grassy
dell which was just large enough to
contain me as 1 lay full length. face
downward. and raised myself sufficient
ly on my elbows to permit me to have
view OF the knoll in front. 1 did not
intend to run any risk of losing what I
had so long sought With the aid of
that pair Of opera glasse I watched
their faces.
1t was some seconds. however. before
they turned my way. Then. suddenly
the woman stood fronting the man and
also me, and I saw her say. as distinctly
as IL she had been speaking within reach
OF my hand:
TITS no use your ranting. What I've
said I've said. and as I've no more to
add, there's an end of it,
He was silent for an instant. Then he
also turned slightly. occupying such a po-
sition that while he faced across the sea-
his mouth was as visible as IL he had
looked at me. followed his answer
thror~h TIE glasses:
Lily. IL ever there was a heartless
devil in the shape of a woman. you are
She
She replied. with little flick OF the
cane she was carrying:
You've told me SO before"
You have lied. and lied. and lied to
me-" His gesticulations recommended.
You have fooled me practically my
whole life long. I have stolen for you:
you know how often you have induced
me to steal for you"
You didn't need much inducement"
Her air was contemptuous.
Il did not: you are right At last.
at word from you. I committed MUIR
der"
Put it that way if YOU like. From my
point Of view you made a mess OF the
actually kill the man"
No, you wanted me to play him some |
Internally clever trick which would result |
in his killing himself-as You afterward |
killed that old woman. And then you |
denied me my reward"
Il never promised you anything"
Not in so many words; you were !
much too clever. But yoL know what !
t..fsI,
had promised me. and how afterward |
YOU robbed me Of the price which you |
made me believe was to receive"
Listen to me-" Her attitude became |
all at once that of a person who was !
giving utterance TO a final decision. You
have been to me a continual nuisance
not practically all your life. but actual
ly all your life. There was a time when
! tried to put up with you, though 1t
wasn't easy. Afterward-you know when
II explained that il a certain person
were to die before certain time it might
be an advantage both to you and to me-"
Especially to you
Ses-especially to me-that is OBJ
vious." The air of scorn with which she
said il. Now you have the assurance
TO send me that telegram, 1t came to me
last night. in the middle of dinner par
~. ordering me to come and meet you
here. And now that I've come, what is
It you want me to do? You want me to
Iesert my husband, to throw away
for which I've worked and
struggled. and-think of tito come and
live with you. I've grown to hate you
II you only knew how l hate you as I
see you standing there. and how will
ingly I'd see you tumble dead at my
feet"
You mean THAR
Il never meant anything half so
much"
''Then-you shall go back a happy
They were standing within a few feet
Of the cliff He ran down this little
slope; when he had run as far as he
Gould. he gave a sort of jump and
'prang into space more than five hun
ired feet above the rocks below.
There stood the woman, alone, and
here 1 lay watching her through the
glasses. For several seconds We re-
NAMED motionless, as IL incapable of
movement Then. with what seemed to
ne a violent effort. ! scrambled on to
ny feet and went rushing toward the
woman across the intervening grass. !
When she turned and saw me coming
he staggered and thought she would
AVE fallen. But, recovering herself just
IS she seemed to have lost her balance,