The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1916-10-06
CHAPTER Xx-Continued.

Smith did not take the extended hands
Her own We're clasped before her.
"I have come to plead with you
Madame Arnaud-not to judge
And If promise you-if l tell yo1
that l will do all that lies In M,
power"
Then my errand is accomplished.
Sylvia's hands dropped. 1t strucl
her that this woman had 4 mean soul
-coarsened with rough contact with tht
world. She could not rise to the higl
attitudes of forgiveness and reconcili
alton. She could only grasp the ma
terial things of life. Sylvia caught s
glance of her own reflection in the
glass opposite, and she saw how ethe
real her own beauty had become. Aftel
all, beauty is the outward and visible
sign. Suddenly her name was called
roughly yet piteously-and her eyes
sank.
That's my husband" she sale
gravely. Even in his delirium he i:
always calling for me. The dying are
sacred, are they not? We must for
Yes" Gabrielle assented.
Il must go to him. But l will dc
what have promised II will atone
for him. Perhaps it may soothe him
comfort him to think that the wrong
he has done has been righted-tlon'
you Think"
Perhaps"
pr1% 10 Sp4n n1J
to see the extended hand. There was
a hard line about the fine mouth, and
without greeting-alnost as though
goaded by an impatient contempt-she
went out Of the open French windows
into the brazen glare OF the afternoon
Sylvia Arnaud watched the slight up
right figure vanish into the archway
beyond the courtyard. She was vag.--
ly disconcerted-lil1e an actress left
suddenly without her cue-and be-
meath the tranquil consciousness Of vir.
the there stirred the old hatred, the
old mistrust
In the sickroom all was still again.
The blinds were drawn, and In the
green-tinted shadows Desires face
showed like a white light. She went
softly over to his bedside and sat
down, looking at him. His eyes were
closed and he appeared to sleep. A
cold wonder crept over her. He had
changed so completely in those few
months Of their married life that the
change ceased to be terrible. This
was not the man whose feeting, un-
known fascination had caught her rest
less fancy-not even the man she had
grown weary of. He was nothing-a
mere husk of something that had once
been. Still, as she sat there and looked
back Oh those months, many things
became triumphantly clear to her. She
understood why she had grown weary.
and why weariness had changed to
nausea. He was a bad man. He had
sinned; he had let another suffer for
him, and had pursued his victim with
a relentless hatred. Her woman's in
stinct had recognized the evil and had
passed Judgment. Beside him Rich
ard Farquhar's figure cleaned in the
limelight of her imagination-a cheya-
lier Of the old school, quixotic and
romantic. But she did not love him.
Perhaps there was even somewhere in
her vague contempt-at least, a
slightly patronizing pity strengthened
by the knowledge that now his saliva
ton was in her hands. Her thoughts
passed on from him to the implacable.
ruthless man who had come back TO
Der out of the jaws ot death, and to
whom she was going with the sur
render of her whole self. And as she
thought of him invisible hands tore
down the veil, and she saw the pic
ture that he had painted of her--saw
1t and shrank from 1t even though she
knew that 1t was the insignia of his
power
Desires eyes opened. They rested
full on her face, and in their recogni-
ton, their pathetic, helpless worship
she regained herself and the heights Of
her virtue. She bent over him.
Are you better, Desire:"
sylvia" His hand groped feeb!y
for hers. She touched it kindly. She
would not reproach him. She was for
giving him. He was going to die.
And then she would be free. She did
not think of her freedom. It was like
a hidden pulse--beating persistently.
feverfshly.
II heard you cs4l" she said is
there anything want? The nurse will
be back in q moment
He caressed her hand with an in
finite tenderness.
They are going to shoot him at
daybreak." he said very gently. And
then all will be well, viii it not? You
will forget him. You will learn to
nnderstand-eyer We shall be-
gin new life together in a new world.
my wife. There will be no shadow
betwee" us where We are going"
She shrank from him. half in horror.
half in vague fear He was dying.
and he seemed so sure. He did not
ask for forgiveness; there was no re-
morse in his sunken eyes-rather a
grave. serene pity. His hand still
held bers. There was power in its
weakness which terrified her; she felt
as though she would never be able to
free herself
"Sylvia-you will not leave me? I
feel as though 1 could rest with you
beside me. You will stay"
"Yes-yes'
II have loved you SO greatly. my
wife. I have been down to hell for
love of you, and now [ am fighting nv
way back-to yWl--to the light. Love
is stronger than sin-than death-than
God himself" His voice trailed off
again, his eyelids dropped, hiding the
pale light of ecstatic deljrium.
The nurse entered OIL ttptoe,
There ie q n1nn--I so!dier-in the
drawing rgen. adssne.' sb- whis,
ix-s,.l ufSa nriERa llczsaEs for