The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-09-26
CHAPTER SIXTEEN. tcontInued.)

1ngtOn nc1fS. O VI entefeu Tie
room, Florence, and you ire I'M
doubtedly Cosmo Mornington's
heir
He saw her shake from head
TO foot and turn as pale as death.
Nevertheless, she uttered no word
and made no gesture of protest.
He went on:
eft is a formal accusation. DO
you ay nothing in reply7"
She waited ONE time and then
declared:
81 have nothing to say. The
whole thing is a mystery. What
would you have me replyY | do
not understand
Don Luis stood quivering with
anguish in front of her. He STAN
mered:
SIS that all? Do you accept?'
After a second, she said, in an
undertone:
explain yourself, 1 beg of
you. What you mean, | suppose
is that, if l do not reply, l &C
ccpt the accusationi"
Yes
"And then?'
"Arrest-prison-'
"Prson I"
She seemed to be suffering
hideOusly. Her beautiful features
were distorted with fear. TO her
mind, prison evidently represent
ed the torrents undergone by
Marie and Sauverand. 1t must
mean despair, shame, death, all
thOse horrors which Marie and
Sauverand had been unable to
avoid and of which she in her
turn would become the victim.
An awful sense of hopelessness
overcame her, and she moaned:
"How tired ! am / feel that
there is nothing to be, done! | am
stified by the mystery around me !
Oh, if could only see and under
stand
There wa another long pause.
Leaning over her, NJ. Desmalions
studied her face with cOncentra-
ted attention. Then as she did not
speak, he put his hand to the bell
on his table and struck it three
times .
Don Lnis did not stir from
where he stood, with his eyes des-
pairipgly fixed on Florence. A
battle was raging within him be-
tween his love and generosity,
which led him to believe the girl,
and his reason, which obliged him
to suspect her. Was she inno-
cent or guiltyf He did not know.
Everything was against her. And
yet why had he never ceased to
love her?
Weller entered, followed by his
men. NJ. Desmalions spoke to him
and pointed to Florence. Weber
went up TO her.
"I~rence!" said Don Luis.
She looked at him and looked
at Weber and his men, and, sud
denly, realizing what was coming
she retreated, staggered for a
moment, bewildered and fainting,
and fell back in Don Luis's arms
ooh, save me, save me. DO
save mel
The action was so natural rnd
Hnconstrained the cry of distress
SO clearly denoted the alarm
which only the innocent can fall,
that Don Luis was promptly con-
WINGED. A fervent belief in her
frightened his heart. His doubts,
his cautien, his hesitation, his an
sni-lI: all ',i"h~' -" .3
a certainty tnat dashed upon hIm
like an irresistible wave. Aud he
cried:
No, no, that must not be
Monsieur lie Prefet, there are
things that cannot be permitted
He stopped owe Florence,
whom he was holding SO firmly in
his arms that nobody could have
takes ser from him. Their eyes
met. HIS face was close to the
girls. He ~quivered with emotion
at feeling her throbbing, SO weak,
70 utterly helpless; and he said
to her passionately, in a voice too
low for any but her to hear:
II love You, / love you. . . .
All, Florence, if you only knew
what | feel :h6w l suffer and how
happy ! am! Oh, Florence, | love
you, | love yOuT
WeieF lad stood aside, at a
sigN from thu Prefect. who want