The Washington times., 1918-07-07
CHAPTER XII
Drifting with Loves Current.

would like week here, tool" and Theo-
dora sighed.
You must not sigh, beautiful princess" {"
he implored, "on this, our happy day."
The slender lines of her figure seemed
all dropping. She reminded him more
than ever of the fragment of Psyche in the
Naples Museum.
mo, l must not sigh" she said. "3ut
it seems suddenly to have grown sad-the
air. What does it mean? Tell me- you
who know SO many things" There was
a pathos in her voice like a child In dis
tress.
1t communicated itself to him, it touched
some chords in his nature hitherto silent.
His whole being rushed out to her in ten
derness.
1T seems to me it is because the time
grows nearer when we must go back to
the world. First to dinner with the others
and then-Paris. l would like to stay thus
always-just alone with you"
She did not refute this solution of her
sadness. She knew it was true And
when he looked into her eyes the blue
was troubled with a mist as of coming
tears.
Then passion-more mighty than ever
seized him once more. He only felt wild
desire to comfort her, to kiss away the
mist-to talk to her. All! ..
"Theodorai" he said, and his voice vi
faI nth hn
ward and seized both her hands, which he
lifted to his face-she had not put on he!
gloves again after tea-her cool, little.
tender hands! He kissed and kissed their
palms.
Darling he said, incoherently,
what have I done to make your dear eyes
wet? Oh. love you So love you so, and
| have only made you sad.'
She gave little, inarticulate cry. II a
wounded dove could sob, it might have
been the noise of a dove, SO beseeching and
so pathetic. "Oh. please-you must not"
she said. "Oh, what have you done!-you
have killed our happy day"
And this was the beginning of his awak-
ening He sat for many moments with his
head buried in his hands. What, indeed,
had he done!-and they would be turned
out of their garden of Eden-and all be-
cause he was brute, who could not con-
troll his passion, but must let it run riot on
the first opportunity.
He suffered intensely. Suffered, perhaps,
for the first time in his life
She had not said one word of anger
only that tone in her voice reached to his
heart
He did not move and did not speak, and
presently when she touched his hands soft
Iy with her slender fingers, it seemed like
the caress Of an angels wing.
Listen she said, so gently. "Oh, you
must not grieve-but 1t was too good to be
true. our day. l ought to have known to
where we were drifting. / am wicked to
have let you say all you have said to-day,
but oh, was asleep, think, and l only
knew that l was happy. But now you have
shown me-and oh, the dream is broken
up. Come. let us go back to the world"
Then he raised his eyes to her face, and
they were hagga-d and miserable.
How her simple speech, blaming herself
who was all innocent, touched his heart
and filled him with shame at his unworthi.
ness.
"Oh, forgive me!" he pleaded. oh,
please forgive me! ! am mad, think,
love you so-and / had to tell yoi-and
yes, will say ii all now, and then you can
punish me. From the first moment /
looked into your angel eyes it has been
growing. You are so true and so sweet, and
so miles beyond all other women in the
world. Each minute ! ha loved you
all the time ! thought to win
you. Yes, you may well turn away, and
shrink from me now that you know the
brute l am. | thought would make you
love me, and you would forgive me then.
But have suddenly seen your soul, my
darling, and / am ashamed, and / can only
ask you to forgive me and let me worship
you and be your slave-I will not ask for
any return-only to worship you and be
your slaVe-that may show you am not
all brute and may earn your pardon"
And then Theodora's blindness fell from
her and she knew that she loved him
she had faced the fact at last And all