The Washington times., 1919-08-24
Continned from Preceding Page.

What does it mean?" she said
to herself, over and over again.
How is it those two have come to-
gether again, and are apparently
more in love with each other than
they have ever been before? Can
l have made a mistaken"
She got up, and taking a key
from a secret receptacIe-she, was
always hiding her keys in different
pIaces-she unlocked an old Indian
cabinet. She took an envelope out
Of one of the drawers, inscribed,
'In case of my death to be sent to
Lord Estcourt," and, tearing it
open, drew out a sheet of notepa-
per. It was Lady Estcourt's fare
we'll letter to her husband. She
read it through carefully, put it in
a fresh envelope, on which she
wrote the same instructions, and
locked it up again in the cabinet.
She had made no mistake.
Therefore, the only possible ex-
PLANTATION of Estcourt's behavior
was that he had not read his wife's
letter, and was still in ignorance
of the truth. She knew him too
well to think for an instant that he
would connive at his own dishOnOr;
that he would find it possible to
forgive such a wrong, even though
at the last moment there had been
no public scandal She sat staring
straight before her, her chin sup
ported in her hand, as she carefully
went over the whole position.
For some reason that must at
present remain a mystery Lady Est
court on the point of departure,
had abandoned her intended fight.
Had she repented? Or had the man
failed her? The latter, as Miss
Lethbridge was forced to acknowl-
edge, seemed scarcely probable.
She knew so little at present, she
was only cropping her way in the
dark. But one day-it might be
weeks or years-she would know
everything. She dropped her arms
and looked up.
"Oh, my dear" she said. softly.
in a grating voice, you made a
mistake, a very big mistake, when
you pitted your wits against mine.
For a time you may seem to have
IL all your own way, for l must
walk warily, but 1 shall never rest
never falter, until the end lies
clear before me. Then" and her
hand clenched, as though it we're
closing over something, "it will be
nv turn. Then l do not think that
heaven or earth could keep me
from my vengeance"
She paced up and down the room
as though it we're a cage, her light
eyes blazing.
The thought of her wasted years
of all that might have been and
was nOt-was like poison in her
blood. And now the chance had
come of settling her account with
Lady Estcourt, who, to her distOTt-
ed vision, was responsible for
everything. She welcomed it with
an almost inhuman delight.
Her rival had been on a pinnacle
out of reach, and suddenly she had
fallen where the feet of the multi
tude would tread her down at a
word. II was the stTangest chance
that her fate should hang on her
enemy's lips; that the incriminat-
ing letter should have been sent to
the one person in ali the world who
would make the deadliest use of it.
Miss Lethbridge could not make
up her mind as to who the man was
y referred to in the letter. The name
of Paul DelacOuT naturally sug-
gested itself at once, but that
seemed so simple and obvious that
she hesitated to accept it. She was
always disposed to reject what lay
Oh luG buILdCEs anu " ulNG BClO"
for an explanation.
"You shall learn what suspense
means, Lady Estcourt," she said,
grimly. "You shall know what it
is to lie awake at night and long
for the morning. To find the day
so full of misery that you will pray
for the dark to hide you from me
for a little while. For every pang
that 1 have suffered / will be re-
paid, full measure and running
over. When your spirit is broken,
when all the joy has gone out of
your life, and your beauty slowly
withered away; when you stand be-
fore me, a poor pitiful ghost of the
insolent splendor you f1aunted to-
night-then, and not before, / will
give the coup de grace. Then, in
addition to all you have lost, you
shall lose love and honor. too"
She had spoken the last words
aloud, carried away by her pas
sions, and as each word fell from
her lips cold, deadly, intense, it
sounded like a curse.
CHAPTER x.
"Thou SGyest FareWeH?"