The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-06-20

knew. ] knew lust as we'll as II !
was close beside her all the time.
II came along. that hsQre, and then
] saw II TO be what ! knew It was
my wife, did not say q word'
but | stepped out OF the shadow
and stood right across hsr path.
She gave a sort Of gasp that died
away In her throat. Then she
laughed . little. She actually
laughed, but II was not q very
merry laugh. "oh," she said,
what are you doing hsre!"
ITS rather more 10 the point
what you're doing here" ] said.
She must have known then by
my voice that knew. or at least
guessed, whore she was going or
to whom. but suppose she thought
she would have one moro try to
fool me. a." shs said. "Oh, /
was Just going for . little stroll.
It's such a wonderful night isn't
it?"
eyes," I said. 'it's a very won
derful night. It's such wonderful
night that your lover Vibarrs come
all the way down from London
again TO enjoy it-that is, II he
ever went there-ths man who
swore he'd never see you again
the man you swors you'd never see
again. And here find you now on
your way out to meet him!"
She waited q minute then before
she answered. l thought she Mould
be down on the ground, on her
knees, begging me. Instead Of that
she burst out and said, "Yes, ! am
going to meet him. Why shouldn't
I go to meet him? I'm not going
to submit to your tyranny"-she
called 1t tyranny.
She went on then, she let her
self 90. ! expect all she said was
true, though God knows / had
never come near suspscting Q word
of 1t before. God knows how ! had
been fooled. But she did not give
me much chance OF bsing fooled
any longer. She tore all the pre-
tence down then.
She told me she loved this man,
she had loved him long before she
ever knew me, she would have
married him if he had any money
or been able to support her, she
never would have dreamt of marry
ing me if it had not been for the
money and the position. How
could be such a fool as to think
she would? But It was finished; it
was all finished now.
There was the key. the key OF
my terrible house, the house she
hated. She would never use it
again. She never meant to come
back. Whether She had really
meant to elope with him or not
don't know, but she took the key
and threw 1t away among the trees.
don't know what happened 10
me. | don't think | was conscious
what | was doing. ! had gone out
with murder in my hea I, just az ]
had the knife to commit II will in
my pocket. | went out intending
to commit murder, but intended
to murder Wharf. ] swear to God
that | had not thought Of murder
ing her, nv wife. even then, as |
snatched the knife from my pocket
and struck
| had no consciousness, as | say,
Of what | was doing 1t was as II
1t was someone else that was act
ing and as If was looking on and
seeing 1t done. But I know that |
struck and | know tool bad killed
too many wounded animals not to
know that the knife went right to
the heart could not tell yon
whether at that woment ] loved her
or hated her the more. loved her
still know that-and in a way
hated both her and also hated my
self because ! still loved her. ]
despised myself for loving her.
But after the stroke she Just
gave a gasp and sort of Jump and
fell. Her limbs hardly moved after
she fell. she was dead in a mo-
ment.
And then, quite quietly, I drove
the knife into the earth to clean
the blood off II. ] passed 1t little
through some grass. And then l
put 1t back into the sheath again