Evening star., 1923-09-16

sproule. and an income of-what?
Ten thousand a year?"
while should keep what my lus-
band left me and his daughters, 1t
is nothing like ten thousand a year"
We'll, If il weren't for my fathers
letter-if he had not left will in
my favor, which seems most mysteri-
ously to have disappeared--it would
not be an ungenerous offer. Perhaps,
though, you would not have made IL
under those circumstances"
'If you want me to do anything
for you at all, you had better give
upthat dishonest pretense. do not
say now that I should do as much as
that-in the,way that you have come
TO me-" ...s
She still stood. Her voice had never
once been raised from IT'S tone OF cool
| confidence; her eyes had never once
fiickered, although now they were not
without hostility toward him.
You are plucly woman" he said,
though / think a very foolish one.
Supposing, for the sake of a quiet
life. for the sake of my younger sis
ters. and for the sake OF sparing you
something that you can hardly have
gauged the danger OF. were TO close
with you-on termsr
Then I might stiIl' do what had
thought of doing: but should now
add a stipulation-that you should
live. out Of England, and undertake
never to communicate with me or nv
daughters"
His tone changed into one of some
| anger. You are talking foolishly," :"
he said. Now listen TO what 1 have
to say. Ny father left a will in my
favor. and you know it You have
committed some act by which another
will has been substituted, under
which you benefit You knew OF my
father writing to me and the letter
/ have from him proves it. If / fight
you. I fight you for everything; you
viii be convicted on the plainesta DOS
sible evidence-almost certainly to a
long term of imprisonment: you will
be ruined for life, whatever you may
keep, and your young daughters will
| have disgrace put upon them that
they will never get over. Have you
thought of all that?"
81 listen to you," she said, because
! it viii be an advantage to me 60
know exactly what wicked deed you
are contemplating"
= X y *
LIE gave vent TO an exclamation
IL Of impatience. and went on, What
] ever II was you did with my fathers
WILL" he said, sis done, and can not
! be undone. But am prepared to offer
I you a way of escape. I am dealing
/ generously with you, IL you have the
sense TO see &c. don't want the name
OF Provost dragged Ia the dirt; ]
don't want my young sisters
lives spoilt. Come now, Edith, before
it is too late. Don't persist fn this
mad course of yours, which can only
bring you to ruin
81 will allow you thousand pounds
a year." she said, ''as long as you
/ live out OF England. and do not modest
me or my daughters in any way"
Els face dsrkened. you seem de-
termined to ruin yourself" he seid
l 'HTheEe arc the terms offer you: You
make a clean breast of 1t to our fam
| lily lawyers. That is necessary. but II
| will never go any farther.
'T haven't seen them yet. wanted
to see you first and save you from the
results of your folly If I could. You
mako over to me what Is necessary to
1 enable me to live quietly here al
Spronie. and should like you and my
sisters I'd live here with me. You
would be a great deal better of. as
Hong as live. than you would have
Ipeen. and after nay death you--and
they-win have everything. Those
IRE my terms"
"They are very impudent ones, and
III refuse them absolutely"
He looked at her as il baffled, but
seemed to make one more effort tt
treat with her reasonably.
Perhaps you think that it would
be impossible tor you to live with m,
after what has happened" he said
.sBut / would forget all about IL.
have not been saint myself: therI
lis no reason why we should not gei
lou. and the house is bis enough foi