The Washington times., 1923-02-25


been those of an adulteress.
There had been that much, at
least. of truth in the taunt of Sais.
She saw that.
eve shall be equal to each
other in the eyes of menu Sais
had said-but that was not true.
For if she had sinned, yet out of
her sin she had saved Lissmere-
whereas Sais had sought only to
accomplish his destruction. :. :.
Louise turned to Lissmere, say
ing low:
''I am content, Dick. If I have
sinned I am prepared to suffer
for out of my sin comes your sal
walton. / have a price--a high
price-to pay. But / shall pay
gladly"
But Lord Lissmere, true to his
character, was not for subtleties.
All his life long he had been sim
ple-natured, not given to deep
thought of excessive debating with
in himself upon the ethics of de-
batable things.
And, upon occasion, such men
are refuge and sanctuary to erring
women.
He caught Louise to him.
again. 4
my dear, my DEAR" he said
very deliberately. "Do you think
/ care what others say of you,
think of you, or your position?
Except Tor your sake. I care moth
ing for them-nor for what you
have done, Willingly or unwilling
ly. You are my wife in my eyes
always. And that will never be
changed. Do you dream that I
care in the least whether any priest
erases his record of our marriage
or any official blots us out from
his book of marriages! We are
not saints-and if we have sinned
we have suffered for it. I care
nothing for all that. You are.
mine and I have you and I shall
keep you. And the past can bury
itself-or remain unburied. /
don't care-as long as / have
your
She quivered in his arms, sighed
and was quiet for little.
Lissm looked at Hood
less.
"What do you know about all
this, Crichton?" he ASKED
"Nothing-if you mean LAM.
marsh" replied the adventurer UNI
easily. But it seems to be work
ing out we'll. congratulate you.
Dick"
Lissmere frowned.
"But you cursed Sais when>she
was speaking. You said she had
thrown away her last chance of
getting fortune!
The adventurer's eyes grew hard
and wary.
ooh, that! / was carried away
with anger-I guessed the insult
she was preparing for Lady Liss-
mere-I was desperately anxious
to stop her-divert her. You see,
there is still the difficulty of the
chiId's future-and the question Of
the sacrifice Sais made for you
us-in the desert. 1t is shocking
that she should have allowed you
both to suffer so over the business
of mmarsh-but-''
He broke off abruptly, listening
to sudden mutter of voices out
side, sounding as though Ell Addar
were in violent alteration with
newcomer.
"a moment, dear' Lissmere
put Louise in deep chair and,
with Hoodless, turned to the en-
trance of the apartment.
"Stand clear, negro" rasped a
voice outside There came the
thud of blow, a heavy fall and a
second later a man, dressed in
the waite suit of an English
man in the tropics, stepped into
the room.
He did not remove his topi as
he entered.
In his hand, lean, sinewy, brown
as an Arabs, he held an ugly,
modern automatic pistol.
He stepped swiftly aside, so that
his back was in a corner of the
room, and faced Hoodless and Liss-
mere.
He glanced swiftly round the
room as though in search of some
one-and in spite of the narrow,
pointed beard he was wearing
iSSmare and HOOd1acc recOunizod