, 1924-02-13

of him but with a sort of horror In
my heart. If it hadn't been for you
l might never have thought of him
no other way forever. But what you
did to me, Prosper, you with your
white-hot brain and your gray-cold
heart, you with your music and your
talk %throbbing and whining about my
soul, what you did to me has made
Pierre's iron a very gentle thing. l
have not acted in the play you wrote,
the play you made out of me and my
unhappiness without understanding
just what 1t was that you did to me.
Perhaps if it hadn't been for the play,
| might even have believed hat you
were capable of something better than
that passion you had once for me-
but not now. Never now can / be
lieve it. What you make other people
suffer is material for your own sue.
cess, and you delight in it. You make
notes upon it. Pierre was mad
through loving me, too %ignorantly,
too jealousy, but what you did to me
was through loving me o little.
That was a brand upon my brain and
soul. Sometimes since then that scar
on my shoulder has seemed to me al.
most like the memory of a caress. !
went away from Pierre, leaving him
for dead, ready for death myself.
When you left me, you left me alive
and ready for what sort of living? II
has been Pierre's love and his follow
ing after me that have kept me from
low and beastly things. I've run from
him, but I've run clean and free"
She began to tremble. Twill you say
anything more to M ard to my MANI"
Prosper's face wore its old look of
the winged demon. He was cold in
his angry pain.
Just one thing to your man, per-
haps, If you will allow me, but per
haps you'll tell him that yourself.
That his method is the right one, i
admit. But in one respect not even
a brand will altogether preserve prop
erty rights. Moreno could say some
thing on that score. So could 1. . :"
"Hush!" said Joan; II will tell him
myself. Pierre, l left you for lead
and l went away with this man, and
after a while, because I thought you
were dead, and because / was alone
and sorrowful and weak, and because,
perhaps, Of what my mother was, l.
+" She fell away from Pierre.
crouched against the side Of the door.
and wrapped the curtain round her
face. II told me you were dead
The words came mufled.
Pierre had let her go and turned to
Prosper. His own face was a mask
of rage. Prosper knew that 1t was the
Westerner's intention to kill. For a
minute, no longer. he was a lightning
channel of death. But Pierre, the
Pierre shaped during the last four
difficult years, turned upon his own
writhing, savage soul and forced 1t to
submit. It vas as though he fought
with his hands. Sweat broke out on
him. At last, he stood and looked at
Prosper with sane. stern eyes.
IF that's true what you limited, II
that's true what she was tryin' to tell,
II it's even partly true" he said pain
fully. then 1t was me that brought II
upon her. not yOu-an' not herself,
but me-"
He turned back to Joan, drew the
curtain from her face. drew down her
hands, lifted her and carried her to
the couch beside the fire.
There she shrank away from him,
tried to push him back.
ITS true. Pierre: moi that about
Morena. but the rest Is true. It's true,
Only he told me you were dead. But
you weren't-nO, don't take my hands.
! v did have dealings with Holli-
well. Indeed, I loved only you. But
you must have known me better than
| knew myself. For I am bad. am
bad. ! left you for dead and / went
away"
He had mastered her hands, both of
them In n of his. and he drew them
close to his heart.
Don't Joan! Hush. Joani You
mustn't. 1t was my dolngs, gel, all
of It. Hush !"
He bent and crushed his lips against
hers, silenclng her. Then she gave
way and chung to him. sobblng.
After a while Pierre looked up at
Prosper Gael. All the patience and
the hunger and the beauty Of his love
possessed his face. There was simply
no room In his heart for any lesser
thing.
stranger" he said In the grave and
gentle western speech. am have to
ask you to leave me with my wife,"
Prosper made a curious. silent yes.
ture of self-despair and went out. feel.
Ing his way before him.
II was half an hour later when the
doctor came softly to the door and
held back the curtain In his hand. He
did not say anything and, after a
silent minute, he let fall the curtain
ana moved softly away. He was re-
80 $40 n. -