Year: 1874

Evelyn was not slow to surmise that her
secret interest in himself had been entirely
caused by belief that she was not forget
full Of that past when she was called a. q
servant at the Acton Hotel to witness to
the familiarity which had been so fully
sworn to during the trial of Eugene Aller-
ton for the murder Of the husband Of the
really guilty Beatrice Vernon. Not that
the man for moment suspected the te' ri
Bile and the real knowledge possessed by
the woman. He was not a quick reader Of
the human face, but he readily and easily
saw that she was still in remembrance Of
the tragedy of some years before.


So he left the place and went on, to
think Of her, and to ponder on the fact tf
her having been discovered by him in the
act Of reading the papers in the lost pocket
book. He was not at all disturbed by the
occurrence, farther than to question him
self as to the chances of the close proxim-
ity Of the reigning belle, Miss Vernon,
being made apparent to the former servant
girl at the Acton Hotel. He went on. how
ever, leaving the pretty Cyrille Eytini TO
ponder and to plot.


Since that eventful night in the long ago,
little more than three years previous,
when she had been a solitary witness to the
terrible tragedy at the fashionable water
ing place of Acton, she had been for long
period of time, miserable, haunted wo-
man. She was in doubt as to the course
she should pursue in the affair At the
trial she had given only ordinary evidence
not word iii that period of so much COM
motion escaping her lips as to what her
real knowledge Of the affair was.


After that, she was not foolish enough to
lose her place by a statement of the whole af-
fair. She had preserved silence only now
and then. when she meditated upon the in
nocent and suffering Eugene Allerton, be-
ing conscience reminded Of her real wrong
in not telling of what she knew, and free
ing the innocent person whom her word
alone could save.


She had finally yeeome to this lonely Vir-
ginian solitude, her father having come
over to this country and offered her COM
Portable home for life. She had not given
a thought to that tragedy in the past until
the coming Of Nane Evelyn had SO very
abruptly been the means Of again recalling
it to her mind Now she was all alert.
She could not resist two very powerful at
tractive forces, 50 eminently possessed by
her a love for deep intrigue, native-b born
and innate, and desire to attempt to do
something to satisfy herself that she could,
even at that late day, do something to
make reparation for her great sin Of silence
IN the long past years, when she had mutely
sent a man to an undeserved Imprisonment
that man being Eugene Allerton.


IN TINS. one GLIMPSE nf the ,naper which
she had read in the lost diary of Vane
Evelyn, she had there seen a few words
which had persuaded her that the old char
acters and the old plot had not been ended
with the conviction Of the innocent Eugene
Allerton. She read with startled gaze,
we're to be seen, were of great import to
those concerned


1t read as follows


$ promise to pay to Vane Evelyn, for
work to be done in securing the removal
Df Eugene Allerton from my way, the en-
tire one-half of the fortune which may be
settled upon me in the marriage of the man
10 whom am now engaged


BEATRICE VERNON.


Mwtle THo.


At the sight of that name-of the name
# the woman whom she had seen so foully
murder her own husband, Cyrille Eyting
vas for a moment completely stunned.
In a maze Of the most intricate thought
she was unable to cope with the great fact
that there was intrigue and scheming Going
Dn, and that there still were more plans
against the former lover and the dupe Of
the beautiful Beatrice Vernon.


Then her mind grappled at the truth
with an energy born of love for excite
ment.


Fools fools r she cried. "To be thus
ncautious and unwary."


And in her mind, she built fabric of so
great immensity that she fairly marvelled
at the visionary creation of her imagina-
tive fancy.


"They are still plotting for the ascen-
1ancy of the man whom Miss Vernon once
professed to love, she said "Shall | ex-
pose them (; or, rather, shall / await my.
time, and devote my energies towards clos
ing the developments of the plot with
grand denouement Fools that they are,
to thus atfix upon paper, and to such doc
ument, their signatures and that, too, in
full"


And 50, unknown to the other partici,
pants in the grand plot, was new charac-
ter silently becoming party to their most
secret transactions. The developments
were tending to an exposure Of the woman
Of the world, bnt not yet was she to be
brought to her deserved punishment. For
her tact outwitted the tact Of her enemies,
and that fate that is not always upon the
side Of the evil, was to be ruin for her
in the end. Bhndly she went on, little
needing the promptings Of morality, with
a determination to be the great victor in
the game for fortune.


Four foes to contend against, and those
four determined in their way 10 balk her
Yet the most to be disposed of was the
former servant at the Acton Hotel, the
woman who was cognizant Of the real guilt
Of Beatrice Vernon, ,-Cyrille Eyting


(To BE CoNTINUED.)