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She cleared her hair from her brow

"I--I swear to you, Carus, that never has Walter Butler so er onthat spell of melancholy, clothed in romance--and--I know not hoas--or how I listened, or how consented--it is scarce ht, his voice so gentle, so pitiful, treain her hands covered her eyes--"and, ere I are of it, frightened, stunned in the story words that bound , yet suffered it--for even as he ringed me he touched me not with his hand Oh, if he had, I think the spell had broken!"

Again her tears welled up, falling silently; and presently the strength returned to her voice, and she went on: "From the first ht be From the very first I closed my ears to the quick cry of caution I saw you meet coquetry unmoved, I knew the poison of h every vein; and every moment with you was the more hopeless for me I played a hundred rôles--you sreith your aed for your affection as I never longed for anything on earth--or heaven I had never had a lover to love before O Carus, I had never loved, and love crazed me! Day after day I wondered if I had been fashioned to inspire love in such a man as you I was bewildered by my passion and your coldness; yet had I not been utterly mad I must have known the awful end of such a flame once kindled But could I inspire love? Could you loveof the end, knowing all hope was dead forin life unless you loved me O Carus, if I have inspired one brief moment of tenderness in you, deal mercifully with the sin! Guilty as I am, false as I am, I can not add a lie and say that I am sorry that you love me, that for one blessed moment you said you loved me Now it is ended I can not be your wife I aently, Carus, lest your wrath strike ed Love!"