Page 195 (1/1)
"His wife!" Morgana repeated the words in aazed at the two beautiful women, the one so spiritlike and fair, the other so hu if she had heard aright
"His wife! Yes!" Manella spoke with a thrill of exultation in her voice,--and she caught Morgana's hand and kissed it fondly--"His wife! It is the only way I can be his slave-wo, so that I ht to wait upon him and care for hiain--please God he will!--as soon as that happens I will go away at once He will never know!--he shall never learn who it is that has cared for him! You see? I shall never be really his wife--nor he my husband--only in name And then--when he co and well once ana silenced her by a gesture which was at once coirl, he never loved ently--"He has always loved himself Yes!--you know that as well as I do! Once--I fancied I loved HIM--but now I knoay of love is not his Let us say no more of it! You wish to be his wife? Do you think what that nise you,--your life will be sacrificed to a helpless creature whose brain is gone--ill be unconscious of your care and utterly irresponsive Oh, sweet, TOO loving Manella!--you e the best years of your youth and beauty to such a destiny!"
Manella's dark eyes flashed with passionate ardour and enthusiasives me to do! Do you not see how it is with me? It is my one love--the best of my heart!--the pulse of my life! Youth and beauty!--what are they without him? Ill or well, he is all I care for, and if I may not care for him I will die! It is quite easy to die--to make an end!--but if there is any youth or beauty to spend, it will be better to spend it on love than in death! My white angel, listen and be patient with me! You ARE patient but still be more so!--you know there will be none in the world to care for hi he said that love would weary him--he did not think he would ever be helpless and ill!--ah, no!--but a broken brain is put away--out of sight--to be forgotten like a broken toy! He was at work on soreat secret!--it will never be kno--not a soul will ever ask what has become of it or of him! The world does not care what becoreatly have any pity!"