ON A RUINED TOWER

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1715, 11 January 1905, Page 11

ON A RUINED TOWER

‘‘The Heron’s Tower” (Methuen and Co., London), by Emily Gerard (Madame de Lazowska), is a story with an unusual plot. The following scene is the climax to a critical situation. Luitgard, or Luita, had loved Delius, a handsome but worthless strolling player and snake charmer, before she married Gastone Frecciacorte, or Pfeilhofen, in aiccordanoo with the wishes of her lather and n?other. She has promised to meet Delius and go away with him, but having learned from her mother that he had accepted a large sum of money to give her up, she determined to denounce him to his face, and then commit suicide. Her husband, however, had followed her.

There were violets growing again round the Herons’ Tower, violets as bright and as sweet as those same violets that were growing here two years ago, when Luitgard had first set eyes on Delius lying on the grass, and had then and there fallen under his charm.

But it was no lovers’ meeting that took place to-day ; it was a scene played out with icy disdain on the one side, with brutal effrontery on the other. The revulsion of feeling that had taken place in Luitgard since last night, had been so violent and complete, that she now marvelled at herself for ever having found beauty in this man, whose moral deformity had been laid bare. It was as though the bright flowers and waving grasses masking the edge of some frightful abyss had been suddenly removed, to reveal th© yawning chasm in all its native hideous ness. The door of the tower stood wide open, and the two voices raised in fierce altercation, were plainly audible to Gastone’s ear as he reached the spot. 'Neither Luitgard nor Delius had any thought of speaking in hushed or lowered accents. What need of concealment, of taking precautions new ? Each knew the game to he played out. “You try to deceive yourself and me. Luita. when you tell me that your love is dead.” Delius was saying, as Gastone, with quite unnecessary precaution, conoealed himself behind one of the ivied statues on the steps. “It cannot be—it is impossible. A mere nervous delusion on your part. Come with me, and you shall learn the true meaning of love, such love as you never have known or dreamed of. There in my own bright country we shall live in orange groves, and, basking in perpetual sunshine, forget all these cold, stiff people among whom your life lias been spent.”

“Do not dare to approach me.” exclaimed Luitgard, recoiling from him in unmistakable horror. “Have I not yet spoken plainly enough ? Have you not understood that I loathe you, that the mere touch of your hand makes me shudder as would do the contact of one of the serpents that live in these w'alls ? Do you believe me now at last, when I tell you that it is you who are mad, still to believe that I ever w'illingly would follow you ?” Delius gave a coarse laugh, which changed and distorted all the beauty of his face into something ugly and venomous.

“And pray has it never occurred to you, my haughty lady, that you have now' no choioe left in the matter hut to go.with me? Dc you suppose that his excellency, your high and mighty husband, will be dispensed to condone and .overlook these little passages between us? You will never get him to believe that it was but harmless child’s play, after all; that I was fool enough not to pluok tho flower that was there all ready to my hand.” A loud rustle in the ivy alongside might have warned the two speakers that they w'ere not alone. For a moment Gastone’s hand had sprung to the hilt of his sword, but restraining himself with a powerful effort, he again stood still as Delius prooeeded.

“Or do you foolishly hope, perhaps, to go on hoodwinking him as hitherto, and keeping all these things from his knowledge? Vain, delusive hope! You are simple indeed if you can entertain it for a moment. A thousand facts there are to incriminate you in his eyes. And will you explain the loss of your jewels? Or do you imagine that I am going to be weak enough to restore them to you now that you have changed your mind forsooth P You see how vain it is to strive against me, Luita.”

“Keep tlie jewels,” retorted Luitgard scornfully; “but their possession will give you no hold over me.” “You intend to make a clean breast of it, perhaps? To throw yourself on his mercy and sue for forgiveness?” went on Delius tauntingly. “Well, I wish you success; but ho does not look the man to forgive and forget.” ‘You are mistaken,” said Luitgard, now white to the lips. “I shall neither ask nor expect forgiveness from him, for I know that I do not deserve it; but at least he shall be no longer troubled with an unworthy wife. After all, it is hut justice that I should suffer for the degradation of ever having loved such a wretch as you.” And turning abruptly, after a last glance of withering contempt, Luitgard

passed out through the open door and began to ascend the steep (flight of steps that Led to the summit of the Heron’s Tower.

Yes, this was the only way remaining, she told herself, the sole possible exit from this hideous labyrinth of misery wherein she had become involved beyond redemption. Her coming into tbe world had been a mistake all along. She had known it dimly since childhood; but it was only now, within the Last hour, that this conviction had come to her as a fixed and hopeless fact..

Her eye was quite steady, her stop firm and unfaltering, as she now approached the edge of the parapet; for there is no room for fear in a heart wherein hope is irrevocably extinguished.

And when suddenly, just at the moment she believed to be her last one in life. Luitgard felt her arm firmly clutched from her rear, angry imp artier, oe at an unwelcome interruption was her only conscious sensation.

“Leave me! leave me!” she cried, fiercely. “I tell you that all your persuasions are useless. Death is a thousand times preferable to the degradation of your love! It is you who have made the world so hideous to me that I no longer care to stay.” And then, as she turned to confront her captor, with a. great throb of surprise and of fear, Luitgard saw that it was not Delius but Gastone, who was holding her arm fast imprisoned with both hands. “Teavo me!” she cried, more faintly this time. “It is better so, better for us both.. You do not know”—And she struggled in his grasp, trembling and fluttering like a bird caught in the fowler’s net.

She had closed her eyes, not daring to meet his gaze, wherein there could only be anger and condemnation. But she could not shut out the sound of the voice, deep and tender, that was murmuring into her ear — “I know everything—everything, and that is why I am here to fetch you, to save you. Did I not tell you that I would keep my wife, and that neither man nor devil should part us? Luitgard. my poor child ! my poor wounded bird! will you not intrust yourself to your husband, who only asks leave to keep you as his most priceless treasure, and defend you against the whole world ?”

She opened her eyes, and still with wandering incredulity looked up into his as they stood thus together on the brink of that awful gap in the castellated wall. What she read there was more than sufficient to silence for ever all doubt, all hesitation, all fear. With a long, sobbing sigh of helpless surrender, Luitgard suffered herself to fall into her husband’s arms.

Half an hour later, Delius was still standing at the tower entrance, a heavy scowl upon his brow, and an ugly sneer on his lips as ho watched the two figures of Luitgard and Gastone disappearing amongst the trees. Half leading, half supporting, he was holding her tightly encircled with his protecting arm, with the masterful tenderness of lawful possession. His own existence was forgotten, it seemed, by these two ; for as they had descended the ruined staircase just now, she clinging to liis arm with confiding weakness, neither of them had vouchsafed a glance to where ho was standing, scarcely concealed ft-cm view.

Mortification and disappointment were the prevalent feelings in his mind just at first; for although his passion tor Luitgard had lost much of its former strength and ardour, the thought of her beauty, now lost to him for ever, was yet vivid enough to produce a feeling of bitter regret ; along with a fierce longing to he revenged upon the man who, as he told himself, had wrested the prize from his hand at the very moment ef victory.

But Delius was of too eminently practical a nature ever to waste much time in lamenting ever spilt milk, and his vivid fantasy was always tempered and regulated by material consideration. So in the present crisis. After a few muttered curses and imprecations, he began rapidly to review the situation, and to consider that, after all, Fortune might have treated him with even greater harshness than she had done. True, Luitgard Ixad now passed out of his life; but did not the world contain many other fair women who would be willing to follow where he listed, and share with him the fruits of those goods which his ingenuity had secured ? A double harvest it was, for in addition to the contents of Marlin’s safe, were there not Luitgard’s jewels, that valuable set of diamonds and sapphires, which with such withering scorn she had abandoned to his covetousness? His arrangements for their flight had all been carefully prepared, and the carriage that was to have borne him and Luitgard far away out of reach of pursuit, was even now waiting for them at a solitary cross-road scarce half an hour’s distance through the forest; while the jewels, by bis deft fingers, detached from their setting, were securely packed away in the broad leather knapsack that he always carried about with him on similar wanderings.

It was seldom that Delius laid aside this bag, his inseparable companion by

day and by night; but this morning, on reaching the place of rendezvous, he had. taken it off in order to pierce some additional holes in the strap that secured the side pockets. While still engaged upon the work, he had caught sight of Luitgard’s white dress shining through the trees, and had risen to meet her, leaving the bag and its contents lying in the grass at the edge of tho water. Th knapsack was still lying where Delius had placed it, but as he reached the spot , and hastily bent down to take it up, too late he became aware of an unexpected danger. The smooth leather surfaoe, reflecting back the rays of the warm April sun, streaming down unchecked at this particular spot, had seemed apparently to offer a. congenial bed to a pair of snakes, which, still heavy and torpid from their winter slumber, had but recently crept out from their biding places. They, too, no doubt, were enjoying the ex'quisite spring day in their own peculiar fashion, as with speckled bodies affectionately entwined they voluptuously reclined on this luxurious couch, placed here aa though for their exclusive benefit, and so vastly superior to the cheerless stone steps, or cold, dewy grass alongside. When the mailer serpent, raising its head, had .so unexpectedly struck out towards the insolent intruder that was venturing to disturb its sweet conjugal privacy, Delius had been quick to realise the danger, and had drawn back hastily, even before, with a short rustle, the reptile had glided off to disappear in the grass. But the other and larger serpent stood its ground, and did not seem inclined to evacuate the position, ais, reanfng its bright spotted necik aloft, it hissed out malignantly in his direction.

To remove it forcibly or kick it away, in the reptile’s state of irritation, was clearly impossible. He must count upon magnetism as the surest way of rendering it harmless; and, though inwardly chaffing at the delay thus entailed. ho fixed his eyes firmly upon the serpent, while, drawing out from his pocket the wooden flageolet, ho began softly to play the snake-charmer’s air, that melody which had so often won him the applause of crowded arenas. Never before had the melody missed its effect, nor did it do so now, for by degrees the serpent ceased to hiss and dart with its venomous forked tongue, but, subdued and fascinated, swayed gently to and fro, as though to mark the cadence of the melody. Still it would not be safe to lay bold of it‘yet: so Delius went on playing, although. presently he became aware of an unusual sensation about his mouth and throat. It was almost as it the mere act of playing had suddenly become difficult and painful. What could it be ? he wondered. And his right arm, too, how' stiff and heavy it felt! He must have strained it somehow, without noticing. It could be nothing else, surely ? That ether serpent had not had time to strike before withdrew' iiis hand ? Impossible! The mere idea was absurd. He must go on playing—yes, playing. That was the only thing to be dome. But why did his tongue feel so large and heavy ? He had never known before that the flageolet was so difficult an instrument to play. Ho tried to laugh aloud, but the sound refused to come. The serpent was now completely subdued, and offered no resistance as he took up the limp, lose coils in his hand to drop it over the edge of the pond into a clump of thick-growing rushes. Nothing now' prevented him from taking up the knapsack and quitting the premises as* speedily as possible; but, instead of this, Delius, whose completion w r as fast turning to a livid pallor, staggered for a moment, and then sat down rather suddenly in the grass. He held up the wrist of his right hand to look at a small red spot surrounded by a narrow' bluish line just under the pulse, w'omdering how it had come there, and whether it could be a scratch or the bite of some insect ? And ten minutes later he was still sitting there, and the narrow blue line had now widened and deepened in line. But Delius w'as not looking at his wrist; he was staring at the brown leather knapsack and trying to recollect why he had come here. With his cramped and swollen fingers lie laid hold of the bag and drew' out a packet carefully tied up in several wrappings of paper. After some painful effort the string w'as loosened and the contents came pouring out—a brilliant cascade of sparkling gems, falling over hands and knees and into the grass all around him.

With a foolish, vacant smile lie stared at a large blue sapphire in the palm of his hand.

Weary of long, fruitless waiting, Wulfhild at last crossed over the pine stem and walked round to the other side of the tower, where she presently found what .she sought. There Delius was lying in the flower-bespangled grass, where dewdrops, vying ip lustre with the lavishly scattered diamonds and sapphires as blue as the rank-grow-ing violets, seemed to have joined together in order to weave a bright, fantastic garland round the perfect tea-

tunes and faultless figure of the dead youth.