THE NOVELIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2253, 6 May 1897, Page 41

THE NOVE LIST.

{.Published By Sbecial Arrangement.] 1 WHOSO FINDETH A WIFE. I • I

{ By WILLIAM LJE QUEUX, \ Author of "The Great War in England in 3897," "Zoraida," "Stolen Souls," "Guilty Bonds," "A Secret Service," &c, <fee. LCopyRIGHT.] Chapter XXVII. Cosmopolitans. HY, what's the matter, old cbap 2 " inquired Cargill, bending forward quickly to glance at the journal; " You look as if you've got an acute attack of the jimjams." " See I " I gaspßd hoarsely, pointing to the printed page -upon which my strained eyes had rivetted themselves. "Deucedly pretty woman," declared the attache, who was nothing if not a ladieß' man. Few men were batter known in Paris than Hugh Cargill. . "Yes, yes, I know," I exclaimed impatiently. j I was sitting dumbfounded, the words i | bßneath the picture dancing before my i I vision in letters of fire. The portrait that seemed to smile mockingly at me was a reproduction of a photo- i graph of Ella. The handsome regular features were unmistakable. With the exception of the magnificent tiara, the orna- i ments she wore I recognised as belonging to I her. All were new in my possession, alas ! i for on leaving me she had diEcarded them, i and with ineffable sadness I had locked them 1 away in a small cabinet. The jewel case 1 containing her wedding ring was a veritable skeleton in my cupboard that I dare not i gsza upon. ] The picture was undoubtedly that of my ■ i lost wife, yet beneath was printed in French i the words : ( "Her Imperial Highness the Grand i Duchess Elizaveta Nicolayevna o£ Russia." i " Look ! " I cried, my eyes still npon the i page. " Surely there's some mistake 5 That 1 can't be the Grand Dachess! " a Allender and Cargill bent simultaneously \ over the little table, .and both declared that 1 there was no mistake. • "She's very well known here," exclaimed j * the attache. " I've., seen her driving her I 2 Orlcff ponies in the Bois dozens of times. ! a Besides, one never forgets such a face as ! r hers." j " Does she live here ? " I inquired breath- t lessly. . " Sometimes," he answered, and smiling h behind the veil of tobacco smcke he added, ! h "She's been a long time now. I suppose you want an introduction to her — eh 1 Well, a I don'c expect you'll be successful, as her I circle is the most select in Paris. She never v invites aDy of the • corps diplomatique.' " " No," I answered huskily. " I desire no a introduction." A sudden giddiness had c seized me. The jingle of glasses, the inces- n sant chatter, the loud laughter, and the heavy v: smoke of cigars had combined with this b sudden and bewildering discovery to produce a a slight faintness. I took up a glass of ice- fi water at my elbow and gulped it down. "Dj you know her?" inquired Allender, as with a pronounced American accent, at the ro same time regarding me curiously. " Yes," I answered, not without hesitation, la •' She is— l mean we have already met." le " Wai, you're to be congratulated," he g< answered smiling. » I reckon she's the b< finest-lookin' weman in Parrus, an' that's a at solid fact." aI Without replying I slowly turned over the ai page, and there saw a brief article with the th same heading as the legend beneath the por- re trail. Cargill and Allender were attracted at th that moment by the entry of one of their friends, a wealthy young man who, with his id wife, had forsaken Ohio for residence in the French capita], and while they chatted I Hi eagerly scanned the article, which ran as on follows :—: — g c "Paris will welcome the return of Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Elizaveta Nicolayevna, of Russia, whose por- sn

{ trait we give on another page. For near : nine months ber great house in the Avent •, dcs Champs Elysees, the scene of so mac I brilliant fetes during ber last residence ther ; has been closed, but she arrived in Paris aboi 10 days ago and has announced her intentio ' of remaining among us until the end of tfc . year. As our readers are no doubt awar I her Imperial Highness, niece of the lal , Czar Alexander, and cousin of the preset , Czar, is an excellent linguist, speaking Eng 1 lish and French perfectly, in addition to he [ native Russian. She was born at Tzarakou t Selo, but her early days were spent in Eng . land. She, however, prefers Paris to eithe , London or St. Petersburg, although in th 1 latter city her entertainments at the mansio ,' on the English quay are on a scale almost s ; brilliant as those at the Winter Palace itsel: : Her beauty is incomparable, and he ' diamonds among the finest in Europe. He munificence to the poor of Paris ie w& known. Although moving in the highea circle she does not fear to go herself into th very vilest slums, accompanied by her trusi Muscovite man-servant, and there distribut , relief to the deserving from her own purse Both the needy and the wealthy therefor i welcome her on her return." I I re-read the article. Then I sat with th paper before me staring afc it in blanl ) beVilderment. The surprising discovery hel< ;me petrified. Thi3 beautiful woman wh> ' had masqueraded as Ella Laing, and ba< become my wife by law, was actually thi ; daughter of a reigning house, the cousin 0 an Emperor. j The astounding truth seemed incredible. I " Well," asked Cargill, turning to ma wltl , a smile a moment later. " Have you beei ; reading all about her ? " i "Yes," I answered, drawing a lon| 1 breath. I " Come, don't sigh like that, old fellow," h< I crieel, and glancing across to the bar I shouted : "Mix another dry Martini, Tommy for my friend." : To affect indifference I strove in vaia Nevertheless I listened wibh eager ears as raj tares companions commenced diseasing tht merits of the high-born woman who was mj wife. To me she waß no longer Ella. Hei personality, so vivid and distinct, *eemed in those moments of perplexity, to fade like the memory of some balf-remembarori dr,eam. " Her beaufcy is simply marvellous'," Allender acknowledged, smoking ob, in his dry matter-of-fact way. He was not more than 38, but by sheer merit as a sound lawyer and a thorough good fellow he bad risen' to tbe lucrative post he held, and had, in the coarse of five years, formed a iargs and valuable practice and a wide circle of friends amoog the English-speaking peoole in the Frsnch capital. "I entirely agree with ra'sienr," observed M. Goron, in bis broken English. "Her highness is very beautiful, but, ah— cold as an icicle." "\ "Is there no scandal regarding her 1 " I inquired eagerly, well knowing that in Paris no woman is considered re'vlly chic without some story being whispered about ber. " None," replied the renowned investigator of Anarchist conspiracies. "I have the pleasure of knowing her highness, and I have alway 6 found her a most estimable young ladys. There is, however," he added, " some curious romance, I believe, connected wifch her eariier life." " A romance 1 " cried Cargill. ■• Do tell us all about it." "Ah, unfortunately I do not know the details," answered the old Frenchman, suddenly exhibiting his palms. " Ifc was alleged once by somebody I met officially ; who ft was I really forget. She lived for years in England, and is a cosmopolitan thoroughly, besides being one of th© richest women in Paris." " Is it true that she sometimes goes into the low quarters of tha city and gives money to the poor ? " I asked him, for this love of midcight adventure acconnted for Ella's strange penchant for rambling alone at night that had once caused me so much perturbation. "Certainly. With her, philanthropy is a fad. I accompanied her on several occasions last year," he replied. " She attired herself in an old worn-out dress of oue of her maids, and dirgaised herself most effectually. On each night she distributed about SOOOfr ; with her own hands. Indeed, zo well known I in she in certain quarters that I believe she ! might go there alone with perfect eafety. j However, when she iB going we always know | it the prefecture, and take precaution!. It ] would not do for us to allow anything to aappen to an imperial highness," he added. " Of course not," observed Oargill, adding with the diplomatic instinci. "Of course, tfot in view of the Franco-Russian Alliance," in observation at which we all three laughed nerrily. "Has she a lover?" inquired Allender, ;urmng to M. Goron. " I think not," the other replied. " I never leard of one. Indeed I have never heard ler accused of flirtation with anybody." "Tell me, m'sieur," I asked, "are you cquainted with a Russian named Ivan Isnouf, who is, I believe, in the secret service 1 " & "Renouf!" he repeated, glancing qaickly tme with his steel-blue eyes. " Yes, I have act him. He is in Paris at the present aoment. Whether he is in the actual series of tbe Czar'e Government I don'fc know, ut one thing is certain — namely, that ha is blackmailer and a scoundrel," he added rankly. " What offence has he committed ? " I Eked, eager to learn some fact to his detrilent. "He keeps well within the bounds of the tw," my companion answered. " Neverthe!ss he is utterly unscrupulous and most inecioua in his methods. He is reported to c chief of the section of Secret Police Cached to the Russian Embaeey, but they :e a mysterious lot of spies, always corcing id going. Sent here from St. Petersburg, ley remain a few months watching the svclntioaary refugees, and then go back, leir places being taken by a fresh batch." " Why is Rsnonf in Paris ? Have you any 1 "None, m'sieur," M. Goron answered. ; c has been absent fully sis months, and >ly last night I met him coming out of La - Jala." j " Did you speak 1 " " Yea. He did not, however, recognise me," 1 oiled the Chief of Police. "I did not 1

ly expect he would, as I chanoed to be acting ie as a oabman, and was sitting upon my boz( iy outside the theatre. Ha hailed me, but I c, refused to drive him. I was waiting for si at fair who was enjoying himself inside, ana >n who, on coming out, I had the pleasure o£ ie driving straight to the Prefecture," adde<t c, the man of a thousand disguises with s^ to chuckle, swallowing his cocktail afc on< it gulp. I- "Where does the Grand Duchess live?* 1 it I inquired, after a slight pause. 3- " Deedes is simply gone on 'her," criae J- OargilJ, with good-humoured banter. "Ha ir evidently wants to take her oat to dinner." c " No," I protested, smiling grimly, " Non thing of the kind. I only want to know is whereabouts in the Avenue dcs Champs Elyf. sees she lives." ir • "It is a large white house with green >r jalousies on the left-band side, just beyond U the Avenue de l'Alma," explained the ohief it of police, laughing at Oargill's suggestion,, c •• But how did you become acquainted with y her ? " inquired the attache presently, after c my companions had been praising her face !". and extolling her virtues, c «• We met in London," I answered vaguely, I for I wag in no confidential mood, a I " And she captivated yon, eh ? " my friend k I exclaimed. " Wei), I'm not aurprised. Half d ! Paris gees mad over her beauty whenever 0 she's here." 3 "It is said, and I believe there's a good c deal of truth in it," exclaimed Goron confif dentlally, "that young Max Dacbanel, tbe well-known writer on the Figaro, committed suicide last year by shooting himself over at ii Le Pre St. Gervsis because she disregarded a his attentions. At any rate, an extravagant letter of reproach and farewell was discovered ? in his pocket. We hushed up the matter beCRUse of the position of the personage therein c mentioned." ', } Afc least one man had paid with his life the 1 - penalty of hi» devotion to Her- Did not this i facfc force home once again the truth of ■ ; Sonia'a disregarded denunciation that Ella f was not my friend ? It was now plain how 2 neatly I had bsen tricked ; and with whar, ' r artful ingenuity she had masqueraded aa my f wife. M. Grodekoff, the Russian ambas1 aador, Paul Verbliondovitch, and I* an Ret t aonf all knew her true position, yet feared Ito tell me. Indeed, my friend Paal had ■ I urged me to marry and forget fche past, and his Excellency had actually congratulated ua^r both with outstretched hand. Because ahe was so well known in Paris she had, while on our honeymoon, only remained in tbo capital the night, and Lad refused to go shopping or t show herself unnecessarily. She had prej ferrorl a quiet, unfashionable hotel in' a by-f treet to any of those well known ; and I aow remembered how, even then, she ha^. remained in her room pleading- fatigue and headache. From our first; meeting to' the moment of her flight her afctifcnde had been I that of a consnmniate actress. i " Did her Highness pass under another j came ia London ? " Garon asked me prel sently, apparently much interested. I " Yes," I replied. "Ah! "he ejaculated. " She is perfectly charming, and so fond of concealing her real position beneath the most ordinary patronymic. To me she is always so affable and so nsce." I " Goron is sweet on ncr also, I believe/ > observed Allender, whereat we all laughed . chorue. I struggled to preverve an outward show oC indifference, but every word these men uttered stabbed ray heart deeply. When I had ascertained the whereabouts of her j house my iirst impulse bad beea to rush out, j drive there, and meet ber facs to face ; but j my nerves were, I knew, upset pnti nnsteady. j so I remained sitting with* my light-hearted, j companions, endeavouring amid that jingle, popping of corks, and chatter of London, New York, and Paris, to think deeply and decide upon the besfe coursa to pursue, j "Our chief sent her invitation* to the i Etnbnsay balls on several occasions a year t ago, bat she declined each," I beard "tha attacb6 say. " She's a royalty, so I suppoEe she thinks herself just a ens above us. 'Bni, after all, I don't blame her," he added reflectively. "Diplomacy is but the art of lying artistically. She has no need to struggla for a foothold la aociety." • "Correct," observed Allender. "The > 9?oaoea who flatter arcuad afc oar Embassy : are the gayest crowd I've ever struck. I reckon they're not of her set. But she's a very fine woman, even though she may be a I Highness. , She's simply beautif al. I've seen some fine women in ray day, but for thrilling a man's soul and driving biro to' I distraction I never saw anyone to'compare with her." I " That's so," Cargill acquiesced. " Yet her refusal to come to us has often been remarked by onr chief, especially sis we've entertained a crowd of other princesses and high nobilities at one time or another." ; " She has a reason, I suppose," observed ! Goron, slowly twisting bis eternal caporal. _ " Goron appears to know a)J her secrets," said Cargill, winking afc me knowingly. "He trots her about Paris at night, and she confides in him all her little anxieties and .fears — a most charming arrangement." The astute officer, who by his energetic action had succeeded in effectually stamping out the anarchist activity, smiled and raised both his hands in protest, crying : " No, no, messieurs I It is in yon younger men that the pretty women confide. As for me, I am old, fat, and ugly." " But you act as protector of the philanthropic Elizaveta Nicolayevena," observed Cargill, " therefore when yon next see her tell her how her portrait in Le Monde has been admired by an impressionable young Englishman named Deedes, and present to her the compliments and profound admiration of all three of us." II Don't do anything of ihe kind, Goron," I cried.rather angrily. "Remember, I know the lady, and such words would be an insult." " Very well, if yon're really goiDg to call on her you might convey our message," exclaimed the attache nonchalantly. ~" You're not jealous, are you ? " " I don't think there's any need for jealousy," I responded. Goron laughed heartily at this retort. He was more shrewd than the others, and I instinctively felfc that he had gueßsed that her Highness and myself were a little more than ohance-met acquaintances. Bab the others continued their fooling — happy, carelwfe

s:

bubbling over with buoyant splii' f. Many good fellows frequented the bar of the Chatham, one of the most cosmopolitan resorts in Europe. Many adventurers and '• deadbeats " made ifc their headquarters, but of ali that merry easy-going crowd of men with money and those in want of it, to find two men more popular and more generous than Hugh Cargill and Henry Allender would have been difficult.

As we still sat together smoking and crinking the pair directed their chaff continually in my direction. Evidently believing that the incomparable beauty of her Highness had fascinated me, they urged me to go to her and suggest a drive in the Bois, a quiet little dinner somewhere, or a box at the opera. Little did they dream how every jesting word they uttered paiDed me ; how each laugh at my expense caused me excruciating ; or how any detrimental allegation spoken unthinkingly sarjk deeply into my mind. But I bad never worn my heart on my 3leeve, therefore I treated their banter with good humour, determined that, at least for the present, they should remain in ignorance of the fact that I was the husband of 'the. woman whose adorable face and charming manner had excited universal admiration in the gayest capital of the world.

Chapter XXVIII. Her Imperial Highness. . Until we rose and separated I tuiccseded in hiding my sorrow beneath a f mile, but when at length I had shaken hands with roy companions at the corner of the line de la Paix, and to myrelief found myself once more alone walking across the Place Veadome, with the black column standing out before, me in the bright moonlight, my outburst, of grief became uncontrollable. My heart, lancinaied by the careless words of my companions, had been burdened by a bittornesa rendered the more poignant because J had been compelled to laugh with them. Now that I had proof that Ella was not what she represented herBel£ to be —an affectionate, ur&ssuming woman of my own sration — I felt; crushed, bewildered, and disconsolate, for with the knowledge of onr difference of birfch the iron bad entered my soul.

The manner in which she had posed as daughter of the pleasant-faced widow of Eobert Laing, and her calm^dignified bearing as my wife, had been a most perfect piece of acting. Never for one moment had I suspected her to be anything else than what she represented herself to be — plain Ella Laing, the only daughter of the deceased ship-owner; yet she was actually a daughter of the Romanoffs, the most powerful and wealthy house in Europe. As I strolled slowly along the Rue Castiglione towards the hotel I asked myself whether she had ever really loved me. At first I doubted her, because of the difference of our stations. Presently, however, when I recollected the perfect bliss of our honeymoon, when I remembered how childishly happy we had been together through those brief autumn days in the sleepy old towns and villages of the Indre, content in each other's joys, I coulel not longer declare -within myself that hers had been mere theatrical emotion. Yes, she had loved me then, this high-born woman over whose beauty half Paris raved, and I, in my ignorance, had fondly imagined our love would last always. The experiment of the masquerade had amused her at first, perbapß, but soon, alas ! she had grown tired of life in a. ten-roomed house in s quiet road in Kensington, and with a brief, cruel farewell, bad returned to her jewel case the ring I haS placed upon her slim finger, and left; me with rathleßß disregard for all the love I had bestowed upon her. Yet, after all, was it in reality surprising that she, the daughter of an Imperial house, should become weary of the hum-drum life she had been compelled to lead with one whose private income, outside his salary, was a paltry £900 a year ?

While we lived together Bhe had apparently exercised the greatest caution not to show herself possessed of money, for.she always did her shopping in Kensington High street, with due regard to economy, as became the wife of a man of limited means. Never once had she grumbled or sighed because she could not purchase higher-priced hats or dresses, but always content she had, I remember, been proud to exhibit to me those odds and ends picked up in drapers' sbopg, so dear to the feminine heart and known as bargains. When I had regretted my small income, as I bad done more than once, she had fondly kissed me, declaring herself perfectly willing to wait until £ had obtained a diplomatic and more lucrative appointment. " You have an excellent friend in the Earl," she would say, smiling sweetly. "He is certain to give you a post before long. Be patient."

I had, been patient and had lost faer.v

Plunged in deep despair, I turned into the courtyard of the hotel and sat down to think. As I did so a servant handed me a

telegram. It was from Lord Warnhatn al Osborae requesting my return on the morrow.

The one thought that possessed me was that Ella — or the woman I had known and adored under that name — was in Paris. Could I leave without seeing her 1 She had deserted me, ib waß true, yet my passion was at that moment as intense even as it had been in those calm autumn days when we had wandered together along the peaceful lanes around old-world Ohateauroux, hand in band in sweet, contentment. In those never-to-be-iorgotten hour 3we both possessed the delights of love and fever of happiness. To us everything was passion, ecstacy, and delirium. We both felt as if we were living in a roseV:o'.oured atmosphere ; the heights of sentimentality glistened in our imagination?, and common everyday existence appeared to u3 to be far down below in the distance, in the shade between the gaps in these heights. I still felt the sof tneS3 of thattiny hand I had so often pressed to my lips ; I still felt the clasp of her arms about my neck ; I still saw her deep blue eyes gazing into mice as we interchanged vows oi eternal fidelity. ' -

The ory of a man selling the Soir aroused me. I rose huddenly. Yes, I must see her again. I must sse her, if for the last time.

Stepping into a cab I directed the man to drive to her house, ihen, seating myself, glancad at my watch. It was already near midnight.

Scon with the ciip-clap of the horse's hcofs sounding upon the asphalt we were crossing the Piacs de la Concorde, rendered bright by its myriad light?, then entering the broad avenue we passed ttie lines of illuminated cafes half hidden by the trees surrounding them, and driving on for aorae ten minutes at last pulled up amor-g a number of private carriages that were seitiag down guests before a great manaior, where I alighted.

One of those brilliant fetes that were the the talk of Paris v/as apparently about to commence, for many notabilities were arriving, and as I went forward to the spacious portico I was preceded by two pretty laughing girls attended by a tall and distinguishedlooking man of military appearance. I drew back while they entered the great brilliantlylit hall with its fine marble staircase and profusion of exotics; then, when they had passed on, I inquired in French of the gigantic Russian concierge whether her highness was at home.

"Yes, m'sieur," answered the man gruffly, scanning me closely, noticing that I waß attired in a suit of dark tweed, for bo suddenly had I left England that I had had no time to take with me a claw-hammer coat. " Her Highness is at home, m'sieur, bub she is engaged," he said, when ho had thoroughly inspected me.

I half drew my card-case from my pocket, but' fearing lest she might not see me if she knew my name, I said :

" Go to her, and say that a friend craves one moment of her time upon an important mattet." ' " Jrsieurgives me no card 1 " he inquired, with a quick, interrogative look of suspicion.

" No," I answered.

He led me across the hall, wherein hung an elaborate Russian ikon, down one loDg wellcarpeted corridor and then along another, at last ushering me into a great apartment resplendent with mirrors, statuary, and gilt furniture, the latter bearing embroidered upon the crimson backs of the chairs her monogram "E.N.," surmounted by a Rnssian coronet. In the costly inlaid cabinets were arranged many pieces of priceless china. The carpet was of rich turquoise blue, the tables of ebony werfc inlaid with silver, and over all electric lamps dotted here and there, shaded by coral silk, shed a warm, subdued light. Near the four long windows that occupied one end of the great room was a grand piano upon which two photographs in ormulu frames stood conspicuously. I crossed to look at them, and discovered that one waß my own, that she had evidently taken with her when she had so suddenly left my house, and the other a portrait of the man who had betrayed me, Dudley Ogle. Slowly my eyes wandered around the elegant apartment, unable to realise that this handsome luxurious abode could actually ba my wife's home. How mean and paltry indeed must our small drawing-room in Phillimore Gardens have appeared to her after all this stately magnificence and rigid etiquette. A«i I passed through the great mansion, one of the largest private residences in Paris, my nostrils had been grested by the subtle odours of exotics, and upon my ears there had fallen the strains of an orchestra somewhere in the opposite wing of the building. Guests were evidently not shown to the side of the house where I had been conducted, for not a sound penetrated there. All was quist, peaceful, and stately. Suddenly, just as I bent to more closely examine Dudley's portrait, and had distin-

guished that it was a copy similar to the one I had seen in Sonia's possession, the door was thrown wide open by a tall liveried servant, who entered, and, bowing low, announced in stentorian tones : " Her Imperial Highness Elizaveta Nicolayevna." The rapid frou-frou of silk sounded outside, and nexb moment my wife and I stood face to face. In an instant the colour left her cheeks. She staggered as if she had bsen dealt a blow, but managing to regain her selfpossession she turned quickly to the servant, and in a frigid tone said : " Go, Anton ; and see that I am not disturbed." The man, glancing at m 8 for a moment in unfeigned surprise, bowed, and withdrew in silence. I stood motionless, gazing upon her, noting the beauty of her costume, the brilliance of her diamond?, and the deathly pallor of her haggard bnfc adorable face.

'• Geoffrey ! " ahe gasped at last. In a halffearful whinper Bhe repeated my name, adding, " So you have found m 8 ! " With a quick, impetuous movement she walked unevenly toward me, with rustling skirts and outstretched hands. It seemed to me as I looked at her as if my soul flew towards her, spreading at first like a wave around the outline of her head, and then, attracted by the whiteness of her breast, descending into her. " Yes," I said Blowly and gravely. " I have found you, Ella." * " Ab, no," she cried, advancing so close to me ♦'hat the well-remembered odour of earnpagita intoxicated me. I felt, her warm, passionate breath upon my cheek. "Do not call me longer by that false name. , Forget it — forget it all, and call me by my right name, Elizaveta." " It is impossible," I answered. " No, do not say that," she cried hoarsely. " I—lI — I kaow I have deceived you, Geoffrey. I lied to you. Bat forgive me. Tell mo thai you will some day forget." " Think," I said in a low, reproachFul tone, my heart filled with grief to overflowing ; " think how you have wrecked my life," I urged. " You msf queraded before me as a plain English girl; you married me and allowed me to adore you — ah ! better than all the world besides until you grew tired and left our poor matter-of-fact home to reassume your true station — that of a Grand Dnchess. You never loved me ; but it amused you, I suppose, to become the wife of a man who was compelled to earn^his livelihood. The economy you practised while with me was a new sensation to you,

and your " • " Stop I " she cried vehemently, putting up her tiny hand- to my month, as had been her habit long ago when she wished to arrest the flow of my words. " Stop ! I cannot bear it! I tell you I did love you, Geoffrey. I love jfou now clearer than life.' 1 " Then why did you practise such base deception ?" I demanded. " Why did you leave me and cast aside ray wedding ring ? " " I—lI — I was compelled," she faltered. " Compelled ! " I echoed, in a voice full of bitter sarcasm. "I do nob — indeed I cannot — blame you for regretting the false step you took when you consented to become my wif9, I yet why you should have done this is to me utterly incomprehensible." " It will all be plain ere long," she assured jmein a low, intense voice. "It I bad not j loved you I should never have become your i wife." ) " But you were cruel to deceive me thus," | I retorted. ; " Ifc is my misfortune, Gaoffrey, that I was j born a Grand Duchess,' ahe answered, looking straight at me with her deep blue eyes full ef intense anxiety and sorrow. "It is not my fault. I swear I still love you with a love as honest and pure as ever a woman entertained towards a man." " Bub after deceiving me in every particular regarding both the past; and the present you thought fit to leave me," I went dn ruthlessly. "Ah ! " Bhe exclaimed, as if reflecting^ " I admit that I wronged you cruelly ; yes", I admit ifc all — everything. Nevertheless, tince we have parted, Gaoif rey, I have recollected rdaily, with a thousand heartfelt legrets, the j supreme joy of our married life. Ah I it was ; happiness indeed with you, the man I so j dearly loved. But now," and she shrugged j her shoulders half hidden in their pale blue I chiffon, the movement causing her diamonds to gleam with fiery irridescence — "now, without yourlove, I have happiness no longer. ' All is despair." " I have not forgotten. Every detail of ! onr brief joyous life together is still fresh in ) my memory," I declared sorrowfully. i " Forgotten I How can.either of us forget ! " she cried, impetuously pushing back from her white brow her gold- brown hair with its scintilating star. " Only in those few months spent by your side, Geoffrey, have I known what it is to really live and to love. Although I have been absent from you I have, nevertheless, known from time to time how you have fared, yet I dared not give you any sign as to my whereabouts, fearing that you would brand me as base and heartless. To jrou I must appear so, I know ; yet, although we are separated, I am still your wife, and you my husband. I still love you. Forgive

And she stood before me with bent head in penitent attitude, her slight frame shaken by tremulous emotion. A lump rose in my throat. I felt choked by the intoxication of her love, for I idolised her. Yet I knew that, although my wife, she could never be the same to me as in those blissful days in Kensington before the shadow of suspicion fell between us. " You are silent, Geoffrey," she whispered hoarsely at last, starting at the sound of her own voice. Then throwing her soft arms abput my neck she clung to me passionately, as she was wont to do in those bygone days of happiness, saying: "You cannot deny that you still care for me — that I am your 3. Yet you are thinking of the pact, of what you regard as my base faithlessness I My actions were, I admit, full of apparent ingratitude. Yes, I cast your great love beneath my feet and trampled it in the mire, not because I am what I am, I swear, but because buc'q an action was imperative ; because I was striving for my emancipation." " Your emancipation I " I exclaimed, with a touch of anger. " From your marriage vows, it seems?"

11 Ab, no 1 " cried the Grand Duchess, throwing back her white neck which rose with her hot panting breath. " No, no, not that I I struggled to free myself from a tie so hateful that I believe I should have killed myself were it not that I loved you so fondly, and hoped that some day happiness would again be ours. But, alae, I strove in vain, for when within an ace of success you became filled with suspicion, and' accused me of unfaithfulness, while it became imperative, almost at the same moment, that I should return to tbe position I had sought to relinquish. Since I fled from you I have lived on j from day to day full of bitter regrets and in constant fear lest you should discover that I was not what I represented myself to be, and come here to demand an explanation. Well, at last you have come, and — and all I can now do is to assure you that I actad in our mutual interests, and to implore your forgiveness." I still gazed at her without replying. " Forgive me, Geoffrey," she repeated. " One cannot get accustomsd to the loss of happiness, and I cannot live without you, indeed I cannot. Say that we may begin again, that, even though we must for the present be parsed, we may still love and live for each^ other. See 1 lam laughing and am happy," she cried hysterically. " Speak IDo speak to me ! " Tears were trembling in her deep, wonderful eyes like dewdrops in the calix of a blue flower, and without knowing what I did I stroked her silky hair. Slowly she bent her head, and at last I Bofbly kissed her eyelids. " Yes," I said huskily. " I love you, Ella — for I can call you by no other rainc, and cannot thick of you other than as f.he woman I believed you to be. I can see that although we are man and wife in the eyes of the law you were' right to end the r'olLy, even though yon were unable to do it withont some pangs of conscience. You are my wife, it is true, bat our lives lie apart, for your position pre- j eludes you from acknowledging me to the , world as your husband . You " i "Yes, i will. I will, Geoffrey 1 Soon I shall be freed from this terrible yoke that crushes me beneath its burden," she exclaimed eagerly. "Bo patient, and ere long we may again live together and enjoy our i happiness to the fill 1 . You still doubb fchab j I really love you. You believe that my i marriage was a mere freak of wjiich I after-. j ■wards repented, and then strove to hide my j identity. What can I do 1 " she cried, dis- j mayed. " What can Ido to' give you proof ; that I love no other man ? " • " One very small action," I answered j gravely, sdll holding her 3lighfc trembling ; form in my arms. j " What is it 7 " she inquired quickly glancing up into my face. "1 am ready to do ifc, whatever ib is." For a moment; I paused in hesitation. "Answer me a single question, Ella," I said. "Remember you are my wife, and should have no secrets from me. Tell me, truthfully and honestly, how there came into your possession the secret document that was stolen from me on the day of Dudley's death." The colour left her face, her lips moved, and a slight shiver ran over hen shoulders as she gazed at me. Never before had her eyes seemed so large and deep, nor had there been such depths in them. Some subtle influence seemsd in an instant to have transfigured her whole being. ,

(To be continued.)