Rose Mortimer; Or, The Ballet-Girl's Revenge — page 125: what you’re looking at

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THE BALLET-GIRL’S REVENGE. 119 i a ee Yet so did they eling to their wealth that they would have sacrificed even life itself to protect it. The fisherman repeated his command. / “Never!” retorted Edgar Deville. ‘ Never while I have strength to defend it,’’ “* But have you 2” <¢ What ?” | Strength to defend it.” ‘‘ That shall be seen.” The fisherman who acted as spokesman advanced, and placed his hand upon Edgar’s arm. The young man indignantly shook him off, Then dashed his fist into his face. This had the effect of bringing matters to a crisis. The man swore the most fearful oaths to have his life. Then, drawing a knife from his girdle, an ugly ‘looking weapon used in the fisherman’s calling, he made a rush at Edgar. » The young man, seeing himself in danger, endea- voured to step aside, but, from the slippery state of the rocks, he missed his footing and fell, half his body hanging over the sea. With a wild shriek, Clara caught at the falling man and by a sudden and powerful effort succeeded in dragging liim back. All was done so momentarily that the two fisher- men had no time to avail themselves of the accident. To the fellow who had threatened him it proved the source of a disaster. Wildly rushing on to take yengeance upon him, he stumbled also. | 5 In an instant the other man had pounced upon the disputed treasure which had been left unguarded by Edgar Deville’s fall. But ere he had time to make away with it Clara St.John dashed at him, and with a well-timed push sent him headlong over the rock. Then she darted upon the prostrate fisherman and pinned him to the ground. She could not hope to hold him long, but before he could recover himself Edgar was up again and added his strength to hers to secure the fisherman. ‘The knife, the knife !’” said Clara St. John, point- ing to the weapon of the fisherman which had fallen from his grasp. ‘* Pick it up.’ Edgar obeyed, just securing the knife in time to oppose its original possessor as he succeeded in shak- ing off Clara’s feeble hold. ** Stab him!’’ she cried. ‘‘Cut him down! with him !”” The fisherman was in an unpleasant position at this period. ‘Spare me!’’ he implored. * Slay him !’’ cried the remorselesswoman. ‘‘ Down with him !” Edgar offered to strike, but the guilty wretch be- fore him begged for his life in such abject terms that the young man was touched. “Get up,” he said, ‘‘and remember that I spare your life upon condition only that you mention to no one the nature of the accident by which your com- panion in crime has met his death.” *‘ Hold!’”’ exclaimed. Clara, before the fisherman could move from the ground. ‘‘ Give me the knife.” Edgar Deyille appeared reluctant to part with it, however. Seeing this, the woman snatched it from him ere he could offer to oppose her. Then, bringing it down with great violence, she buried it up to the hilt in the poor wretch’s shoulder. “Ugh !’’ groaned the man. And all was over in the next instant. Before life was extinct Clara dragged at his now Down helpless bedy and pulled it unaided to the edge of the overhanging rock. The wounded: man, with upturned: eyes, could now only implore her mercy with a glance. But it might as well have fallen upon a marble statue. “‘ An eye for an eye,’’ she said triumphantly, ‘‘a tooth for a tooth.” A trifling exertion—for the doomed fisherman was now upon the extreme verge of the rock—and a dull splash. ( “Oh, Clara, Clara!’ ejaculated Edgar Deville, with a shudder. “What now ?”? ** How awful !” ** You’re grown childish,” said she. ‘I would do the like again if I had the same provocation.” ** But the jewels needed no further defence,” urged the young man. “The jewels ?”’ ce Ay? ** Where are they ?” “‘I—I can’t say. Haven’t you got them 2?” They searched right and left, but without avail. They bad disappeared. The truth was that they had been pushed over the rock with the fisherman whom Clara St. John had so remorselessly slain. CHAPTER XLVIII. DESPAIR—A FATAL RESOLVE — THE HOMELESS WANDERERS — THE PARM—WOSPITALITY—THE WRECK—TO ENGLAND ONCE MORE—THE COU- SINS — RENEWED ACQUAINTANCE —THE EARL OF SLOEFORD — THE SECRET PANEL AND THE WHITE HANDS. 74 Losp!”? “ Ruined !”? 3 f : Such were the mutual ejaculations of despair of tha two shipwrecked travellers. Clara St. John and Edgar Deville had undergone so much to obtain the packet of jewels. A load of guilt had been placed upon them, to bear them down with shame, if not contrition, at some future day, and they had taken life to preserve them. Two wretched men, whose cupidity had been aroused by the sight of the glittering gewgaws, had perished; not unjustly, for their villainy in attempting to rob them. Alone, and without a friend on whom to call, theirs was a truly pitiable condition. To the young man it was the more dreadful. He had been always nurtured in the lap of luxury and affluence. 7 Clara St. John, as she was now known, felt it not alittle. For wealth and position she had ventured much, And now, by a cruel stroke of fortune, she was de- prived of her ill-gotten wealth at the very last mo- ment. What was to be done? - Of course they made the most minute search, but the fate of the packet of jewels was not be doubted for an instant. They had been cast into the water with the body of the fisherman, Edgar Deville stood upon the edge of the projecting rock and gazed long and wistfully into the foaming waters beneath. To think that they had such a treasure from his sicht, and that he dare not yenture to brave its dan- gers and seek it out! But no, such a venture would inevitably be certain death, COMIC OOOKS. COR