The Argosy — page 252: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

238 Lady Creighton, —Nina’s love was mine. Besides that, I soon found tbat:-she was fax from happy—that her father’s beautiful wife was a terror and.dread to her. Though sharing her fears I laughed at them—and with the glad hope of claiming, at some future day, Sir Robert's conditional promise, I departed for the post of duty. ‘‘Then, Lady Creighton,-I learned, through the same friend, that Sir Robert had made a new will—and one which was very generally esteemed the work of his peerless wife. Since I am detailing much that you already know, I may state that this will contained a clause startling in that the vast Creighton estates were entailed to Lady Creighton’s little child, Beatrice Vinci, through his own daughter, Nina, in case the latter should de unwedded. I was disturbed at: this item of English intelligence, for I said to myself, Lady Creighton may ~_” He paused, and leaned towards the superb creature whose eyes were riveted on his by a species of fascination. “You look so white and horrified, Lady Creighton, that I fear you do not quite understand,” he sneered, with a cold, deadly smile. Then he resumed, with the same smile, the same icy tones: “I said to myself, Lady Creighton may be—may Je—tTEMPTED! Don't! Pray, don’t!” he laughed ruthlessly, as a low cry parted her white lips; ‘ you mar the thread of my story, which is still unfinished. “ After a few months I heard that my Nina was in delicate. health, and that the peerless Lady Creighton, who was a model step-dame in the world’s eyes, had carried the poor darling to Germany, hoping something from change of scene and air. While madly chafing the bit of duty which kept me where I was, the last sad letter reached me. My friend had looked on the white, coffined face of my darling, and followed her down to the old Creighton vaults. “He knew my fears, and voluntarily assured; me that no shadow. of distrust might touch Lady Creighton’s immaculate name . Forcing a belief in this assurance, I remained year after year under Asian suns; for-when the doting Sir Robert. followed Nina,.there was.nothing. to draw me to England. But, Lady Creighton,” and his voice lost the anguished tenderness of the previous minute for the clear, quiet tones which doomed her at every word, “but, Lady Creighton, after ten years, something impelled me to a wanderer’s life in Germany ; and strangely enough, as I told you earlier in the evening,.I tracked :your footsteps.” Again he paused, leaning forward, with glittering eye .and cold smile. ‘My Lady Creighton, permit me to ask you.a question. . Were the contents of this dainty toy quite harmless?” extending a hand in which lay the crystal flask. 1 Lady .Creightan’s lips. parted, but no sound drifted across’ their comicbooks.com