Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 150: what you’re looking at

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

THE PRANKS “ And I never once thought to ask her for that key.” CHAPTER XXVI. ‘“ ©HOUGH YOUR SINS BE AS SCARLET.” In the mean time, Felix had gone swiftly upon his errand, and found Rita in a state of nervous excitement bordering upon frenzy. It was evident that she had passed a sleepless night, and that the dawn had brought her no comfort. “ Felix, Felix!” she cried, when he entered the room, and she flew to him, and would have thrown herself upon his breast had he not repulsed her cold- ly and sternly. There was a relentless, unforgiving, repellent look in his eyes which she saw instantly, and she shrank away from him with a low gasp of pain. “You have come at last,” she said, then, pitifully. “1 came as soon as it was possible after your letter arrived,” he replied. “ What is the trouble, and what is there that { can do for you? Don’t you think it would have been more consistent if you had sent for Millington?” She started back and gazed upon him, pantingly. “He has told you?” she half whis- pered, in her intensity. “He has told me that you accepted him—yes. As his promised wife, you should have sent for him, not for me.” “ It is a falsehood!” she cried, wildly. “I am not his promised wife! I will never be his wife—never! ” “ Have you not promised that you will marry hime Or has he lied to me? ”’ “ Yes, I said ‘ yes ’ to him; but it was a trick—a trick.” : “IT confess that I do not understand you, Rita.” “Oh, Felix, let me tell you in my own way. I have suffered so, since that moming when—when we—were to be —to be married.” OF DESTINY. . I4I “ When you ran away; yes, I remem- ‘ber. It 1s not so very long ago.” ' “T did not run away,” she said with quiet dignity. “I was here in the house when you came, and I was looking at you from beyond the portiéres all the time you were here. I have not been out of the house since then. You may ask Edna Trevor—she knows.” “Edna Trevor? How is it that she knows? ” “ She came here that morning, soon after you were gone. At first, Marie would not admit her, but she came in. I was there, upon the couch, crying, and she came and put her arms around me, and said that she was sorry for what she had said to me that day when we met at your rooms; and she kissed me, and begged my pardon, and she made me love her, although I wanted to hate her because | thought she loved you. She does love you, too, Felix, but not that way. I know that now. And then when I had cried and cried, I told her all about what it was that made me cry, and she consoled me, and told me that it would come out all right; and she made me promise that I would let her tell you all about it—that I was here—that I had not gone away at all. She was to tell you yesterday, and I thought that you would come to me at once—but you did not come——” “ She did not tell me,” he said, speak- ing coldly. “ It is true that she did ex- press the wish to see me at four o'clock yesterday, but other things happened. I forgot it, and I suppose she did. But that does not account for ” “ Wait, Felix; let me finish what I have to say. Yesterday, tn the fore- noon, Mr. Millington came here. I was in the corndor, near the door, when he rang. I fled, but he heard me, and he guessed that I was here. He entered, and in this room he wrote a note, in which he said that you were tn great trouble, and that it might be necessary that I should assist him in freeing you from it. Here is the note; you may read it. He also said that he would COMmicoOolkkS. com eo