Part 32 (1/2)

She gave a violent start, the blood suffused her cheeks, and then fled, leaving her deadly pale, as she gazed at hi your pardon,” she said coldly, ”you addressed me?”

”Yes,” he said in a low voice which trembled a little from the excess of his emotion, ”but we are alone now, Marion For pity's sake let there be an end to this”

”Ah, I remee gentle your mistake, sir”

”Indeed!” he said reproachfully, as he fixed her eyes with his ”Do you think I could ever be lancing hurriedly at the driver, and then looking ahead as if eager for the carriage to proceed

”How can you be so cruel?” he whispered ”Marion, you areme!”

He saw her wince, but onderful self-co, sir, that thereaan unprotected woman?”

She looked him fully in the eyes noith a calm air of wonderment, and for the moment he was in doubt

But the next moment his heart said no, and his pulses increased their beat No accidental resemblance could have produced that effect upon hi which he could not explain--a strange vitality or occult force which bound hiht have erred, his nature could have er to continue the attack now the opportunity was there

”Mistaken?” he said in a low, impassioned tone; ”how could I be mistaken? From the first moment you came to me, your looks, the tones of your voice in your appeal towhich till then had slunorance of the reality of such a passion, one which has gone on growing like a torrent ever since It has swept all before it since the hour I knew that I had found ently; ”indeed you are taking azed at her intently

”For whom?” he said

”I cannot say; some friend It is an accidental reseentleman to cease this persecution”

He shook his head sadly

”Accidental resemblance? No There is but one Marion on earth No woman ever resembled you in any way This is iht on which I saw you last, what must you think ofso hard to gain an interview like this, I could let you throw me over in so cruel a way? Marion, for pity's sake There er reasons than I already know of to lanced round wildly for aobserved and his words were taking the attention of the people around, then up at the coachman, but he sat erect and stolid, too well schooled in his duties to have a thought or eyes for anything but the beautiful pair of horses under his charge Then, as she realised the fact that they were perfectly unobserved by the busy throng around, she recovered her passing coestion of pity in her tone for one who seeht mental aberration--

”Can you not see that you aresadly; ”only that it is impossible”

There was a faint quiver of the lips, but it passed off, and her beautiful eyes flashed, and the colour rose in her cheeks, as she er in her voice as she said coldly--

”Must I appeal to so, sir, or to one of the police?”

Her words stung him to the quick, ”No,” he whispered huskily; ”there is no need If you are made of steel and can act tome as if I were insane I could bear it froh”

She winced slightly at the utterance of her naht of compassion for one brief moment in her eyes

His own face hardened now in the bitterness and despair of the moment as he took out his pocket-book, and in spite of her self-command she watched his action narrowly as he drew out the carefully-folded handkerchief stained with blood

”I saved this inadvertently,” he continued ”Yours; marked with your initials”