Part 30 (1/2)

”You mean,” the lad almost whispered, and his accents were unmistakably of horror, ”you mean that I am your--Oh, God, I'll not believe it!” he cried out, with such sudden loathing and passion that Crispin recoiled as though he had been struck A dull flush crept into his cheeks to fade upon the instant and give place to a pallor, if possible, intenser than before

”I'll not believe it! I'll not believe it!” the boy repeated, as if seeking by that reiteration to shut out a conviction by which he was beset ”I'll not believe it!” he cried again; and now his voice had lost its passionate vehemence, and was sunk almost to a moan

”I found it hard to believe myself,” was Crispin's answer, and his voice was not free from bitterness ”But I have a proof here that seems incontestable, even had I not the proof of your face to which I have been blind these months Blind with the eyes of nized you when first they fell on you in Perth The voice of the blood ordered h I heard its call, I understood not what it meant Read this letter, boy--the letter that you were to have carried to Colonel Pride”

With his eyes still fixed in a gaze of stupefaction upon Galliard's face, Kenneth took the paper Then slowly, involuntarily allance to it, and read He was long in reading, as though the writing presented difficulties, and his two companions watched him the while, and waited At last he turned the paper over, and examined seal and superscription as if suspicious that he held a forgery

But in some subtle, mysterious way--that voice of the blood perchance to which Crispin had alluded--he felt conviction stealing down upon his soul Mechanically he moved across to the table, and sat down Without a word, and still holding the crumpled letter in his clenched hand, he set his elbows on the table, and, pressing his temples to his paled, and its fires were fed with loathing--loathing for this man who his which Crispin had done hi the months of their acquaintanceshi+p he had now added a fresh and cule

He sat and thought, and his soul grew sick He probed for soht have been ht, the more he dwelt upon his youth in Scotland, the more convinced was he that Crispin had told hiument of conviction to him was the desire of the Ashburns that he should marry Cynthia Oft he had marvelled that they, wealthy, and even powerful, selfish and ambitious, should have selected him, the scion of an obscure and ihter The ne before him made their motives clear; indeed, no other motive could exist, no other explanation could there be He was the heir of Castle Marleigh, and the usurpers sought to provide against the day when another revolution htful owners

So this, but that elation was short-lived, and dashed by the thought that this ruler, this debauchee, this drunken, swearing, roaring tavern knight was his father; dashed by the knowledge that meanwhile the Parliament was master, and that whilst matters stood so, the Ashburns could defy--could even destroy him, did they learn how much he knew; dashed by the memory that Cynthia, whom in his selfish way--out of his love for himself--he loved, was lost to hi in a circle, his thoughts reverted to the cause of this--Crispin Galliard, the ht's foul business and destroyed his every chance of happiness; the e as he was possessed by the desire, he had risen up and slain; thethus, he sat on in silent, resentful vexation He started to feel a hand upon his shoulder, and to hear the voice of Galliard evidently addressing hi a name that was new to him

”Jocelyn, ht, and you have realized--is it not so? I too thought, and thought brought uely then the boy reave hi hand froe that he had gained told hi to fear frorew brave and bold and arrogant

”I have realized naught beyond the fact that I owe you nothing but unhappiness and ruin By a trick, by a low fraud, you enlistedOnce a cheat always a cheat What credit in the face of that can I give this paper?” he cried, talking wildly ”To h it were true, what then? What then?” he repeated, raising his voice into accents of defiance

Grief and alance, and also,squarely upon the hearth, was beset by the desire to kick Master Kenneth, or Master Jocelyn, into the street His lip curled into a sneer of ineffable contempt, for his shrewd eyes read to the bottom of the lad's mean soul and saw there clearly writ the confidence that emboldened him to voice that insult to thethere, he co deeply how they came to be father and son A likeness he saeen them, yet a likeness that seemed but to mark the difference The one harsh, resolute, andand his misfortunes; the other mild, effeminate, hypocritical and shi+fty He read it not on their countenances alone, but in every line of their figures as they stood, and in his heart he cursed hi been the instrument to disclose the relationshi+p in which they stood

The youth's insolent question was followed by a spell of silence

Crispin could not believe that he had heard aright At last he stretched out his hands in a gesture of supplication--he who throughout his thirty-eight years of life, and despite the misfortunes that had been his, had never yet stooped to plead from any man

”Jocelyn,” he cried, and the pain in his voice must have otten the story of my miserable life, the story that I told you in Worcester? Can you not understand how suffering etfulness of the winecup eance his onlyhim from self-destruction? Can you not picture such a life, and can you not pity and forgive much of the wreck that it may ly he looked into the lad's face It remained cold and unmoved

”I understand,” he continued brokenly, ”that I aht welcome for a father But you who knohat my life has been, Jocelyn, you can surely find it in your heart to pity I had naught that was good or wholesoht to curb the evil etfulness and reparation

”But froht, Jocelyn, my life in you must find a new interest, a new motive I will abandon ain to become what I was, and you shall have no cause to blush for your father”

Still the lad stood silent

”Jocelyn! My God, do I talk in vain?” cried the wretched man ”Have you no heart, no pity, boy?”

At last the youth spoke He was notof one who had no power to touch his mean, selfish --ht

”You have ruined my life,” was all he said