7

STRANLD

M AGAZINT,

“CLUTCHING THE WEAPON

sided back mto my chair and resigned myself

to patience.

“KNeep ity of course, 1f makes no difference to me.”

She gave a sigh of relief) and a swift glance i my face, and i a moment it was evident that her mood had changed. Placing her hand again on my arm, she HLUHC(ISUU”“]IH“ to keep back her tears, and at length, aQ pathetic sweetness o her voicee, she spoke again.

“I think you look kind and good ! sure you would not harm me !

“Harm her!” Poor hunted creature ! I whispered words of sympathy and reassur- ance, and succeeded once more m calming her. I now decided that an fresh attempt to force the knife from her would be worse than wuseless, and again we relapsed into silence. I was rcally beginning to feel quite worn out, and over and over again, while considering the embarrassing situation, was tempted to make a dash for the knife, and shout for help at the same moment; but I determined, 1f my patience would hold out, that any coercion would be best avoided. As to leaving her alone, that was undoubtedly out of th(, question. [ was pla(,tl(,illl} helpless, then, as long as she clasped to her bosom the murderous steel, which she might In an instant employ in a manner which I shuddered to contemplate.

Jesides, a new idcea had now scized me,

which T hailed as a possible mitigation of the strain which was beginning to tell upon me.

you choose ; it

I am

MORE EAGERLY

THAN BEFORE.”

If she would but fall asleep ! She was so stull, so mtenscly stillt - Yet, though T tried to persuade myself to believe in such a piece of good Tuck, I had all the while a strong misgiving that she was very wide awake in- de that a close, though stealthy, scrutiny of me hetween her h'lldeSLd c)ch(l had never for one mstant relaxed. T am quite unable to say how long this state of things cndured, though I remembered noticing with thanksgiving that when the candle expired with o sickly gasp in the socket, some faint rays of coming dawn were hndlng their way into the room.

And so we remained facing cach other m the terrible silence, until at length it bhecame mtolerable, and T spoke again,

“l.ook ! Do you sce the day is break- Now, what if you were to go back to bed, and try for an hour’s slpq) before sunrise 2 It happens so often that, when sleep 1s driven away carly in the night, once can rest just before morning. Come,” I continued, gently, “do return to your room to please me.”

She shook her head, and T went on desperately. It was our thoughtless, noisy merriment last night that roused you and disturbed you from your rest, I suppose. We Were very selfish to forget all th(, trouble and suffering that were so near us.”

The cffect of this remark was electrical. She half started from the sofa, snatched her

ing ?

hand from mine, and gazed ecagerly in my face.