"Yes, you shall marry me, though Heaven and earth combine to take you
from me!" muttered Victor Lamont, gazing down upon the pure,
marble-white face of Bernardine. "It is said that some day, sooner or
later, every man meets his fate, and when he does meet that one of all
others, his whole life changes. The past, with all those whom he has met
and fancied before, is as nothing to him now, and his dreams are only of
the future and that elysium where he is to wander hand in hand with the
one he loves.
"Hand in hand--will I ever _dare_ clasp in mine that little white hand
that I know must be as pure and spotless as a lily leaf? Would not my
own hand, dark and hardened in sin, ay, bathed in blood even, wither
away at the contact?
"If I had lived a good, honorable, upright life, I might have won the
love and the respect of this young girl. If she knew me as I am, as the
police know me, she would recoil from me in horror; but _she must never
know_--never! I do not think she saw my face--ay, I could swear that she
did not. I will tell her that I was a traveler happening to pass and saw
her at the mercy of a ruffian, and rescued her.
"I will have her thanks, her heartfelt gratitude. I will tell her that I
will see her safely back to her friends, as soon as my horse--which
became lame in the encounter--is able to make the journey, which will
not be later than a day or two at the furthest. In the meantime, I will
comfort her, pity her, sympathize with her.
"I have always been successful in winning the hearts of women without
scarcely any effort on my part whatever, and I vow that I will win this
girl's.
"The _La Gascoigne_ sails in three days from now. I will sail away in
her, and this beautiful treasure shall sail with me as my bride, my
beauteous bride.
"I will turn everything into cash. I will see young Mrs. Gardiner, and
at the point of a revolver, if need be, cause her to beg, borrow, or
steal a few thousand more for me from that handsome, aristocratic
husband of hers.
"Then I will desert this gang that hang like barnacles about me, that
know too much about me, and would squeal on me any moment to save
themselves if they got into a tight place. I will go so far away that
they will never get money enough together to attempt to follow me."
The clock on the mantel of an inner room warned him that time was flying
swift-winged past him.
He stooped to kiss the beautiful, marble-like lips, that could not utter
a demur, locked as they were in unconsciousness; then he drew back.
Even in her utter helplessness there was something like an armor about
her--even as the innocent bud is encompassed and protected by the
sharpest thorns from the hand that would ruthlessly gather it.
"The kiss from those pure lips must be freely offered, not stolen," he
muttered; and turning on his heel, he hurried quickly from the apartment
while that worthy resolution was strong upon him and his good impulses
in the ascendency.
Mrs. Dick was suspiciously near the door; in his own mind he felt sure
that she had been spying upon him through the key-hole.
"Your horse is ready, Victor Lamont," she said.
"It took you a long time to go upon your errand," he replied,
tauntingly. "No doubt you harnessed the horse yourself, to spare that
lazy husband of yours the trouble of doing it," he added.
The woman muttered something between her teeth which he did not quite
catch; nor did he take the trouble to listen.
Vaulting quickly into the saddle, his mettlesome horse was off quite as
soon as he could grasp the reins, and in an instant he was lost to sight
in the dense gloom which precedes the dawn.
It was quite light when Victor Lamont reached the spot by the
brook-side--the spot where he had met the lovely young stranger but a
short time before.
What a strange fate it was that caused him to discover a flask of brandy
in the pocket of the saddle!
That was his failing--drink! He had always guarded against taking even a
single draught when he had an important duty to perform; but on this
occasion he told himself he must make an exception.
"I will drink to the health of my beautiful bride to be," he muttered,
raising the flask to his lips; and he drank long and deep, the brandy
leaping like fire through his veins.
He had not long to wait in his place of concealment ere he heard the
sound of footsteps.
Looking through the heavy branches, he saw the figure of a woman--a
familiar figure, it seemed to him--moving rapidly to and fro among the
blooms.
He called to her, believing this time he was face to face with young
Mrs. Gardiner, when he found to his keen disappointment it was only
Antoinette, the clever French maid.
She should take a message to her mistress, he determined; and tearing a
leaf from his memorandum-book, he hastily penciled a note to Sally
Gardiner, which he felt sure would bring her with all possible haste to
the place at which he awaited her.
"Give this to your mistress with dispatch, Antoinette," he said.
He knew the golden key that would be apt to unlock this French maid's
interest to do his bidding. As he spoke, he took from his pocket-book a
crisp bank-note, which he told the girl she was to spend for bon-bons or
ribbons for herself.
He had always made it a point to fee the French maid well, that he might
have a powerful ally in the home of his intended victim.
The money, together with a little judicious flattery now and then, had
won Antoinette completely over.
As Victor Lamont sat on the mossy bowlder by the brook-side, watching
and waiting, he observed, early as the hour was, that the servants of
the mansion had begun to bestir themselves. One hour passed after
Antoinette had returned to the house; then another.
Young Mrs. Gardiner did not come to the rendezvous.
"Why is she not here?" he asked himself; and for the first time in his
life he quite lost control of himself in a fit of terrible anger, and to
calm himself he had recourse more than once to the silver flask which he
carried in his breast-pocket.
Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed; then slowly one, two, three,
four--another five; then replacing his watch in his pocket, and
quivering with rage, Victor Lamont started for the house.