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‘wildly above her shrinking head.
12 A DREADFUL TEMPTATION,
Xenie’s sober senses, that had almost deserted her in her
sudden gust of passion, returned to her with a. gasp. ke
‘“‘T_oh, forgive me,” she said, with ready penitence, ‘‘T
spoke foolishly. Ido notlike you to love himso. Iam
jealous of you, my darling!” . .
She leaned toward him and laid her white arm around his
shoulder caressingly. .
But suddenly, and even asshe lifted her beautiful fac
for his caress, he drew back his hand, and without a wor
of warning, struck her a heavy blow across the face.
She reeled backward and fell upon the floor, the red blooli
spurting from her nostrils and from her lips that the terrible
blow had driven against the points of her white teeth and
terribly lacerated. - S ft
‘* You Jezebel,” he sheuted, hoarsely, rising and standing
over her with his brandished fist. ‘How dare you hate
him—my own nephew, my handsome Howard!” /
With a moan of fear and pain Xenie sprang up and fled
to the furthest corner of the room. i
‘“Oh! you coward!” she cried, passionately. ‘‘ To strike
a woman—a helpless woman!” |
She was trying to staunch the fast flowing blood with her
lace handkerchief, but she stopped and stared at him in
dumb terror as he approached her. /
For the glare of madness shone in his dim eyes. as they
turned upon her—his foam-flecked lips were drawn away
from his glistening set of false teeth, and his face presented
a terrible appearance. . i f
‘‘Oh! my God, he is going to kill me!” she moaned to
herself, crouching down in the corner with her arms raised
He towered above her with his clenched fist raised threat-
eningly and his eyes glaring ferociously upon her.
_ Xenie believed that a sudden frenzy of madness had come
upon her husband and that he was going to take her life.
She was about to shriek aloud in the hope of rescue, when
he suddenly clapped a strong hand over her lips.
‘“* Hush!” he said, fearfully, ‘‘ hush, Xenie, don’t let any-
one know I struck you! Doesit hurt you much?—the blood,
I mean—I'm sorry if it does.”
The tone was that of a wheedling, penitent child that is
' sorry for its fault. In sheer surprise the frightened creat-
ure looked up at him. ©
The ferocious look of bloodthirsty madness had marvel-
ously faded from his face, and left a pale, fearful, childish
expression instead.
_ He dropped his hand and wiped the b!ood from it, shiver-
ing all over.
“Oh! the blood, how red it is!” he whined. ‘Did I hurt
ere me oan et meas