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A DREADFUL TEMPTATION. 26
breathed softly over his lips, and a dimness came into his
bright blue eyes.
' He brushed it away, and looked around for the beautiful
woman who had come between him and the poor old man
who had brought him up as his heir.
He saw two ladies in tie room.
One of them was quite elderly, and had gray hair crimped
beneath a pretty cap. . one
- She wore black silk, and sat on a sofa trifling over a bit
of fancy knitting. :
‘‘That is Mrs. Carroll,” he said to himself. ‘Sheis a
pretty old lady, though she looks so old and careworn.
But she is poor, and that explains it. I dare say I shall
grow gray and careworn too when Mrs. St. John takes my
uncle’s money from me, and I have to’ earn my bread be-
fore I eat it.” ros
He saw another lady standing with her back to him by
the piano.
She was petite and slender, with a crown of braided black
hair, and her robe of rich, wine-colored sillk and velvet
trailed far behind her on the costly carpet.
She stood perfectly still for a few moments, then turned
slowly around, and he saw her face.
‘“Why, it is Xenie herself!” he exclaimed. ‘‘ Doctor
Shirley lied to me, and I was fool enough to believe his silly
joke. Heaven! what I have. suffered through my foolish
credulity! I’ve a mind to call Shirley out and shoot him
for his atrocity !”
He remained silent a little while studying the lady’s dark,
beautiful, smiling face, when suddenly he saw the door un-
close, and a lady, dressed in the deepest sables of mourn-
ing, entered and walked across the floor and sat down by
- Mrs. Carroll’s side upon the sofa.
Howard Templeton started, and a hollow groan broke
from his lips.
‘* My God!” he breathed to himself, ‘‘I was mistaken.
It is Lora, of course, in that bright-hued dress. How like
sheis to Xenie! I ought to have remembered that my
uncle’s wife would be in mourning. Yes, that 7s Xenie by
her mother’s side, and Doctor Shirley told me the fatal
truth
y He walked away from the window, and made several
hurried turns up and down before the house.
‘Shall I goin?” he asked himself. ‘‘I know all I came
for, now. Yes, I will be fool enough to go in anyhow.”
He went up the steps and rang the bell, waiting nervous-
ly for the great, carved door to open.
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