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38 A DREADFUL TEMPTATION.
“No, Xenie, I could not have hated Jack even if he had i
acted like Mr. Templeton. I am very pocr-spirited,. per-
haps; but I believe if J ack had treated me so I might have |
hated the sin, but I could not have helped loving the sin- |
ner.”
Lora sighed wearily and turned her head away, throwing
her black-bordered handkerchiet over her face.
Ter sister stood still a moment, watching the quiet, re-
cumbent figure, then went to the window, and, drawing the
lace curtains aside, stood silently looking out at the beauti- ~
ful sea, with the sunset glories reflected in the opalescent
waves, the soft, spring breeze fluttering the silken rings of . —
dark hair that shaded her broad, white broay.
‘As she stood there in the soft sunset light in her bright a
young beauty and rich attire, a smile of proud triumph
curved herscarlet lips. ;
‘Ah, Howard Templeton,” she mused, ‘‘ the hour of my
triumph is close at hand.”
An
clouded her face, she added:
‘‘But poor little Lora! Pray God all may go well with | ef,
her!”
The roseate hues of sunset faded slowly out, and the
-purple twilight began to obscure everything. ae
One by one the little stars sparkled out and took their-
wonted places in the bright constellations of Heaven.
Still Xenie remained motioaless at the window, and still |
Lora lay quietly on her couch, her pale, anguished young |
face hidden beneath the mourning handkerchief.
Her sister turned around once and looked at her, thinking -
she was asleep.
But suddent.
room, Xenie caught a faint and smothered moan of pain.
Instantly she hurried to Lora’s side. .
‘‘My dear, are you in pain?” she said,
-. Lora raised herself and looked at Xenie’s anxious face.
‘*T_oh, yes, dear,” she said, in a frightened tone; ‘‘Iam |
ill. Pray go and send mother to me.”
Mrs. St. John pressed'a tender kiss on the pain-drawn -
lips and hurried out to seek her mother.
_ She found her in the httle dining-room of the cottage la: pe
ing the cloth and making the tea. She looked up Srithea!- au
gentle, motherly smile.
‘s My dear, you.are hungry for your tea_you and Lora; 1 vi!
expect,” she said. ‘ I let the maid go home tostay-with
her ailing mother to-night, and promised, to make the tea, .
“Ah, Lora, you do not know how you would have felt in
such a case. You have been mercifully spared the trial...
Let us drop the subject,” answered Xenie, a little shortly...
1
then, in a gentler tone, while a shade of anxiety .—
y in the darkness that began to prevade the ; ;