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‘-“"When they strolled into I 0
Mrs. Egerton rose from her arm-chair, rustling. more than ever. in her -
1. A DREADFUL TEMPTATION,
He ‘pressed a dozen kisses on the sweet red lips that whispered the fond
confession.) © of
“ And you forgive me -eyerything, do you, Howard?”’ she questioned,
gravely. ‘' You know-that I have sinned very grievously. I have almost
periled my soul in my mad rage for an unholy reyenge.”’.
“May God forgive you as freely as I do, my darling,” he ans ered,
fondly, 0) 0 ee oe Oo ansW
* * we.
the drawing-room arm-in-arm, a, little later,
happy self-importance. - .
_ “My dear Xenie,”’ she simpered, ‘‘let me be tke first to congratulate ’ ‘
you that your husband’s missing will is found at last.” ne
For answer, Xenie drew her to the window.
_ Aunt -Egerton, I forgot your bunch of roses,”’ she said, “but I want.
you to look down there in that graveled walk.” SO
She pointed to the tiny fragments of paper, and Mrs. Egerton’s face
grew pale. ..
“What is it?” she asked uneasily. -
“Tt is St. John’s will,” xX
‘And you have destroyed it,” Mrs. Egerton exclaimed. “ Were you
~ mad, child?”
Xenie looked at her aunt with a gesture of proud humility. _—
‘‘No,” she answered, “I have been mad, but; thank God I have come
to my senses at last. destroyed the will because I -had wronged How-~
ard enough already without taking his inheritance fromhim. Jhavecon-
_ fessed my faults to him and ho has forgiven everything.”’
« And the long vendetta is over,”” said Mrs. Egerton. “ Hencefc
will be she paused for a suitable word. oe orth you
“ Xenie will be my wife,’ said Howard Templeton, drawing near.
Mrs. Carroll, who had been silent all this while, drew near and took
her daughter for one moment into the tender clasp of her maternal
arms. .. — --
__ “God bless you, my daughter,” she murmured. ‘You have known
deep sorrow—may your future years be very happy ones.”’ -
RB er x &
My readers, we close our story as we began it—with a wedding. But
- this time the wedding bells indeed are ‘‘ golden’ bells,” ringi
_ mellow chimes of true happiness. - . . pv Tinging out the
For this is not the union of winter and summer, this is not the sordid
~ barter of youth and beauty for an old man’s gold. It is that one tru
and beautiful union upon earth where the solemn yow of i a
“eternally together == . ¥ meee ° welds
“ Two souls with but ¢ single thought, — oo
Two hearts that beat as one,” ar -
~ [ram END)”
Xenie answered steadily. ‘yet crimsonin . ai _
fully beneath her aunt’s curious glance. , ee