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266 - WILD MARGARET.
He and the Prince Rivani are to fight this morning. This
morning! It is light now!” ‘a .
‘* Blair—Lord Leyton; your—your husband!’’ said Mar-
garet, holding on to the bed to support herself.
‘“My husband!’ Lottie almost shrieked; then sho
laughed wildly and hysterically. ‘‘ No! not my husband,
but yours!”
‘Wine!’ said Margaret, her eyes fixed on the flushed
face and desperate black eyes.
‘Yes; yours, yours, yours!’ cried Lottie. ‘Oh, can’t
you understand? No! Youareso good and true, that you
_ cannot believe there are such fiends in the world as me and
Austin Ambrose!”’
‘* Austin Ambrose!’ was all Margaret could falter.
‘* Austin Ambrose!’ The cruellest, cleverest scoundrel
on earth!” cried Lottie, tearing at her clothes and flinging
them on as she spoke. ‘‘It was he who tempted me to go
down to that place in Devonshire, and pass myself off as
Blair’s wife ”
‘**Pass yourself off as
-Then—then you are not his
wife?”
‘*No, and never was!’ cried Lottie. :
‘‘'Then—— Oh, stop!—give me a minute! No!—don’t
touch me! I'm not going to faint!’ for Lottie had sprung
forward ito catch her. ‘‘I will not faint; only give mea
minute. Iam Blair’s wife!—Blair’s wife! Say it again!”
and the poor soul, white and red by turns, held up her
hands to the wickedly weak and erring Lottie.
‘* Til say it a thousand times; I'll beg your forgiveness
on my knees; I’ll do anything to atone for what I’ve done
—but not now!” she exclaimed fiercely. ‘* For while we
are talking here, murder’s being done; for it is murder to
it & man against Prince Rivani, and that’s what they
nave done with Blair--Lord Ferrers, I mean!”
“Ah!” Margaret caught her breath, and pressed her
hand to her heart for a moment; then she snatched up
her cloak and flung it round her, and sprung to the door. .
_ Lottie had just succeeded in getting on her ragged cloth-
ing, and put out a hand, humbly and imploringly, to stop
ner,
‘Where are you going?” sheasked.
Margaret put her hand away with simple dignity, and,
looking at her, replied:
“To save my husband!”
* oR * % * * *
Mr. Austin Ambrose left the boudoir a happier man
than he had ever been before during the whole course of
is life, a