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Dreadful Temptation

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<h2>CHAPTER XII.</h2> "Darling, how beautiful the sea is. Look how the sun sparkles on the emerald waves, like millions and millions of the brightest diamonds." Poor little Lora, sitting in the easy-chair on the wide veranda of the little ornate cottage, a forlorn little figure in the deepest of sables, looked up in her sister's face an instant, then burst into a passion of bitter tears. "The sea, the sea," she moaned despairingly. "Oh! why did you bring me here? I hate the sight and the sound of it! Oh! my poor Jack! my poor Jack!" Mrs. St. John and Mrs. Carroll exchanged compassionate yet troubled glances, and the latter said gently, yet remonstratingly: "My dear, my dear, indeed you must not give up to your feelings on every occasion like this. In your weak state of health it is positively dangerous to allow such excitement." "I don't care, I don't care," wept Lora wildly, hiding her convulsed face against Xenie's compassionate breast. "My heart is broken! I have nothing left to live for, and I wish that I were dead!" "Darling, let me lead you in. Perhaps if you will lie down and rest you will feel better in both body and mind," said Mrs. St. John, in the gentle, pitying accents used to a sick child. Lora arose obediently, and leaning on Xenie's arm, was led into her little, airy, white-hung chamber. There her sister persuaded her to lie down upon a lounge while she hovered about her, rendering numberless gentle little attentions, and talking to her in soft, soothing tones. "Xenie, you are so kind to me," said the invalid, looking at her sister, with a beam of gratitude shining in her large, tearful, dark eyes. "It is a selfish kindness after all, though, my darling," said Mrs. St. John, gently, "for you know I expect a great reward for what I have done for you. My sisterly duty[Pg 37] and my own selfish interest have gone hand-in-hand in this case." A bright, triumphant smile flashed over her beautiful features as she spoke, and the invalid, looking at her, sighed wearily. "Xenie," she said, half-hesitatingly, "do not be angry, dear, but I wish you would give up this wild passion of revenge that possesses you. I lie awake nights thinking of it and of my troubles, and I feel more and more that it will be a dreadful deception. Are you not afraid?" "Afraid of what?" inquired her sister, with a little, impatient ring in the clear, musical tones of her voice. "Afraid of—of being found out," said Lora, sinking her voice to the faintest whisper. "There is not the least danger," returned her sister, confidently. "We have managed everything so cleverly there will never be the faintest clew even if the ruse were ever suspected, which it will never be, for who would dream of such a thing? Lora, my dear little sister, I would do much for you, but don't ask me to give up my revenge upon Howard Templeton. I hate him so for his despicable cowardice that nothing on earth would tempt me to forego the sweetness of my glorious vengeance." "Yet once you loved him," said Lora, with a grave wonder in her sad, white face. She stared and flushed at Lora's gently reproachful words. She remembered suddenly that someone else had said those words to her in just the same tone of wonder and reproach. The night of her short-lived triumph came back into her mind—that brilliant bridal-night when she and Howard Templeton had declared war against each other—war to the knife. "Yes, once I loved him," she said, with a tone of bitter self-scorn. "But listen to me, Lora. Suppose Jack had treated you as Howard Templeton did me?" "Jack could not have done it; he loved me too truly," said Lora, lifting her head in unconscious pride. "You are right, Lora, Jack Mainwaring could not have done it. Few men could have been so base," said Xenie, bitterly. "But, Lora, dear, suppose he had treated you so cruelly—mind, I only say suppose—should you not have hated him for it, and wanted to make his heart ache in return?" Lora was silent a moment. The beautiful young face, so like Xenie's in outline and coloring, so different in its expression of mournful despair, took on an expression of deep tenderness and gentleness as she said, at length: [Pg 38] "No Xenie, I could not have hated Jack even if he had acted like Mr. Templeton. I am very poor-spirited perhaps; but I believe if Jack had treated me so I might have hated the sin, but I could not have helped loving the sinner." "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. Lora sighed wearily and turned her head away, throwing her black-bordered handkerchief over her face. Her sister stood still a moment, watching the quiet, recumbent figure, then went to the window, and, drawing the lace curtains aside, stood silently looking out at the beautiful 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 brow. As she stood there in the soft sunset light in her bright young beauty and rich attire, a smile of proud triumph curved her scarlet lips. "Ah, Howard Templeton," she mused, "the hour of my triumph is close at hand." And then, in a gentler tone, while a shade of anxiety clouded her face, she added: "But poor little Lora! Pray God all may go well with her!" The roseate hues of sunset faded slowly out, and the purple twilight began to obscure everything. One by one the little stars sparkled out and took their wonted places in the bright constellations of Heaven. Still Xenie remained motionless 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 suddenly in the darkness that began to pervade the 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. "I—oh, yes, dear," she said, in a frightened tone; "I am 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 little dining-room of the cottage laying the cloth and making the tea. She looked up with a gentle, motherly smile. "My dear, you are hungry for your tea—you and Lora, I expect," she said. "I let the maid go home to stay with her ailing mother to-night, and promised to make the tea[Pg 39] myself. It will be ready now in a minute. Is Lora asleep?" "Lora is ill, mamma. I will finish the tea, and you must go to her," said Xenie, with a quiver in her low voice, as she took the cloth from her mother's hand. "Lora sick?" said Mrs. Carroll. "Well, Xenie, I rather expected it. I will go to her. Never mind about the tea, dear, unless you want some yourself." She bustled out, and Xenie went on mechanically setting the tea-things on the little round table, scarcely conscious of what she was doing, so heavy was her heart. She loved her sister with as fond a love as ever throbbed in a sister's breast and Lora's peril roused her sympathies to their highest pitch. Finishing her simple task at last, she filled a little china cup with fragrant tea and carried it to the patient's room. Mrs. Carroll had enveloped Lora in her snowy embroidered night-robe, and she lay upon the bed looking very pale and preternaturally calm to Xenie's excited fancy. She drank a little of the tea, then sent Xenie away with it, telling her that she felt quite easy then. "Go and sit on the veranda as usual, my dear," Mrs. Carroll said, kindly. "I will sit with Lora myself." "You will call me if I am needed?" asked Mrs. St. John, hesitating on the threshold. "Yes, dear." So Xenie went away very sad and heavy-hearted, as if the burden of some intangible sorrow rested painfully upon her oppressed and aching heart. <hr class="chap" /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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