Page:Maud Howe - Atlanta in the South.djvu/137

 "You will not be; they have been bribed. But this rumored accusation is the more damnable because it cannot be disproved."

"Yes, that is true; but you must not talk of these things to-night."

She went on without heeding him: "I must tell you all about it. Listen to me, I shall go mad if I keep it shut up here any longer. My heart is bursting; my brain is seething with it."

She tossed restlessly to the other side of the bed, and as she did so the object beneath her pillow slipped to the floor. Rondelet picked it up. It was a dagger of peculiar design. The handle, carved from a solid piece of rock crystal, was studded with rubies and emeralds in an intricate design; the blade, double-edged and keen, was stained with a taint of blood. The woman missed it and held out her hand.

"It is a dangerous weapon for you to handle so recklessly."

"Give it to me. It was found on him when he was killed. This stain was made by his blood; but it shall be washed out. I have sworn!"

She kissed the spot and hid the dagger in her bosom. Rondelet rose to take his leave; but she laid her hand upon his arm and besought him not to leave her till she had told him what he must know. It is often better to yield than to resist the freaks of women, of sick women above