Page:The traitor; a story of the fall of the invisible empire (IA traitorstoryoffa00dixo).pdf/273

 "Quick, strike a match and see what time it is—we can get away!" she whispered.

He struck the match and saw her eyes gleaming with a strange madness. Stella blew the match out, seized his arm and drew him from the window.

"Not there—by the window—over here in this corner."

"He struck another match and she masked its light from the window, staring with wide-set eyes at the hands of her watch.

"It's half past nine. It's too late!" she said hopelessly.

"Come, come, my darling, remember that I am by your side—nothing can harm you except the tongue of gossip, and you've shown your contempt for that. Sit down here again in the moonlight and let me tell you the story of my love."

He led her back to the window and she sank tremblingly by his side.

"I've never had the chance to tell you," he began, with low passionate tenderness, "what a wonderful thing your love has been in my life. The night I met you, I went to your house drunk, with murder in my heart, determined to use the lawless power I wielded to crush your father. I was about to leave with a threat to kill him on my lips. It was no idle threat then. I had entered the vault,