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Show IIB Neither her sadness nor the spiritual light that shone in her blue eyes could have any charm for voluptuaries. And yet other innocent young girls had been sacrificed to the Beast. Even as far back as those days in Nauvoo, the young daughter of Kimball had been sealed to Joseph ; and she had afterwards declared that she never would have consented had she not been told it was no more than a ceremony. Still, I clung to hope and fought down my doubt and dread. Brigham was close upon sixty, and burdened with the cares of his position. His interest in Lucy could be no more than a passing fancy. I could trust to Emmeline to try her utmost to hold him with her ripe charms. He would soon forget the pensive English girl. I would marry Lucy and trust to my favour with the Head of the Church to shield her from Chilcott and other covetous High Priests and Apostles until such time as I might lind a way of escape. Before I reached home I had persuaded myself that all would yet be well. Almost cheerfully I entered the gate and unlocked the front door of the house. Amanda had entrusted me with a key. To judge from the stillness and the absence of lights, the entire family had retired for the night. Entering, I locked the door on the inside, struck a lucifer match, and lighted the candle that Amanda always left on a shelf beside the door. My cousin's bedroom opened off the dining room. I took off my overcoat and hat and slipped out of my dancing pumps, to go out into the kitchen for a drink of water. Amanda's door was closed. I surmised that she was already asleep. The absence of Chilcott's hat and overcoat indicated that he had gone to another part of the house for the night. I returned to the parlour, picked up my shoes, and went into my own room, closing the door after me. As I bent down to drop my shoes at the foot of the THE MORMON LION II9 great walnut four-poster bed I caught sight of a lady's lace handkerchief on the carpet. Thmkmg that I had for once come across an instance of carelessness in Amanda's precise housekeeping, I caught up the bit of lace and turned to place it on the bureau. As I did so, its delicious perfume told me that I had done an injustice to Amanda. The handkerchief was Cora's. My first thought was that I might have slipped it under the edge of my vest, to hold 1t for her, during one of our dances, and that 1t had dropped out as I stooped with the shoes. I set down the candlestick at one side of the bureau m1rror and bent over to look closer at the handkerchief. It seemed to me that I heard a gentle sigh. I looked up, startled. In the glass before mel saw the beautiful alluring face of Cora .. I gaped at 1t, certam that I was looking at an hallucmabon. . The red lips moved, and I heard a softly whispered word-" David!" I faced about . . . It was no hallucination, but the lady herself her snowy bosom heaving above the corsage of her b~ll-dress, her enravishing face crimson with blushes, her eyes coyly downcast. "Good Heaven, madam!" I gasped. "What are you doing here ? " She clasped her hand to her heart and gazed about at the door in sudden fright. . "Hush, David! Not so loud-unless you w1sh me -and yourself-- He would believe the worst of you too!" " Of course I of course I " I urged. " It is madness I You must go at once!" . . "No 1 " she replied, and she put a qmvenng hand on my breast. "No, David, I will not-I cannot go, until-- I know you must thmk me a shameless wanton! I am- I own that I am-- Yet, if you but knew! You have seen-you must have seen how he neglects me. I cannot bear it I I s.ay nothing against plural marnage ; but th1s contmued cold~ |
