Marion Marlowe's Cleverness, or, Exposing a Bold Fraud — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

18 MY her by her name, and a moment later he took her hand in his, caressingly. Almost in a dream, Marion sat motionless and listening. There was a musical tone in his’ voice that was wondrously alluring. “Come !—say you will go, little cousin,” he pleaded again. “I have money enough for both, and you can come back when you wish! Come with me and visit my sunny Italy! Oh, it is a glorious clime—so warm, so de- licious! J admire old England, but I adore my Italy!” | Marion’s breath was growing a bit shorter now, for the spell of this man’s beauty seemed to be upon her. She wondered how it was that she could feel as she did. She had not known him a day, and yet she had to admit that she liked him. Bi There was a sudden, swift movement of the dark, curly head, and in another second Arthur Stanton had touched his lips to her hand from an impulse which Marion knew -was not cousinly. “You are magnificent,’ he murmured, as he looked boldly into her eyes. “I have been so upset this morning that I could hardly look at you; but, Marion—I am an Italian—I am impulsive—and—l love you!” The impassioned words sent a shock to Marion’s heart. She seemed to realize sud- denly what this young man was saying. Here was she, striving, plotting and plan- ning to unravel a dark mystery, and at the same time allowing her eyes to be blinded by the glamour of this man’s whispers, She drew herself up suddenly with a lit- tie cry of alarm. The enchanted spell had passed and she was beginning to recover. “Don't! she cried, sharply. ‘Don’t speak like that, Mr. Stanton! ‘The fact that you are impulsive does not excuse your words! You have not known me long enough to dare to say that you love me!” “But I do! | Marion!” he catching both her h#nds in his own, “T do love you dearly—with all my heart! Look into my eyes and tell me that you doubt it |’” Marion Marlowe turned slowly and raised She had conquered the last do, cried, her eyes to his. vestige of this man’s baneful influence! As QUEEN. she gazed at him fearlessly, a smile of scorn crossed her features. With a muttered curse the young man dropped her hands savagely. ‘The next moment he had left her alone in the room. CHAPTER X. MR. EVERETT ARRESTED. “Well, if that isn’t the most wonderful thing that ever happened!” exclaimed Mar- ion, as the door closed behind him. A sudden unaccountable feeling of relief swept over her. It was as though she had ridden herself at last of something very un- pleasant. - This young man’s nature had been revealed to her in an instant, almost, and a flood of new theories surged through her- brain. What might not a man of his violent na- ture be tempted to do if thene was anything in the way of an incentive to spur him on? Here again was that ever-present question of motive. She had come back to it now,. and could not get away from it. There is a motive behind every impulsive action. The spirit that prompts every deed is its “motive.” Once more the. motive for the murder of her uncle was uppermost in her mind, and the necessity for prompt action set her pulses to throbbing. : She must see Mr. Everett, but where and how? It was a question which taxed hea cleverness to the utmost. Suddenly it Oc curred to her to go in to her uncle’s room and peer across the balcony into Mr. Ever- ett’s window. ; [f she was fortunate enough to see him she could attract his attention in some way—then she could write a note and toss it over to ni The thing was risky, but there was no other solution; at any rate, there would be no harm in studying the possibilities m that di- rection. As she moved toward the door, her first: thought. was of Gregg. She was the one— with whom she must be cautious most of ye Since hearing Nannie’s confession she al-! most dreaded to meet the woman, for, to her. Gomicbooks;ecom >