Adventure Magazine Cover, October 30, 1924 — page 108: what you’re looking at

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

98 you have won her, what will you do with her? Give her away?”’ ‘“‘No, my lady.” . Beatrice clasped her hands and made a face of languishing ecstasy. “Oh heaven! The all-conquering is con- quered at last! He has found a creature worthy of his excellence. He deigns to be in love. But what honor for her. I o “‘No, my lady,” said Silvain. “I have not given her to any one because she was not mine to give. I have no right over the Lady Clarissa.” Beatrice made a parody of a royal gesture of refusal. “The take you, you will be noble,” said she. ‘“‘ ‘No, my princess’,” she mim- icked Silvain’s voice, ‘‘ ‘I have won you but I will not wear you. I have no right. Do not cry. It is true you do not interest me. But no one does except myself. Iam a hero and I never forget it.’ ”’ And for the third time Silvain said: “No, my lady, I did not win the Lady Clarissa. I did not deliver her. There was a man before me, her own knight, Sir Louis Bonivard. I had only to guide them here.”’ That startled her. She stared at him incredulous. ‘“‘Bonivard?”’ she repeated. ‘‘One of the Bonivards of Geneva? The girl had him for her lover! And you brought them here? Now why?” Silvain smiled. “Why, I trusted the Lord Lodovico to be ready to guard his frontier. And ready he was.”’ Beatrice laughed. “Yes, Lodovico is ready. That is his way. But I do not think he was ready for this. What is she like, your Clarissa?”’ ‘She is a gracious lady and brave.” “Ts that all? Poor wench; what a por- trait! If that were the best of her I could understand. But I would not trust you to know whether a woman is black or white. Come, let us see the lass and her lad.”’ She clapped her hands for a servant and gave orders that Clarissa and Bonivard should be brought to sup with her, and glided out of the room. When she came back she was mighty fine in a low dress of crimson with sapphires in her yellow hair, at her girdle and in a star upon her bosom. She made Silvain give his arm to her down the stairs, and so together they came into the hall where Bonivard and “you are in such haste to seek him?”’ Adventure Clarissa waited, looking like two children, and shabby children, before her studied beauty and her splendors. For Clarissa was slight and small and dark, a graceful, pretty girl but outshone into insignificance by the maturity and the glowing color of the older woman, and Bonivard had the awkwardness of youth and no skill to hide that he was ill at ease. Beatrice chose to make the worst of them. She was all condescension, all sympathy, and so contrived that they should show how nervous they were, how uncomfortable in the elaborate luxury of Binasco. Not a word, not a look of mockery came from her and yet Silvain new well enough that she was mocking them and him and, having no recourse, could only hope that Clarissa did not know. Bonivard put an end to it. “You will pardon us, my lady,” he started up. ‘It is late and in the morrow we have far to go.”’ Beatrice smiled. “That is true, sir. You have very far to go. And you must start tomorrow? Well, it is your choice. If I do not see you again, I wish you a pleasant journey.” Clarissa made a shy curtsey and out they went. ‘And you, sir—” Beatrice turned to Sil- vain—‘‘will you go with them?”’ “‘T think they do not need me.” “Fie, how can you forsake her!”’ ‘‘And I hope that the Lord Lodovico has other ventures of honor for me.”’ “By , it is very possible!’’ she cried. ‘Well, he will be here tomorrow.” Sy heard trumpets sound and saw Lodo- vico ride in with a guard, tired men on tired horses, travel-stained. Silvain dressed himself quickly and made for the warden’s tower. A man-at-arms stood sentry at the foot of the stair, but he was taken up to the council chamber. It was empty and he had long to wait and then came not Lodovico but Beatrice, Beatrice in a loose gown with a golden plait hanging over each shoulder to her bosom. ‘‘And what do you want of my lord that She looked at Silvain curiously. ‘Greedy dogs come scurrying when they hear the master’s step. But to give you justice, there is no greed in you.” AND in the morning early Silvain micloool CO inn