Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 150: what you’re looking at

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

306 ‘““No matter for all that. You destroy my very soul by refusing to speak. Say yes or no!” ‘To what?” ‘‘ Marberry, if you push me too far, re- member that I am a man of violence, and I have been in places where sick men had scant grace.” “Come, lad, I only teased you. It’s about Cecily, is it? But you cannot come to me expecting to pull out all the secrets of my inward life like a soul-doctor to whom I’m confessing my sins.” _“T have not expected it for nothing. Look here, my friend. Look here!” He drew his hand from his pocket and clapped upon the table beside Marberry a long, almond-shaped emerald. The other took it up with a cry and looked to it with a keen and knowing eye. “Very good, upon my word!” he de- clared. ‘‘ This will do, indeed, Clovelly. This is a very precious jewel or else I am a blind owl. No, by the Lord, if this green heaven came near me, the blindness would leave my eyes to let me see it. And this is an exquisite and a perfect jewel, my friend. What the devil do you mean with ite” “It’s the price, my friend. It’s the price I’m paying you for one bit of that truth drawn from your inner life. Tell me: Were you the messenger of Oliver Perth, only, or were you in truth in that garden on a mission of your own?” The face of the roué wrinkled to a smile. “Very good!” he murmured. good, indeed! Of course, I was there sim- ply as the messenger of the Roundhead.” ““Marberry, you smile.” ‘“T cannot help but smile—when I think that I was only the messenger of Perth.” Clovelly staggered, and dropped his hand upon the back of a chair to support him- self. ‘“‘Tt is true, then,” he whispered. ‘‘ And she is as black as I have guessed!” Marberry shrugged his shoulders and cherished the emerald between his hands. ‘For such a price—one must tell the truth even about a charming lady, my friend. Even though the truth is a fire that burns you.” MOLY =. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Then, brighter than the shining of the jewel, the blue-white of the naked sword blade shone in Clovelly’s hand. “What a good work it would be,” he snarled through his set teeth,” to loose that jackal soul of yours and send it hunting in another world than this! What an act of charity it would be!” Marberry shrank from him and twisted both his hands into a knot before his face to keep from his view the quivering, bright death. “Do you mean to murder me, Clovelly, for telling the truth?” “No. But for most damnably lying! You have two seconds in which you may commend yourself to God—if you have a God! Marberry, you are about to die.” “No!” screamed the wounded man, cow- ering in the chair, his lips grinning in the agony of his fear. ‘“‘ In the name of mercy, Clovelly.” ‘“‘ Speak the truth, then!” “ T shall—I shall—” He choked and gibbered in his frantic ef- fort to speak, while the terror nearly froze his lips. “* Now!” commanded Clovelly. “IT came from Perth to her!” gasped Marberry. “Ts that the truth?” “The whole truth.” “You lied when you hinted that she served you as a mistress?” “T lied, Clovelly.” “To make the world think you invinc- ible with women?” _ ‘“ Yes—yes—before God, you shame me. But that was the reason.” ‘“‘ And you sacrificed the pure name of a blameless girl for that same reason?” “* I confess it.” “Tell me this—have you ever dreamed or guessed at evil in her?” ‘““ No!” gasped Marberry, twisting in his chair as the foulness of his sin was drawn out from him in its full horror. ‘ I swear to you, Clovelly, that so far as I have known her, she has always been more of a saint than a woman.”’ | There broke from Clovelly’s lips a wild shout of joy. He cast up his hands, his face suffused with color... mMIicGdOOkKS.GomM