As she grew older, the resemblance to Edward Crown became
more and more startling. She had his dark, smiling eyes; his wavy
brown hair; her very manner of speech was like his. To David Windom,
she was the re-incarnation of the youth he had slain. Out of her
eyes seemed to look the soul of Edward Crown. He could not stand it.
She became an obsession, a curious source of fascination. He could
not bear her out of his sight, and yet when she was with him, smiling
up into his eyes,--he was deathly afraid of her. There were times
when he was almost overcome by the impulse to drop to his knees
and plead for forgiveness as he looked into the clear, friendly,
questioning eyes of Edward Crown.
And her voice, her speech,--therein lay the true cause of his taking
her to England. When she came home to him, after four years, there
was no trace of Edward Crown in her voice or manner of speaking.
She was almost as English as Alix the First. But her eyes had not
changed; he was still a haunted man.
In the little graveyard on the outskirts of the village more than
a score of Windoms lie. With them lies all that was mortal of fair
Alix the First, and beside her is David Windom, the murderer.
CHAPTER III
COURTNEY THANE
"And what has become of Alix the Third?" inquired the young man,
squinting at his wristwatch and making out in the semi-darkness
that it was nearly half-past nine.
Pages:
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53