The Red Star (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Star said Pahlen, bitterly. " In a month we were sick of each other." " And then you planned this insult ! " " Before God, no. I held back till there was no escape." She gave a little moan of anger and shame, and turned her eyes on the altar. " May I go on ?" he asked in a hard, shamed tone. She made him no answer, and he gathered himself together for the last of his confession. " This?this woman and I knew what fools we had been. We understood it most completely?my God ! yes. Then we parted. Neither of us was to betray the other. I am not doing it now; I keep her name." She flashed round upon him. "Oh, I do not doubt your honour ! Are you trying to excuse yourself to met" " No," he replied, " let me go on. I am a coward, but not the blackguard you think." Her face had grown white andcontemptuous; she turned her head aside. " I was ordered to Austria. The Tzar spoke to me at the Winter Palace a few hours before I left for the front. He spoke of our marriage. Then I went to Prince Volkhonsky and entreated him to help me. I did not tell him I was already married. I have no excuse to offer. I was simply afraid. He assured me that the Tzar has such a regard for personal honour that if I broke my troth and the oath I had made to my father I should be ruined. I have had to choose between that and the chance that you might not betray me. I had no right to expect your mercy, but I was desperate." She made no sign of having heard him, and he went on. " I meant to keep my oath?I never meant to break it?but the devil and a face were too strong for me," his voice broke off abruptly. " And do you think I wanted you to keep it ? " The proud note in thegirl's voice could not quite disguise the ring of wounded dignity. " No ! I have a love too; but min...