He clutched her shoulder, and the hot iron grip of his fingers tore her skin. He thrust his face close to hers, and she heard the grinding of his teeth, which his parted lips showed as the fangs of a maddened beast.
“You viper!” he cried; “you have no right to life!”
She saw his free hand seeking her throat. Then her energies were unlocked. She threw back her head, and with all her might cried out,—
“Father! father! help me! save me!” The young man started back, clutched his head with both hands, and looked about in a wild and frightened way.
“What was that?” he breathlessly asked. “Did you hear? The wolves are coming down. That was the howl of the she-wolf!” In a dazed manner he found his way to the back door, opened it, passed out, and bolted it behind him.
CHAPTER NINE
MORE extracts from the lady’s journal:
“I can never begin an entry in my journal without having that frightful scene come between me and these pages. Oh, it was terrible,—terrible beyond all comprehension! I cannot believe, after thinking it over and over during these weeks that have passed since it occurred, that it was the fear of death that so terrified me, and, I know, made an old woman of me. No, it could not have been that. It was the fear of going with that awful condemnation upon me. Was it just? Was it true?