SHORT STORY

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 414, 21 April 1904, Page 7

SHORT STORY

(Continued from last week.) A sudden angry ring at the bell at length distaibed him, and before he had time to remove or cover the picture its original, of all people in the world, stood before him. Her face was flashed with excitement and her eyes wore tell-tale traces of crying, but to Lowther she was at that moment beyond words beautiful. ' Mr. Lowther P* The latter bowed. 'l've come for an explanation,' she began angrily, 'my father has just accused me of a—a clandestine intrigue. The assertion he rays was made by you, but oh! Mr Lowther,' she broke off suddenly, 'surely—surely—there must be some dreadful misunderstanding.* Tears were in her eyes as sho spoke, and all her anger fled before the obvious distress in Lowther's eyes. 'Please—please, Mr Lowther, don't think me ungrateful, if you only knew how I've been longing for an opportunity of thanking the man who saved me from a dreadful death. But papa has upset me so—l thought he mut be mad to say such a thing. That most be my excuse for such temper and rudeaesa in ' ' Please don't, Miss Heather,' protested Lowther penitently, 'your distress is heaping coals of fire on my head. As you have jutt taid,' he went on, ' there has been a dreadful muunderstiading—one . for which lam entirely to fafamev It is ; quite true/ he went on, 'that 1 told your "* rather I had the pleasure of once—er—rendering you a aught set vise, At the moment, believe me, I was absolutely. un> conscious of your relationship. Your father seemed much astonished at finding this picture in my studio/ he explained* : pointing to the painting of herself smiling Back across the room. 'My picture 1 But—but how did you ■'• paint it P she cried, her face flooded with colour, * I-gave you no sittinge—' 'Precisely the question your father asked,' said Lowther, smiling, ' and which led to my unfortunate answer. It was really begun from memory,' he explained, and then one day, by the merest chance, I caught sight of you driving in the Park. The rest was easy—after that I went regularly Tad saw you almost every day. So you see my statement was literally true, but Sir Balph snapped me up before I had time to add that it was always from a distance—then—well, I am more than . grieved for having been such a cause of to you both,' he added, with than penitence in hia eyes. «I think we can both forgive that,' she ■aid, turning her head aside quickly, • but why did you never speak to me in the Park t' she went on, reproachfully/ You might have known my desire to thank you for saving my life on time dreadful day/ •There was nothing to thank me for/ said Lowther. lightly,' if I hadn't fished you out, no doubt someone else would.* 'But you did it/ she insisted, 'and than ran away before I——' 'The crowd was getting excited, and dftnonttratMU" are my pet abomination,' _ explained Lowther, 'so when I new you safe I got back to my hotel at once—besides, as I had only just recovered from an attack of fever, the wetting left me for the moment a bit shaky.,, I hoped, however, to see you again,' he said, with a glance before which hex eyes fell, "but at the hotel I found a telegram announcing my father'B death.' . ?lam sorry/ she said, with a glance o £ sympathy which sent Lowther's imaginasoaring aloft to Wonderland. 'Of course I had. to leave Danby and hurry home at once/ 'So that's how I never had a chance of tiuatfcjag you,' ahe broke in gently, . 'Papa searched the whole place, but neither of us ever saw you again till-to-day/ •lame back to Danby when affairs were straightened out a bit, but I daresay you had already left the place, an ■' m,' Yes, ire left three days later, but why —why did you— —' 'Why did I come back P» said Lowther, interpreting her unspoken queatiou, 'I came back because—because £ wanted to see you again,* he blurted out without thinking. 'And I wanted to see you,' Bhe began, pf&ena burning flush covered her face as jue realised the nature of what she had "said,'to—to think you, and to restore your notebook,' •My notebook P • A man - who witnessed the accident found it on the sands and brought it to me, but I guessed at once it was yours. Your colour box told .me you were an artist,' she explained, ' and aa this notebook contained sketches as well as—as notes, its ownership was obvious.' Kt* I never could imagine where it had got to/ began Lowther uncomfortably as he remembered some of what he eon. side red his crude views of life in its pages. •There was no address,' ahe went on, * I must plead guilty to searching it through and through and ' •Oh! it wasn't of any consequence,' laid Lowther with laboured carelessness, •just a few notes on men and tilings, leather silly—most of them.' •They didn't seem silly to me,' she said softly. *I thought your impressions very beautiful—just what I've sometimes felt myself, -but have never been clever enough to express as you did.' •If they pleased you * •When I had read the hook it seemed almost as if I had really known you for yean and years, and ' •And that one lock you gave me when JjL caught von in the water told me more than years of ordinary intercourse ever could,' cried Lowther. carried away by the tide of events. Then their eyes met, and both realised in a flash what their careless words implied. •Forgive me, it was unfair,' said Lowther penitently,! moving closer to he* as he spoke, 'some day perhaps—gone day when we know each other better, The violent ringing of the street-bell suddenly stopped fuxtaer speech. • If s papa,' cried the girl instantly; 'I know it—he has followed me. Oh! Mr Lowther, he will be very angry, but please whatever he says—— * 'Sir Balph is your father/said Lowther gently, 'and from hia point of view he has every reason to be angry. But please before he cornea—l hear him on the stairs now—answer my question. Soma daysome day-may I hof*-^— *

A Lady's Portrait.

But before he could speak further the baronet himself, hot and iiate, stood in the doorway. For some moments he aamained there stock still, surveying them silently, and there was more sorrow than anger in his voice when he spoke. ■Soit is quite true; and you two have deceived me, after all.' 'There has been a horrible misunderstanding, sir/ broke in Lowther before she could reply, 'and the fault rests entirely~with me. When you asked me this morning if I had seen Miss Heather since the—or—Danby incident/ he went on quickly, 'audi replied in the affirmative, my statement was quite true; But I emitted to add that it wa3 only from a .distance—in the Park; and Hiss Heather has never even seen me since that day at Danby until half an hour ago, when she came to demand an explanation.' »You mean—:— * cried the baronet. ■I mean this,>ir. Although I've seen Misa Heather almost everyday as I Bay from a distance, the has never set eyes on me, since the Danby incident—till half an hour ago, when she called to demand an explanation.'

For a moment the baronet struggled with his feelings, scarcely knowing whether to be angered or amused, then, as he b»w the way in which those two young people looked pt each other, a sense of coming loss overshadowed all other feelings. Without a word he orOß3fld the room and stared down into the little street where many of bis: beat .years had been spsnt, tnd then gradually, as memory of those far-off days and of a certain old loTe-atory, begun asd ended in this very street, came baak to him,.the anger left his eyes and the \ »rd lines round his! Uk related. | ' l believe yon, Mr Lowther,' he said at length, turning to the latter, 'and as for yon, my girl—l beg your pardon.' 'Ohf don't--* don't,'., she protested, throwing her arms round the old man's • neck.'* fnow i*r» --■-■■

'And now, young woman,' he went on, trying to speak gaily, 'don't you think as we haven't thanked Mr Lowfcher for saving my little girl's life, we might drag him back to dinner P'

' Will you P'she said, turning to Low ther with a shy emile. ' 111 may,' replied the latter, a double meaning in hia words. A flush of colour that added to the beauty of her faco betrayed her comprehension and her eyes were hidden as she gave him her answer. Which must have been satisfactory, inasmuch as Low the.-'a famous picture now adorns' Sir Ralph's big house in Fitzroy Square, whilst its original has taken its Slice as the fairest ornament in Lowther's omestie Paradise.

Sir Eslph often smiles and asserts the latter got the worst of the bargain, but at home when the curtains are drawn and he sitg by bis fireside staring up at the great picture —the baronet never smiles,