VIOLET LISLE; OR, A PEARL BEYOND PRICE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 445, 6 March 1912, Page 2

VIOLET LISLE; OR, A PEARL BEYOND PRICE.

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By the Author of "All or Nothing," "Two Keys," etc., etc. PART 11. " Don't you go—don't you go !" pleaded Goody in a paroxysm of despair. But Violet put her gentlj -aside, and went up the stairs down which less than twenty-four hours before she had stolen so stealtdily to meet her lover—the man she had told she did not love—Guy, to whom she had said she cared only for his money. She knocked at the doof of the library, and entered when her father's harsh voice bade her. Had he suspected who it was that knocked, that his voice had taken on such a harshness, that he stood in blank silence in the middle of the room when she entered and looked at him with such look of pleading ? " Father, forgive me!" she sobbed. " Why have you come back ?" he asked. " Not to ask you to take me back but only to ask you to forgive me," she said, brokenly. " You might have spared yourself the trouble," he answered with iron calmness. " You will not refuse me that, father," she pleaded. " I know now how wrong it was to act contrary to your will ; but I will take the consequences— even though they be death. That would be welcome. But forgive me, forgive me, father ! If you knew what I have suffered, father !" " 3 am not your father. It is nothing to me what you have suffered. You waste breath asking me for forgiveness. I have nothing to do with it or you." He looked so cold, hard and unrelenting, thatt, as she gazed wistfully in his' face for one sign of fatherly love, her heart grew cold within her, and she turned with drooping head and went towards the door. Then she paused and looked to see if there might not have come one softening line into the rigid face. " Father, your forgiveness !" she pleaded. " You have marked out your own path —follow it," was all he said and turned to some books that lay on his table, as if every thought of the fair creature he had once called his daughter had been driven out of his mind.

Violet repressed a moan and crept from the room amd down the stairs. Goody stood at the bottom her old eyes running over with tears. " You shall not go alone, Miss Vi'let," she sobbed. " Not while old Goody lives shall you be alone in the world. Let me get my things. He can shift the best he can —the monster !" " Hush!" said Violet, wearily. "He is right. Staj with him, Goody. He will need you more than I shall. Stay with him for my sake. Perhaps the time will come when he will think kindlier of me ; then you will ask him to forgive me. I have done him a great wrong, Goody—l do wrong to everyone, it seems. I don't know why I do, but it is so. It will be better when I am —when 1 am dead, Goody ; then you must seek Guy and' tell Mm from me that I did what I did because I loved him so well. Good-bye, dear." She kissed the old woman and fled out of the bouse into the darkness, Goody crying out after her to come back. But Violet Lisle never crossed the' threshold of the cottage again.

CHAPTER XVI, TWENTY THOUSAND POUNDS. In all his life Lord Coldenham had never had such a day as this had been. He would not have believed that the suffering of another would have affected him so much as the dumb distress of Violet had done. IJ it had not been for his necessities he would not have persisted in his cruel course ; but he had carefully weighed 1 his own interests against Violet's happiness and there had been no chance for his victim. With Violet constantly before him during the day he had needed all his strength of purpose to remain firm, and there had been little opportunitj for thought of any kind ; but wher he had rid himself of her, and was driving back to the castle, he drew a breath of relief, and settled himself back to calmly contemplate thi whole affair. He went over all that had occurred —his own action, Violet's self-sacri fice, and Guy's agony and anger. Then it came to him for the firsl time in a form that he could grasp that although ho had succeeded ir alienating the two lovers from eacl other, he had not thereby helpec himself in any way, since it was un likely that Guy would ever forgive him for his part in the affair. H< lad taken Violet front him but he had not put Sibjl. any ■• -r.ror to him That morning he would have scof fed at the idea of what he had dom making any real or permanent difference to Guy ; for then his opinior of him had been that lie was to< weak, too ductile in the hands of his mother for anything to make a last ing difference witfc him ; but now, a; he looked back, the impression 01 his mind made by Guy's conduct o the morning, was that Guy was i strong, purposeful, man, who wouh be led by none. Was this to mean, then, thnt hi had wrought his cruel work foi aaught ! Was nothing to come of i 1 all but the misery of the sweetest noblest woman he had ever met —h admitted that to himself —and th' hatred of a strong, man, as he aov

realised Guy to be ? He pressed his hands to his head, and thought and thought, all the way to the castle, trying to comprehend how he could \vo;i some good to himself out of the despair he had wrought. It never once occurred to him to undo his work and pour halm on two torn and bleeding hearts. All his sympathy was fading away in the thought of the little that had come to him for his day's work. Then a sudden thought came, and when the carriage drew up at the castle his face was deadlj white and his eyes furtive ; but no one saw the look on his face, but the footman and he did. not give it a second thought. It had been Lord Coldenham's intention to seek Lady Darlington at once on returning ; but now he went straight to his apartments, sending word to Lady Darlington of his return, and asking her to see him. Then he went to his dressing-room, and sat at his writing table writing and rewriting until he hit upon the words to suit him. Lady Darlington's eager message that she would see him in her own parlour came to him, but he did not heed it until he had finished his work. Then he looked in the mirror composed himself as an actor might before going on to the stage and went to meet Lady Darlington as Lord Coldenham should meet her. But Lady Darlington was too anxious to be ceremonious and the marquis was no sooner alone with her than she leaned forward in her chair with clasped hands, demanding/ "What has happened?" " I found them—" " Yes, yes." " And they are separated." " Oh, my Lord Coldenham ! how can I ever thank you for what you have done —done for my boy as well as for myself ?" " No thanks are needed, Lady Darlington. I suppose it may be said that I was thinking of' Sibyl as well as of Guy. I felt that I had a common interest with you." " But I must thank you. And you have had a hard day of it. I can see it in your face." Lord Coldenham started strangely, and a chill ran over him. " Yes," he answered in a low tone, as if his voice had suddenly failed him. " it has been a hard day. I had not looked for so much opposition." " From whom ?"

" From —both. Guy was infatuated, Lady Darlington. You were right in saying he was,' and I think he will never forgive me for the part. I have taken in it ; but I did what was best for him and 1 —us." Lady Darlington did not notice the hesitation with which he spoke, nor the way in which he avoided going into particulars of the meeting ; but he noticed it himself, and his effort to conquer the feeling made his tongue lag in its office. " You do not know Guy, Lord Coldenham," said Lady Darlington " He may be angry now. He would be more than human if he were not ; but he will soon have forgotten this girl, and you need have no fear that he will remember your kindness against you." " I fear that it is you who do not know Guy, Lady Darlington —at least the Guy that I met this morning. 1 was astonished. I am sure that if I had not by good fortune had the opportunity of seeing the girl alone she would never have been persuaded to leave him. He would not have permitted her to listen to me." " It was an interposition of Providence that you saw her alone," said Lady Darlington, who found it easy to comprehend that the assistance of Providence would naturally be with her. But wherei has she gone ? Where is Guy ? But you must be weary—too weary to talk. I can see that you are." " Yes," answered Lord Coldenham, "I am weary ; but now I will tell you briefly what has happened. Afterwards I will give you full particulars." " Do not tire yourself," eaid Lady Darlington ; but he could see that she was eager to know the details of what had happened, and for reasons of his own he did not seem loth tc tell them to her. . " Of course," he said, presently. and with a shudder, inperceptiblo to her, " you would like to know how 3 persuaded the girl to forego the advantages of an alliance with Lord Darlington ?" Then Lady Darlington smiled in hei superior way and answered : " I think I can guess. Did she drive a hard bargain ? Is not thai the way to put it ?" " Yes," he answered slowly. "She drove a hard bargain ; but I let hei have her own way, for I am not usee to such matters. I gave her hei price." " You did well," said she proudly " Any sum would be small to Pay for Guy's release from such a person. Poor Guy ! I think he will really care-—for a time at least." " Yes, I think he will care," saic Lord Coldenham thinking of tin agony he had betrayed in every line of his face, every tone of his voice " but the thought that it was hit money she wanted will cure him o! the pain, no doubt." "He knew it then?" exclaimec Lady Darlington in some surprise. " She told him so plainly." " Heartless !" exclaimed Lady Darlington with singular inconsistency. " I insisted that she should. 1 thought it would be the best way to cure him of his infatuation." " You were right. But we wil' not talk of it any more ; for 1 car see that you are weary." Yes, he was very- weary ; but ncv, emotions were troubling him too, am he was anxious to have more tim< to himself. He was dreading tc have the .subject of the price he bail paid come up, and he was thankful that Lady Darlington held money ir

I such scorn that she wouM not d» 1 mand to know what it. ha.i est. Iter. He answered :

" Yes, .1 am very weary. J kept watch over the girl since early this morning, and I slept, very little last night. I will retire, with your permission. " Hut lie had advanced two steps towards the door wnen someone knocked. It was Haskins, who said, as she opened the door : " Lord Darlington has returned, my lady, and would like to spea't tc you before you retire." Lady Darlington cast a .glad, triumphant glance at Lord Colden ham as if to recall to his memory her words about Guy, and then said to her maid "• " Tell Lord Darlington that I will be with him in the drawing-room immediately." " With your permission, mother, ] will save you the trouble," said a voice from the doorway, which Lady Darlington would never have recognised as Guy's. Haskins, fearing trouble, slipped adroitly out of the room, and left Guy alone with his mother and Lord Coldenham. The latter, with a new dread of Guy, would have followed the maid.

" I will go, too," he said. " No," said Guy, in that strained intense tone, that made his usually mellow voice so hard that his mother had not known it," you will stay, too, if you please, Lord Coldenham." Lord Coldenham cast a quick glance at the stern face of the young man, and saw that it would be idle tc resist except by force, and, with a sudden and vindictive light in his eyes answered, "As you will, my lord, or rather, as Lady Darlington wills;" and he bowed to her with a complete return of that formal courtliness which had been lacking during the interview just over with Lady Darlington. Lady Darlington looked from ont man to the other, and in the presence of the fierce anger of her son, realised ,or the first time how much he was greater than the old worldling marquis to whose guidance she had entrusted the fortunes of her son at the time of his greatest necessity. " Perhaps it will be better if you remain, Lord Coldenham," she said. "Be seated please, and you also, Guy."

" No, mother," he answered, " 1 can utter what I have to say standing, and prefer to do it." " You are angry, Guy," she said, with unwonted gentleness for her. " Surely it is not well to come tc me in such a mood." " Yes, mother, I am angry," he said, " but it will lead to nolhina unseemly. " I suppose Lord Coldenham acted as he did by your direc tion. Am I right ?" " Let me say—" began Lord Co,denham. " Say nothing," said Guy, neithei menacingly nor quickly, but with an accent of fierceness that made his mother turn pale. " I asked you. mother." " Yes Guy," she answered ; "tc save you I asked Lord Coldenham tc do what he did ; and surely you are glad now ?'' " Wherefore glad, mother ?" " You know what the girl woulo have married you for." Guy gave vent to a low mirthless laugh. " You mean for my money and mj title ! Well, and suppose it were sc how would she differ from any othei woman you would choose for me '. What price in the marriage market would I bring if I had no title ? But it is not true that Violet would have married me for my title or money. I was a fool to believe her when she said it at the prompting of —of your agent." What a world of stinging scorn there was in his tone as he uttered the words and barely glanced at where Lord Coldenham sat in cold, livid silence ! " Why should she have said it if it were not true, Guy ?" asked Lady Darlington. " Because she loved mt truly and well. Do jou think Ido not know her ? Great heavens ! how could 1 have doubted her even for 0112 moment ? And your—agent calculated with great skill, drawing, no doubt, on his unusual store of worldly wisdom, for inspiration ; and fool that 1 was, I took, the poor, loving girl at her word. But now I know better, and I have come to you, mother, tc know her whereabouts." Lady Darlington turned pale and looked at Lord Coldenham. For a moment it seemed to her as if all that had been done had been futile ; for now that she had come to know her son, and measure her own pride and will against his, she felt how inadequate they were to the task o! controlling him. She looked helplessly, almost beseechingly at the marquis. He answered her loot with a nod of encouragement, although he knew that Guy's eyes were fixed scornfully on his face. Then he turned to Guy with a Calmness and irony that showed that he had been waiting for the opportunity. " Miss Lisle, is at her father's house. "1 had the honour of taking her there myself.'' "Is this true. mother ?" asked Guy, ignoring Lurd Coldenham, except by showing that he had heard his words. " It is not necessary to insult mc Lord Darlington." said the marquis, coldly. " I can make every allowance for your youthful want of control over your temper ; but I. would suggest, to yc.u (hat this is voni house, and that I am ; , guest here." (To be continued.)