VIOLET LISLE; OR, A PEARL BEYOND PRICE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 454, 6 April 1912, Page 2

VIOLET LISLE; OR, A PEARL BEYOND PRICE.

AM Rights M@s®rved.

By the Author of "All or Nothing," "Two Keys," etc., etc. PART 20, " What are you going to do, then?" demanded Lady Westall, stopping reluctantly. " I shall ask the doctor when he comes, just what I must do. But in the meantime, you must do something for me." " Well ?" " I want you to get me some nice "rtain stuff for two windows, some silver spoons and some pretty glasses. Then I want you to have Felicie pack my trunk and have it sent over here." Lady Westall looked at her in despair.

" I was afraid it would be so," she said with a groan. " But I am very happy, dear," said Violet. " And if you could see how grateful Lady Darlington is, and sow much she needs me, you would not say a word in objection. She is all alone there, not a woman in the

house—not one. Was it not barbarous —wicked ?"

" So it was-, my darling ; but, oh, if you were to take the disease !"

" Don't worry about me ; I am so fvell and strong. I don't believe I was ever sick in my life. You will do what I wish, will you not ?" " I ought to take you and carry you away by main force," said Lady Westall, with such an air of being inclined to do it on the instant that Violet drew back a step and said, remonstratingly : " Now, dear, that would be unreasonable and I should be angry, too."

" Oh, I am not going to do it," answered Lady Westall, with a little laugh that was half hysterical. "1 believe I am half proud of you for doing this foolish thing. But there ! I ought not to have said that. Yes, of course, I will do what you wish. Did I ever do anything else ? Only take care of yourself, and get plenty of fresh air." "Violet instructed the landlord tc prepare for her the room adjoining Lady Darlington's and by the time the doctor arrived in the afternoon she was settled there as a fixture.

The doctor opened his eyes wide at the sight of the beautiful young creature who had invaded the sick room whence everyone else had fled ; and, like the others, he immediately warned her of the deadly nature of the disease.

" I am not afraid," answered Violet steadily. " I knew it was dangerous. Tell me what to do. You will see that I am a good nurse. How is Lady Darlington ?" " She is in great danger. The membrane is steadily growing, and only the most assiduous attention can save her. Perhaps she cannot be saved. Her family should be sent for. Do you know how to communicate with them ?'" The question sent a pang to her heart ; but she was prepared for it, and answered, steadily enough. " No. I know nothing about the present whereabouts of her family. I never saw Lady Darlington until today." " A stranger ! And you run such a risk for her !" exclaimed the doctor. " Ah !"—with respectful admiration— " I did not think you belonged to the common world when I first looked at you. Well, we must take good care to keep you here since you have come down among us." Then, suddenly— " I think I have seen you before, mademoiselle." Violet smiled. His compliments did not embarrass hee. His age robbed them of rudeness.

" You may hava seen me," she said, " I have been in Nice before."

He shook his head and looked puzpled ; then exclaimed briskly :

" Well, no matter ; I see you now and that is a great deal. Now I will give you instructions not only to help Lady Darlington, but to save vourself ; and jou must heed what I say."

"I will. I must make up in attention what I lack in experience."

" I am not afraid on that score," he sa : .d." You have a woman's intuition in a sick room, and that is often worth more than a man's study and experience. Already I begin to hope for my patient."

Then he gave her minute instructions, and Violet listened carefully. After that he went away, promising to call early in the morning. The last thing before leaving her he looked earnestly at her, land shook his head slowly with a puzzled air.

" I cannot think where I have seen you," he said. There followed many weary days and nights in the fierce battle with Death, who seemed determined tc carry off the victim he had almost touched with his icy hand ; and the struggle told upon Violet. But she was never anything but smiling anc cheerful in the sick room, and thf doctor often said that she was more to his patient than any of his drugs: for there were times when the sic'i woman would be lying so still and white that it seemed as though sh< were at her last gasp. Then Violet would come into the room, or woulc utter some word in her low sweet voice, and life would return into th< death-shadowed face.

Yes, it came to it at last that Lady Darlington clung to life onlj by means of the precious vitality o Violet Lisle. And Lady Darlingtoi knew it and worshipped her devotee nurse.

All through the illness the sicl woman had moaned time and agaii for Guy. She would asb if any let ter had come to her from him ; if h

"He is my boy," she whispered once to Violet.

" I know, I know," whispered Violet, choking back a sob that always was ready at the thought of Guy. " Does he know you are ill ? Had you written to him ? Shall I write?" " I don't know where he is," was the husky, laboured reply ; " but he knew I was to be in Paris at a cer tain date. If he goes to meet ,rae there he will learn and come. But lie may not intend to meet me. I have not seen him for upwards of two years. I cannot die without seeing him once more." " You will not die," answered Violet. " You shall live for—for—his pake." And she meant to give her own life, if by doing so she could keep alive ihe mother of the man she loved. It seemed to her that it was all true as Lord Coldenham had said at first, that she had come between the mother and her son, and that Lady Darlington's death would be of her doing. She was too weak and nervous in those days to be just to herself.

Besides there was such a strong likeness to Guy in the wasted features of his mother, that he was ever before her, and she had grown to love the mother too. She loved her for being Guy's mother, and she loved her for the care she was to her, as it seems always the way with a woman to do.

Later, when the danger was over, Lady Darlington used to talk to ber of Guy, and tell her many things about him when he was younger than when Violet first met him. Lady Darlington never talked of that time. One, daj, as she sat at the open window, propped up in a great easychair that Lady Westall had had sent from Paris, she looked at Violet with that devouring love that always filled her eyes when they fell upon the beautiful face.

" I want you and Guy to meet," she said. There was a meaning in her voice that she herslf was not aware of ; but Violet felt it rush with a throb to her beating heart ; and so weak was she with the days and nights of watching, that before she could control herself she had burst into a flood of tears.

"Oh, my dear !" cried Lady Darlington, " what is the matter ? Why do you give way ?" " Ah," said the voice of the doctor, who had entered the room in time to see the exhibition of weakness, " I know what is the matter. Miss Marsden has gone as far as she ought to go. She must take can of herself now. She has providentially escaped the diphtheria ; bui she will be ill in some other way if she is not careful. You must make her give up her post as nurse, Lady Darlington. " I am not sick," said Violet, smiling through her tears in a wan sort of fashion.

"How wicked I have been !" cried Lady Darlington in a shocked tone. " Why did you not tell me before, doctor ?"

"I thought you needed her until now. Besides, her friend, Lady Westall claims her. She bade me say, Misa Marsden, that you must take rest now."

Violet laughed, quite recovered, it seemed .

" Dear Lady Westall ! I suppose 1 can be of no further use to Ladv Darlington, so I may as well go back to my cottage." " You must not think of me any more, Miss Marsden," said Lady Darlington, ";but you must not desert me. You have made yonrsell necessary to me, and I cannot let you go out of my life. And you must meet my son when he comes ; for I am sure he will be here before roanv days."

" That reminds me, Lady Darlingten," said the doctor, "of a lettei I found downstairs for you. Perhaps it is the one you have been wishing fcr."

Lady Darlington took the letter with a cry of joy \>,t the sight of the handwriting. "It is from Guy !" she said. '' If has been forwarded from Paris." She asked to be excused while she read the letter ; and presently she looked up saying, "He may romc

any day now "; and her happiness was almost too much for her feeble strength, as 'they could see by her trembling hands and fitful colour. The doctor had been looking at Violet in that puzzled way that had become familiar to him.

" I wish," he said, " that I conic make it out. I certainly have seer you somewhere. I believe you coulc help me if you would."

" I don't remember ever seeing yot until I saw you here," answered v io let, with a suspicion of mirth in hei eyes. Then she changed the subjeci of the conversation. "Is there an 3 danger of infection from me, now ' Maj I go out freely after I hav< used the disinfectants ?" " There is no longer any danger,' he answered, f" and I would advice your going to Lady Westall. Lad? Darlington's maid is ready to retun to her now. I shall remember somi time where I have seen you."

Violet laughed at his persistency. " Can you spare me for a littb while, Lady Darlington ?" she asked " Oh, by all means, go," answeret Lady Darlington.

So for the first time for many day: Violet went out into the open air It was very good for her, and sh drank in the fresh breezes and th< radiant sunshine with the ardour o a child on its first visit to the eoun try, but it was not only the sunshin and air that made her happy. Ther was something else in her heart tha' would have raised her spirits even ii a dungeon. During the time that she had nur sed Lady Darlington she had learned

she had hcen turned away from het

father's door ; and that there was o sort o: estrangement between his mother and him. She knew she was the cause of the estrangement, and that had been a pane to her. But now she felt thai .she had won Lady Darlington's heart ; and she could not mistake the plain meaning of the mother's words when she said so feelingly that she wished her to meet Guv.

It seemed to her that the future held out a promise of great happiness to her. She was confident that if Guy were to offer her to his mother as his future wife, she would not refuse to receive hee. But would Guy ever do that again.

One thing came to her then as she walked over to the cottage where Lady Westall had waited for her through the weary days. She would not thrust herself in Guy's way. She would not wait there for him to find her. She would go to Nice at once, and if Gug_ wished to see and than'?; the woman who had saved his mother's life, he could search for her in Nice. Then he would see her, and she would know if he still loved her; though, when he saw her, she must not know that she and the Miss Marsden who had nursed his mother were the same.

Lady Westall saw her coming and ran out to meet her. The kjndhcarted woman cried like a child as sh'j folßed Violet in her arms. " The doctor says that you have escaped the infection," she said, presently, holding Violet off at arm's length to look at her, " but you are pale and thin."

" Yes, "but quite well," answered Violet, smiling, with a greater happiness than Lady Westall had ever seen in her.

" But how can you go through the sermon this way ?" '* Oh, I shall be better than ever in a week," answered Violet, gaily. "All I need is to have you nurse me a little, dear." " And you will be submissive again ? I don't feel so sure of you since your last obstinacy." Violet laughed happily. Lady Westall did not understand the reason for her joyousness ; but she rejoiced in it.

" The only stipulation I shall make is," said Violet, " that we go to Nice to-morrow." " Why so soon ?"

" Lady Darlington is expecting her son at any minute," answered Violet. Lady Westall looked keenly at Violet. The time had been when it would almost have killed Violet to say as much as now she said with a smile that was at least happy, if not gay. " We will go, then," was all she said.

" Come with me to Lady Darlington," said Violet. " You must persuade her that I ought to go to Nice."

Lady Westall laughed now. " It seems to me," she said, "that you and I have changed places. It is not so long ago that I was obliged to do all the thinking for us two. Now you have everything arranged and I have nothing to do but carry out your orders."

" Do you mind, dear ?" asked Violet, coaxingly. " Bless you ! no. lam glad of it. It is a little novel, that is all." It was not easy to persuade Ladj Darlington of the necessity of Violet to Nice so suddenly, for it seemed as if she were losing her altogether ; but when Lady Westell assured her that Violet's health delended upon an entire change of air and scene, she sighed and rnade no T urther objection.

" Shall I not see you again before you go?" she asked Violet.

" I shall come over in the morning to say good-bye," answered Violet. The next morning she did so, and Lady Darlington asked her to sit on a low stool at her feet.

" Do you know," she said to Violet, the tears filling her eyes, "that you have come into my life like a vision of a better world ? Beautiful ou are as I never dreamed that woman could be ; but the beauty o' your person is as nothing to the purii and heavenly beauty of your soul. Ton came into my life without bidding of mine, and I cannot let you .t;o out of it. Promise me tltat you =.vill not fade out of it. I ask it, •net because you saved my life when I was deserted by everyone, nor be:ause lam grateful to ymi. I love you. But who could help it ? Tell me, dear, is there no man who holds your heart ? It is needless to ask if any man loves you ; 1 do not think that any man could help but do it. But do you love none ?"

She held the beautiful face between her thin palms, and gazed into the violet-blue eyes with an intense eagerness. A Hush reddened the fair round cheeks, and for a moment the lips trembled. Then the answer :ame low. and distinct.

" Yes, I do love." A low, tremulous cry of grief fell from Lady Darlington's lips, and Violet knowing what it betokened, felt her heart leap with a wild joy and she ached to throw her arms round the neck of the mother of the man she loved and confess the whole truth to her.

The thought of Guy restrained her. however. But would be come to her? Would he seek the woman who had saved his mother's life ? She would have liked to remain in the cottage until he came, but her woman's pride took alarm at seeming to be thrusting herself in the way and she could not do it.

"You love," said Uady Darlington, after a pause, "and you are loved? But of course you arc."

"I do not know," answered Violet " Good-bye, Lady Darlington. I shall not forget you. Do not forget