UNWILLING WITNESS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7063, 8 February 1893, Page 4

UNWILLING WITNESS.

LITERATURE-

'CONTINUED.) •Hardly that, I should say,’ said Bodowin. * Art honest expart charges for the resjponsibility .he takes in giving such opinions ‘as be is able to form from his experience and study. If the responsibility is great he charges accordingly/ Josephine was mentally referring Bodewin’s words to her father’s ease — a case where facts alone were called lor, not experience or respoheibiliiy or study ; and the five thousand dollars btr father had offered, and Bodewin had relused, would suggest, in spite of herself, a very ugly word. Mr Hiilbury, from the other side of the firs, leaned forward and threw on it another log. The wind veered and carried the smoke of the augmented flame into their faces. They scrambled, laughing, 10 .-(lie-r v feet, .and retreated, Bodewin dragging the blanket after him. He spread it down again on the windward side,.of the fire, but Josephine did noVUeem disposed to resume her seat. *Do people ever get used to thie P’ Josephine asked. *1 am afraid they do. Bat they enjoy it over again, as X do to-riigLt, seeing your fresh eyes take it all in for the first time.' •How do you know that I like it?’ I have not said so, bars I P’ ‘I can see that yon do.’ * I do, Ido I’ she said, in her fall, cordial tones. ‘But not all of it.’ •No ; there is too much of it to be all good.’ After a pause be asked: * Your father is waking a longer stay in camp than he intended, ie he not?’ ‘ Yes; wo wore to have gone this this week. Ha will wait now nntilt after the trial.’ ‘I hope be will gain his suit/ Bode win sain civilly. ‘Do you ?’ came involuntarily from Josephine. ‘Why are you surprised. Miss New. bold, to find my sympathies on the side of justice P’ * I did not know you thought that was our side/ Josephine replied coldly. * I do think so.’ ‘Then it you care about justice, why don’t you go into court and say so ?’ Josephine looked at him, hardly less astonished than ha at her own word?. It was undeniably careless of Bodewin to have assumed that Mies New bold knew nothing of his connection with her father’s lawsuit. And Josephine, under ths preksure of her own misgivings, bad allowed herte.f to ba goadei by biscool allusion into an extraordinary Übertj So she instantly felt it to bej and so she knew that be also re* garded it: He looked at her keenly and gravely. ‘ You most not answer that question/ she said. * I had no right to aski t/ ‘Perhapsyou bad not/ be assented. 1 You will pardon me if Ido not answer it/, * You will only humiliate me if yon do/.

Neither found it sasy to go on talking as they had talked before. By a cbm* noon impulse they moved back towards the camp, and when they rejoined the

circie around the lire, Josephine contrived that her seat should be as tar away as possible from Bodewin. *■' er evening was spoiled—and more than that. She did no* ask her-self wlat more, but miserably a tie felt what a fire is the tongue that is not disciplined. It had cot occurred to her . before whether she was likely or not to m>>et Bodewio again, but now s-:e found herself earnestly hoping that she might. She longed to relrisve nersel', for the sake of her own self respect. But she never looked at or spoke to Bodewin again, except to say good evening to him in her quietest manual' when the company broke up. Bodewin lingered after 'he other guests had gone end smoked another pipe with Hillbury. The latter remarked upon Miss New bold's. beauty. It was too obvious to call for discussion, though Hillbury invited one by saying that she was too unconscious to be thoroughly graceful, and that to him ■be seemed like a preposterously handsome boy. * Oh, come J ’ said Bodewin. *lf she were a coquette with that face and figure, where should we be ? Heaven is merciful, jitter all!’

Miss.N’ewbold’s opportunii’v to retrieve herself oanie, not intny days later, through the innocent machine, tions of Mrs Craig. Mrs Craig also wished to retrieve herself. She bad given the Nswbold* a bad dionsr. Atonement wss out of the question where Mr. Newbold was concerned, unless it might be through making Mr Newbold’s daughter happy. Her hea l had not touched her pillow, the" night after tbe dinnVr, before it began comparing rides and walks and excursions in various directions, with a view to Mies Newbold’s amusement. Chance, after all, decided her choice. Mi Hillbury .offered a professional trrsnd of bis Own as an excuse for a ride halfway to ibe 'op of One of tbe famed peaks of tbe neighbouring range. A party"wai quickly made up, Mr Newbold at the very outset declined to attempt a twen y-mile fide on horsebeck, including a great deal of mountain work ; but he was obviously pleased with the plan, for his daughter's sake. Bodewin was invited, .Mrs Craig informing him that be was expected to supply those minor, passages without which a pleasure party, like dance music, is : . <. \ ‘Wears all monotonously major, every one of us—Mr Mies Newbold, Joe{BDdjDygelf. ,! You most come ajofig ahdeharige the key;’ fbe-riders madean early start from > the Wilts's House, Mr Nevybold stood on and .watched them I put of light,/Jpfsphjyj's, isking the lead,'

with Mr Craig on her right and Hiilbury on her left, followed by Mrs Craig with Bodewin beside her, on his bald-faced bay. Half a mile beyond the camp they left the stage road for one of the many stony trails which climb the sides of tbe gulch, branching in various directions towards as many different mines. Northward, they crossed the belt of baraed timber and entered the dark and fragrant spruce woods, the last and toughest growth on the mountain side. . ‘ Isn’t she charming P * Mrs Craig said to Bodewin. . ‘ Soextravagantly pretty and yet so simple and womanly. Don’t yon think so P ’

‘ I have not tried my epithets on her yet/ Bodewin replied. ‘ Bat 1 dare say I could find fault with youra. I should not call her extravagantly pretty, and I doubt it it would be safe to rely upon her simplicity/ ‘Ob,I don’t mean that kind ot simplicity! She is simply like a antique, like a young goddess/ ‘ Which one do you mean ? ’ be said. ‘ Thera is the Goddess of Liberty on the Copitcl. Do you call her simple?’ ‘ No, 1 call her decidedly ornate. There is a word which just describes tier if I could only think of it.’ ‘Do you mean the Goddess of Liber, ty 7 t Yoo bewilder me so with your transitions.’ • No, I mean my goddess.’ ‘Perhaps western is the word you want.’ ‘ Western P Well, it isn’t such a bad word if you take it right/ * I mean it right.’ ‘ Somehow I cannot talk to you this morning, Mr Bodewin. 1 think you are not in your happiest vein. Are you ?’ ‘ I have no happy veins, Mrs Craig. They all ‘ pinched out ’ years ago/ ‘ Sink a new shaft then and prospect for more. Isn’t that good advice ?’ ‘lf one had any new ground to sink on. Tbe really virtuous thing to do, would be to to overhaul the old damps and try to make days wages out of them/ (To be continued.)