THE STORY-TELLER. A FATAL MISTAKE.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 14, 8 September 1883, Page 4

THE STORY-TELLER. A FATAL MISTAKE.

Mr Marshall Chichester had bit upon a very ingenious device for enlivening the periodical holidays which he spent in England ivhen temporarily relieved of his duties as a civil servant in India. He was a middle-aged Lothario, of a frugal turn of mind, and the first step he always took upon revisiting his Ins native land was to get engaged to be married to some young lady whose family were in comfortable circumstances. By this dashing expedient he was generally able to live almost free of expense during his leave, thanks to the hospitality of the young lady's relatives ; while the duties of hia courtship afforded an agreeable relaxation. When pressed to name the wedding day, Mr Ouichester contrived to be suddenly recalled to his post in India, from whence, after a decent interval of increasing ■coldness, he would write and break off the engagement — provided, of comse, his studied neglect since his departure had not already elicited from the young lady an indignant dismissal. Obviously "this was a very dangerous game to p\ay, hat caution was inherent in Mr Chichester's character, and he never honored with his attention a lady who had brothers in the army or other relatives of the aggressive sex who might be likely to turn up in India. The consequence was that he had hitherto pursued this unworthy mnnocmre with impunity, •and he landed in England last summer with the deliberate intention of repeating the experiment. While he was seeking an opportunity to put his little plan into operation, ho chanced to meet one day, at the house 'of a casual acquaintance, a lady who lutd been one of the earliest victims of lus faithlessness. She was now the widow of a Colonel Lucas, who had recently lost his life under very sad circumstances while travelling in Africa. The rencontre was certainly a little awkward, hut, recollecting that Mrs Luoas had married within a month or two after the termination of their ■engagement, Mr Chichester felt lees embarrassed than he might otherwise have done. He was completely re-assured by the friendly salutation which the pretty willow vouch sated to him, and when he ventured to renew acquaintance with her, she made no unpleasant allusions to the past, but greeted him in a most flattering manner. At their first interview, Mrs Lucas pressed him to call upon her, which he accordingly did. It should beexplainel however, that in the interval Mr Chichester had made a discovery which considerably surprised him. It appeared that since her marriage, the widow had in'ioiitcd in her own right from a distant relative a very considerable fortune. Tuis ciicumstance impressed Air Chiciicstcr immensely, for he fu))y intended one d.iy to marry a rich wife, and it naturally occurred to him tint Mrs Lucas might suit him as well as anybody else. He suddenly remembered, too, that he had always entcitaiucd a lingering affection for her, and he dM not donbt for one instant that his lender sentiments were reciprocated. He therefore dressed himself with snort) than ordinary care when he paid the promised visit, and be found the widow surrounded by every evidence of wealth and luxury. She had a pleasant little house in a fashionable neighborhood, and, by n turtle process of mental arithmetic, Mr C'iiichester arrived at the conclusion, while waiting for her in her prelfcy draw- 1 ing-room, that she must be living well i ■\utuin her income. This reflection, pleasantly suggestive of a nc<t-egg of savings, caused him to think more seriously than ever of the idea which had taken possession of him, and when Mrs Lucas at length made her appearance, looking, as it seemed to him, twice as handsome as she had ever done bebefore, Mr Chichester resolved to lay siege to her heart in earnest. Considering Mrs Lucas's marked graciousness and the intimate nature of t icir former friendship, it is not surprising that Mr Chichester should have .anticipated an ea^y conquest. He had 'faith in his power of fascination, and it must be owned thafc he was what is called a lady's man. He was slim and gentlemanly, with soft, agreeable man.Jiers, and an endless flow of small talk. He knew a little about millineiy, could .describe a dress or a bonnet with tolerable accuracy, anil affected to be an .authority on matters of tiste. He soon found, however, that his -courtship was likely to last longer than lie had hoped. The fact was that the widow's wealth had brought her many admirers, and she had developed an irritating propensity for mild flirtation. Whether from coquetry or design, Mrs Lucas seemed anxious to avoid — or at all events to delay — a formal proposal, and though she encouraged Mr Chi Chester's attentions in rather a mar/ted way, she contrived to keep him at arm's length. He began to be tortured wit'i pangs of jealousy, and far worse than this, his hotel bill assumed gigantic proportions, while he mode no appreciable 2>rogress with his suit. At the end o? three months he was still in a state of suspense, and as his leave of absence was about to expire, it was absolutely necessary be should know his fate. He therefore one day watched his opportunity, and avowed his passion before the widow had time to thwart him. He was less surprised than dismayed to £nd that she was inclined to refuse him, hat desperation endowed him with such a torrent of persuasive eloquence that the lady somewhat reluctantly yielded to his protestations, only, however, upon .condition that the engagem«nt should be

kept secret. Nothing would induce her to consent to fix the wedding day, even at a remote date ; and she pleaded her recent bereavement as a reason for insisting upon the strictest; secrecy. Mr Cliiehesler had no alternative but to fall :« with this arrangement, though it considerably detracted from his satisfaction. There were reasons why it was rather important that he should not be absent from his post much longer ; but though he pointed this out to the widow, he was unable to overcome her delicate scruples. On the whole, however, Mr Chiches- | for was, of course, bighly-etatcd with this lappy consummation. The widow's fortune was, as it were, within his grasp, which reconciled him to the risk he would ran of ruining his official prospects by remaining in England. He applied for sick leave, removed from his hotel into modest lodgings, and prepared to await with equanimity the termination of the period of probation which the widow had insisted upon. But he speedily realised that there were many inconveniences attached to his secret engagement. Mrs Lucas sternly denied him the ordinary privileges of an accepted lover, refusing even to receive I him alone in her house, for fear of exI citing suspicion. Ou the other hand, I she did not suffer him to escape from any of the penalties of an engaged man. She kept, him constantly in attendance upon her, always taking care, however, to secure the presence of a third party. She organised costly little dinners at Richmond or elsewhere, ami insisted upon Mr Chichester playing host to herself and her friends. She required to be kept in good humor by constant presents of jewellery, opera tickets, bouquets, and other expensive trifles, and seemed to take a malicious satisfaction in making him spend money. Mr Chichester groaned in spirit, but dared not appear backward in displaying his devotion. He had an uncomfortable suspicion that his hold upon the widow's affections was less secure than he could wish, and ho could no', reconcile himself : to the idea of losing so rich a prize. (To be Continued.)