CHAPTER XXII. THE MISSING DIAMOND.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 183, 18 December 1886, Page 8

CHAPTER XXII. THE MISSING DIAMOND.

Margaret Houoiitox never moved as Arthur Aspinwall uttored those significant words. They did not appeal to surprise her. Her face was unfathomable in its expression ; her eyes wore downcast and there was not so much as a flutter of an eyelid to Bhow that she experienced the least emotion at the suggestion of her lover's dishonesty. But if thr youog man could have seen her hands he would have noticed that they wore locked in a strained, convulsive clasp. He had oxpected that =*he would indignantly repudiate the idea which he ad van cod. ■ ( That she did not caused him considerable eurprifo, whilo nt the same time it created a feeling of secret joy. If he could \ only instill into her mind a belief that , Louis wa 5*5 * a villain and a robbor, it would j be comparatively easy to win her thought* | from him and gradually lead her to look [ more favourably upon himself. J " Do I understand you to believe that Mr I Dunbar stole that money and abcconded with it?" The voice was hollow, almost uneavfhlj ; but otherwise- Margaret ga\e no sign ot emotion, "That is putting it in very plain, disagreeable terms,' Arthur replied, gently ; " but I cannot help thinking so. In the first place, no one save him and the cashier knew anything' about the money having been in the office. Second, no one but they had a key to the safe. The cashier produced his the next morning ; Dunbar'-s was in tho lock.", " But some one may have assaulted and overpowered him -stolon his key and then taken the money, interposed Margaret. " There would have been some evidence of it then — there would have been a struggle for the possession of the key ; in that case there mußt have been some disorder and eignß of it. If he han been felled and killed instantly, as your father believe?, the body would have had to be taken care of, and the detectivea would have traced it before this.' 1 Again Margaret shivered and drew nearer the fire It wa9 droadful to hear Louis spoken of as a " body." " I told you I would hurt you ; I cannot bear to wound you, Margie," Arthur aaid, n unsteady tones, ac he noticed it. She made ho reply, but s&t a long timo silent— so long that the stillness became oppressive to her companion. At lust ho could bear it no longer, and rising:, he crossed over to where she sat, " Forgive me," he said in a low, earnest tone " I feared thia would open your wound afresh, and I would rather suffer torture than give you pain." "You need not feel at all consciencesmitten—jb?- this; I questioned you— if I suffor I alone am to blame. ' There was a peculiar significance in the construction and emphasis of the fir-at half of her reply that made him very uncomfoitablo. What did ehe mean by it ? "I am going now," he aaid, after a moment. "I fool like an intruder here; you do not receive toe very graciously, Margie. Would you rather I stayed away altogether ?" "No," she at laat said, slowly, but without lifting her eyes. " I think I should misq you if you did not como at all ; but, Arthur, if you continue your vi9it3, you must not talk of loyo to me any more — I cannot bear that." His face lighted eagorly in spite of that last prohibition, and hia heart boundod within him, She had paid that she would tr.iaa him if ho did not come at all ; she had given him permission to visit her, with only one restriction. He felt almost sure now that he should win her in time. All he needed was patience ; and perseverance. Ah ' If this beautiful girl would only become his wife, and he could have the handling of her gold, also thore would be nothing more to ask for in this life. "Thank you," ho said, and hia voice trembled, in spite of his efforts to prevent it, with hope. " Then I shall come every day until you send me away ; and. now goodbye for this time." He held cut hia hand aa he spoke. She could not help seeing it, but she hesitated a moment and shrank slightly from him ; then, with a sudden movement, she laid hers for an instant in his palm.

It was like a piece of ice— ao cold that it actually chilled him. " How cold you are !" ho cried. " Margie, your hand could not be colder if you wore doad." " No, nor my heart either,'' she moaned, bitterly j and turning abruptly fiona him ehe motioned him to go. When Margaret heard the door close after him she sprang from her chair and began to paco wildly up and down tho room ; her hands wore clasped upon her breaet, her face raiaed heavenward, while the tears fell like rain over her wan cheeks. Her mother found her thus a little while after when she came down from he. own room. J 14 My darling," she said, going to her and '] taking her tenderly into her arms, "you must not allow yourself to become so unnerved and excited, I know your heart is nearly broken, and we suffer with you, Margie ; but, nay child, do not forget that our anguish would be a hundred fold more poignant if wo should loße you, our only one." Margaret paused in her rapid walk, slipped her arms aDout her mother's waiat, and laid her head wearily upon hei shoulder. For noarly five minutes she stood thus, then she rai'-od her face and tried to Bmilo — oh, such a pitiful smile ! *' I am a great deal of troxible to you, mamma," she said, humbly ; " but I will try not to grieve you like this again. Let us go out and drive for a little while— go in the close carriage. I imagine tho cool air will do me good." Mra Hou^hton was astonished at thin request. No amount of urging heretofore had provailed upon her to go out. Not once had ehe stepped outside the door since the dreadful blow fell, and now she was ashing to go and drive. She gave her no time to change her mind. In tiftoon minutes thoy were driving in the brilliant sunshine out toward the Champs Elysees. It did her so much good. She camo home brighter and more cheerful. Theie was no more colour in her face than usual, but that look of blank misery was softened, the tOLes of her voice were leps strained and unatural while there was a expression of thoaghtfulneas and resolve upon her countenonce that told of some now purpose formed within her heart. Mr Houghten was greatly gratified upon learning of this new doparture. It was a good beginning, and, now that the ice was broken, ho resolved that ho would find somothing interesting for her outside every day. Arthur came again tho next morning, and, he i_aleo noticed the change in Margaret. She was less reserved than U3ual, joining more freely in conversation than she had yet done, and even smiled slightly once at some pleasantry between himself and Mrs. Houghton. That lady informed him that they were going for a drive at the Boulevards at two, and invited him to accompany them. He hesitatod for a moment, then, with evident disappointment, said that he could not go at that hour — he had an important engagement that would require bis presence elsewhere. Something, a sort of fascination of mesmoiic power, perhaps, made him lift and turn his eyes upon Margaret as he said this. She wa« observing him with a keen, penetrating look, a questioning look ; and then, as his glance encountered hers, her eyes suddenly fell, and a slight flush, a very slight flush tinged her cheek The young man was startled ; he could not understand it ; hitherto she had hardly noticed his presence, now it seernod a3 if nothing escaped her observation. His heart bounded. " She is disappointed— she wanted me to go," he said to himself. " Patience ie all I nood — I shall get on with her all right even yet ; but I must not be too eager— l must make myself very agreeablo and necessary to her, and yot be a trifle shy." " I am sorry I cannot go," he said aloud, "but 1 -will arrange it bo as to accompany you after to day if you wish." Again ho was conscious of that swift, in tent, penetrating glance from Margaret ; what could it mean ? " Thanks -it is pleasant to have an escort when one drives out for several miles," Mrs Houghton replied, " and we choose thi3 hour because it is warmer and pleasanter and there is not ao much danger of Margie taking cold. But Arthur," she added, as ho wa? moving toward the door, " you are lame. What is the trouble ?" The young man changed colour slightly, and then laughed as he replied : " Voe, lam a trifle unsteady — I turned my ankle coming down stairs yestorday ; t came near being a bad sprain, and after sitting still for a while I find it a little dith'cult to start oQ naturally. 1 shall be all right in a fow days, howevor. By tho way," he added. A3 he was about to leave the room, " I wonder if you or any of your servants have seen anything of a stray diamond about as largo as a pea ? I have lost one out of a sleeve-button." He turned back the sleeve of his coat as ho apoke, revealing a handsorao cuft'-buttorn of black enamol and gold, out of the centie of which there appeared to be a stone gone. Margaret arose from her chair and came swiftly to his side. " Lot me see," she said, with an eagerness that surprised both ot her companions. " I have seen nothing of it and I do not believe that the sorvan-P have; but I will havo them look very carefully when they sweep again," Mrs Houghton said. " What makes you think that you lost it here," Margaret aaked, while a maid just then entered find spoke to her mother, and she went out leaving Arthur and Margaret alone. " Oh, I have no particular reason for thinking so, only I am here &o much, and I thought it mighb possibly have dropped out during one of my calls," Arthur replied, smiling. " When did you miss it ?" 11 Let me see—it was some time ago and I meant to have asked about it before, but kept forgetting it. I believe though, it was that very evening after you had told me about — this," ho concluded, lowering his tone and gently touching with his finger tho diamond which she had told him was the pledge of affection betwoen herself and Louis. For a moment Margaret stood absolutely motionless, aa if riveted to the spot by some sudden thought. «• Why !" she exclaimed, "that was the very night that Louie was —that Louis disappeared !" A shock went through him, and for a moment there wag a death-like stillness in the room. " So it was '" he said, at last, in a forced tone. "It did not occur to me ''before, however ;" he added, with o, regretful intonation, c * forgive me again, Margie, I seem fated to wound you continually, and — never ■ mind the atone ; I suppose I can have another put in its place, though I am sorry to lose it, for my mothor gavo me the buttons on ray twenty-first birthday." "We will look for it," Margaret returned, "it may have rolled into some corner, or behind some piece of furniture and escaped observation. You sat over here in this chair, didn't you ?"

She had turned abruptly away from him while speaking, and walked to the place where he had sat when he said such hard things of her lover. How well Bhe remembered it ! hia very look, even the tones of his voice" and the passionate gestures he had made. The chair was cloee by the tete-a ieie where Bhe and Louin had afterwards sat and planned co hopefully for their future. "I believe so,"' he replied, absently, while his quick oye glanced rapidly all about that corner of the iooih. She was watching him breathlessly, fixedly, and with a glunce that was almost like that ot a mad woman waiting for a I chance to spring upon her victim, nho did J not lose a movement that he made. " We will look caiefully," she repeated, and he wondered at the sudden interest that she manifested in this trifle after all her previous " apathy about everything else. "Thanks," he said, as ho again turned to go. "I should be glad to get it; but pray do not put yom&elvee out too much on account of it." Then, with a smiling good-bye, he went out, leaving her standing alone by that chair, a Btrangoly intent look on her fair young lace. , - (To be Continued. )