CHAPTER XIII. "I LOVE YOU AND I HATE YOU!"

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 184, 25 December 1886, Page 6

CHAPTER XIII. "I" I LOVE YOU AND I HATE YOU !"

Violet was too little practised in what are called the "proprieties of social life" to show an entirely clear brow and genial welcome to Lady Clare Montressor and her friend, Lady Jane Hartley, when they came out to join her. Glare had always avenged herself of Violet's superior fortune and beauty by using toward her a halfgarcastic patronage, and acting as if Violet were a very inexperienced and lightminded child. Violet liked her Cousin Clare least of all her relatives. On this occasion there seemed to exist some secret understanding between Lady Glare and Lady Jane. There were broken sentences, guarded glances exchanged, and inquisitive looks at Violet. Lord Leigh, on his part, ignored his rocent anger, and tried to be more than usually agreeable. He was almost ostentatiously attentive to his wife, urging her to purchase whatever awoke her admiration, and desiring that she should present each of the other ladies with eotue handsome souvenir of the expedition. He seemed to take a pleasure in exhibiting Violet's unlimited ability to purchase the choice treasures of Sevres, and endured with complacency the raptures in the show-rooms and her curiosity in the ateliers, or work-rooms, to which he secured admission. " Why do you like this ?" said Lady Clare. " It is all well enough to buy the porcelain, but who cares how it is made ? Why do you like to stay in these rooms filled with working people ?" " I like working-people," said Violet. *'I like honest folk who earn their own bread ; I think they are the really independent and strong people." " Blood tell?," said Clare softly to Lord Leigh, on whose arm she was leaning ; ** there the Ainslie blood spoke out. With the great fortune, you will have to take a vast deal of plebeian sentiment that came from the same place as the fortune. Will it pay, think ?" Lord Leigh glanced at the cold, haughty, quiet face of Lady Clare. She had a certain style, if no beauty—a style that he rather liked ; and once he had thought, at his father's suggestion, of making her Lady Leigh. His father had said, "In this generation we happily need not look for money to build up the Leigha ; let ua reinforce with high birth." But later, this Leigh had ppeculated and betted, and he had needed the fortune more than the blue biocd. When Lady Clare spoke he knew what Tsas in her mind, and he wondered how it would have been to walk through Sevre3 with haughty Clare rather than impulsive Violet for his wife. But the thought fell coldly from him There was a face in the background of hig life that outvalued the style and rank of Claro and the fortune of Violet, but a face that JS'orman Leigh had sentenced to exile from. hi=» heart. Still he felt bored by Violet's pleasure in work and workers, fince Lady Clare had hinted that it was bad form, and he proclaimed the visit to the ateliers ended. After their dinner in a private room at the hotel, the ladies withdrew to a reserved parlour. Finding little of interest in the chat of her two companions, Violet went out on a balcony, and wandering up and down, happened to roam near a window where her cousin and Lady Jane were seated. Suddenly she heard Lady Jane aay : *' What do you suppose was Lord Leigh's reason for whisking his wife out of Paris today ? I never was more surprised than when he came in and bogsed ua to get ready for Sevres at ohcg, and let it seem ac if we had arranged the matter some hours earlier." "Leigh has a talent for manoeuvring," said Lady Clare. " But people seldom manoeuvre for <aheer love of it. There must be a reason, Is there a lover in the case, think ?" " A lover » That baby-faced chit is not likely to have a lover." "Men like the baby facee, and London raved over her." "Money—only her money. And now that is in Leigh's hands. It is what he married her for, and he took care to get tho handling of plenty of it. The rest ia tied to h6r children." " Money or not, sho ia pweet enough to •win hearts," said Lady Jaae, "and I feel sure that he mu«t have t-een some one adoring her afar off, or heard that some one waa enamored of her looks, or have seen her glances wanderine, or why should he hurry her here, with us for company, and not wish her to know the scheme? I'll venture ho feared to have her meet some one at the opera to-night." Violet heard astounded. She seemed to be aiwaya hearing things she should not, hear, and which set her against Lord Leigh. Her thoughts flew to Keith. Had Leigh in some way heard that she was Keith's early love, and had he carried her oft'le^t Keith should see her ? Waa he developing the tyrant so quickly ? If she must be suspected and treated as a criminal, when her intentions %vere *o pure and lofty —uhen she wat gure she vaa putting Keith out of her hearc for mere cake of goodness — ehe would not, endure it, she would run away from Leigh, and hide herself forever. At tbie moment ?he saw on the distant end of the balcony a glittering point, which she knev- must represent Leigh'a ciear, as he took his after-dinner etnoke. She went boldly to him. "Why did you bring me here to-day, Norman ?" '• I thought you would enjoy it." " Waa it to take me away from anyone ? To prevent my Eeeing someone ?" Lord Leigh took his cigar from his lips, and there waa a little silence. Then he said : " Really, Violet, that is a most absurd inquiry. I wish you were not co suspicious. It ie very unbecoming in one so young, and in a wife." " I only desire to say to you,'" said Violet, "that if you do oot wish mo to eeo anyone, or have evil thoughts of anyone, I would rather you deal with me openly." "Put such folly out of your bead," said Lord Le'ojh. " I assure you lam afraid of nobody." Still, the idea that he was jealous about Keith lingered, and unluckily kept her thoughts Mith Keith most of that night. At breakfast she was made ashamed of these suspicions, and, beitig ashamed, became more kind to her husband, to atone for the injury done him in her hasty thoughts. He eaid to Lady Clare ; " Have you eeen Lord Keith ?—ho is in fans." i

" I hardly know him," said Lady Clare. \ "He ia a mighty fino fellow. Ho c>illod on U 9 the other day, only I waB out. Why , dosen't he come again, Violet? Did you frighten him off with your cold ways, . I must look him up. It will be nice to have him come to our box at the theatre or opera, so I can stroll round to the others, and see Lady Claro and the rest of the people." Evidently he had no jealousy or ill thoughts of Keith. Perhaps he bad como to Sevres juafc to amuee her. Thus Violet blushed for herself, and tried to find more virtuos in her indifferent husband. In fact, for the next few days after their return to Paris he attended her much more closely than before. Thoy went to the Park Monceaux ono afternoon, and leaving the carriage at tho gate, strolled about the ualks looking at the flowors, children, and water-fowl. Glancing about, as they rested on a rustic seat, Violet saw Misa Hope, her proposed embrodiery mistress, seated some rods off. She "wondered if Leigh saw her, but evidently he did not. He said presently : " Come. Violot— it is time we wore con tinuing our drive." He took her to the carriage, but when she was seated in it he drew back. *' On second thoughts, I will let you go nlono. I must call on a moinbor of our club, who lives horo," He stood watching until the landau turned a corner, then he re entered the park, and rapidly approached Miss Hope. She eat drawing geometric figures on the sand of the walk with the tip of her parasol, and did not look up, even when he stood before her. He paid in a low angry tone : '* Why did you thrust your society on my wife ?" •' I warned you I would. Idoas I cay." " And why, I wish to know?" " I told you your wife should boa miserable woman." "It is not in your power to make her go" "And why so ?" "We aro not a romantic couplo. She has invested no grand paesion in me, and. will not be disturbed by anything you may tell her. She is not to be made miserable by any revelations." "Then I will, instead, make you miserable." Lord Leigh laughed heartily. " You cannot. I have married two millions, and unless you rob me of that I am safe." " Rest assured I shall find someway," she cried, fiercely. 41 And why all this zeal in the cause of misery ?" "You know why," she said, rising, and looking him in the eyes. "You know I loved you. I adored you. I cast myself at your feet\ You played with my passion. The first time I saw you I waa infatuated with you. Why, I cannot tell. You saw it, and for tho sake of meeting and courting my pupil, Edna Ambrose, you amused yourself with my devotion. You threw away idle word?, looks, flowers, and books on me ; and I, fool that I was, dreamed I should be Lady of Leigh. I will be rovenged on you. I love you, and I hate j'ou ! Sinco love Las no satisfaction, hate shall !"