CHAPTER XVI. A DANGER IN THE WAY.

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

CHAPTER XVI. A DANGER IN THE WAY.

Violet, Countess of Leigh, now stood in , most perilous places. On the one hand, the indifference of a husband so little in sympathy with her; on the other, the revival of her early love for Keith betrayed , her. Environed by such dangers, howmany young and lovely women have gone..' down to ruin ere they were aware 'j Child as she was in heart and experience-, Violet was entering on a long and terrible tragedy. Should she come out of it unscathed in soul, the garments of her womanly purity still white as snow, or was it written in her fate that; Violet Leiffh was borne nofe only to sorrow but to reproach ? Ignorant, impulsive, and untried as a little child, she yet realised her jeopardy when she felt her heart leap and melt at the, sound of Keith's step and voice and ab the kindling glances of hie beautiful blue eyes. His chivalric nature was in harmony with her womanly sweetness : he was like a true knight of the olden time, and she like the lady-love for whom such knight would face the world. No longer free to love him, how could she= escape except in the shelter of him who had eworn at the altar to love and protect her ? Recalling the scene in the garden of the Due d'Etoile, Violet resolved to avoid such intiuaate meetings in the future. She did not see her husbaud until dinner the day after the dukt>'s fete. She waß dressed for the opera when she came in, Her dress was a blue Chinese crape, caught with knots of myo?otis, and the cloudd of puffed lace that lay over her neck and arms were hold by bands of pearl and turquoise. Her coetunae was very becoming. Lord Leigh nodded approval. "«Thatis right. These fastidious Parisians can find no fault with that. There will be plenty of admirers about our box, I tancy. I told Keith we should see him there." *c Why did you do that? I do not think any one gentleman should be singled out for attention." L rd Leigh burst vnto a laugh. " There spoke the prudery of that excellent but commonplace person, your Aunt Ainslie." "I—used to know Lord Keith," said Violet, flushing painfully, and looking down as one confessing a crime. 41 Yes ; so you told me before." 44 And - I liked him —much," said the little countess, her red lips tiembling. "No doubt. Everyone likes Keith." "And he liked me." "Showed his good tasto,"' said LordLeigh, eating truffle. "My aunt—warned me," said Violet, ready to cry, but nobly resisting tears, " that if any one young man paid me attention people might make remarks, and —you. might be angry." "Bleas your soul!" said her husband, with coolest indifference, "I shall not be angry. You have a quantity of poetry and romance, but altogether of the Teunysonian sort. Who ia going to be jealous of you ? One might as well expect a woman of snow to take fire as such a cool liiitle creature as you to stir up in a passion." This to Violet, whose soul was scorched with a lava tirio of lave, despair, torror, remorse for her distrust! She looked down in stony despair of ever making him understand her. " Don't imagine yourself into a threevohirne novel, Lady Leigh," aaid her lord, at that instant critical of the salad, "There is not the making of it at hand. Get your novels at the circulating library, not out of your own life. Our daily existence is too thin and pale for piot. You have my full warrant to be agreeable to all who call at our box. No one will hang about you uiore than I do about Lady Clare, and who minds that ?" "I don't see what you find attractive in Lady Clare," said Violet, firing up, for eh© was naturally jealous. •'No? I like her cold style; and her patrician face shows pure blood, if she is plain. I wish you could learn to sweep a howse with your glass, or look a person down, as Lady Clare does. But she has one charm, she has the most beautiful bands and arms in the world." " And shows them off all the time/ cried Violet. " Who wouldn't when they are sc superb ? Now yours are too slender," said her husband, with refreshing frankness. Violet was ashamed of herself that she had shown any pettishness about her cousin. The nature of Lady Leigh waa generous and noble. She desired to phang© the conversation, and so ceaee to discuss Lady Clare. " When are we going to Switzerland ? I am tired of Paris " " Let us start Friday, if you do not fear the clay. Are you in haste to get away from Lady Clare? Surely you are not doing me the honour to be jealous of me?" "No, lam not. Only love is jealous," Baid Violet, angrily. " Fie, child, don'b be angry, Why do we come on the verge of quarrels constantly ? We neod a third party to keep the peace between us. I mean to ask Keith to join us in Switzerland. He will bo good company." A cold terror fell on Violet's heart. She rose, went round to her husband s side, slid her little hand through his arm, and said, softly : "Norman, I am very sorry I spoke so. Let us try to undeijstand each othor better, and get on more happily. Let us pro alone to Switzerland, and learn to find our pleasure in each other's company." "Any way you like« cMld»" said Lord Leigh, " only there ia the servant returning, and if I might suggest—" Violet slid back into her own place. That evening, at the opera, between act?, Kenneth Keith made his way to Violet's box, Leigh welcomed him.

" Keith," he B»id after a few moments, '"come with us to Switzerland. You'll ] understand Lady Leigh's raptures over : "scenery much better than I shall." "Vphink how long Lord Keith haa been i absent /rom England," said Violet. "He i is in baste to get back." : ««I am condemned to longer exile," said i Keith, " as my mother has been called to a sick relative, and writes me not to go to Keith Castle until she can meet me there." , "That eettlea it," said Leigh. "Come to Switzerland I'll depend on you for all the poetry about • gentian bells,' and ' rosy snows,' and 'gleaming glaciors.' I pro1 mised to go to Ludy Clare Montressor's box. Shall I leave my wife in your care ?" Much as he loved Violet, Lord Kenneth Keith loved honour more. Violet's timidity and her husband's confidence called him to "the serene and easy paths of simple friend 'ship. He summoned all his tact, and when they left the opera house Violet's heart felt at rest. "W hat had she feared, what had she to fear 1 She had lost in Keith a lover, but she had gained a friend and brother. What •^COulrJ be more eweet ? "You'll come along with us, Keith?— cave us a guide ?" said Leigh, as Keith stood sby their carriage. Keith lo ked at Violet, and the happy, hopeful look in the ingenuous brown eyes •decided him for the path of danger. He •answered : 111 will meet you there " He was just turning from the carriage, when a figure came between him and the step, an arm was reached forth, and a woman's voice said : *♦ You dropped this." Lord Leigh fairly snatched the handkerchief held out by the extended hand. "Drive on! Why do you block the ■way?" he cried, angrily, to the coachman. ** Violet, do lean back in your seat. To ■look about a crowd that way is surely bad form. From your remarks at dinner one would expec*" something bettor " "I thouyht the person who gave you the handkerchief was the Englishwom who was teaching me embroidery." "Yes, Adventurers hang about everywhere." " She paid her name wa3 Helen Hope." "Took it out of a directory, no doubt.'' " I wa^ sure I saw her in the house tonight. She was watching you while you ■were at Claro'3 box." " There you soo what trouble you get mo into, by taking up wit"h stray adventurers," said Leigrh coolly. '' No doubt she will be begging me for fifty pounds, for a country widow in distress." " Bu^ did you never meet her before ?" "What nonsense! to ask such a question !" " But dii you ?" persisted Violet. " No, I did not," said Leigh, tartly. Violet was sure he waa telling her an untruth, and she thought of it with angry scorn. Then phe blamed herself for pressing him "to it. But would not sho have answered any question frankly ? She felt sure she would Meanwhile Leigh knew that the handkerchief given him contained a note, and he cursed his fate that he was pursued by 1 Helen Hope. Finally in hia dresaing-room he unfolded the scrap of paper tied in one corner of the kerchief. •' Meet me on the Pont la Concorde to-morrow ■evening, &t twelve o'clock, unless you prefer to see me at your rojrns.—Helen H." One clear and open course was before Lord Leigh. He could have allowed his enemy to riursue^him to his own home if she dared, and have defied her. With Violet •he had nothing to lose. But, unfortunately, he had pretended to Violet that this woman was a total stranger. The crooked "paths of deceit were more natural to Leigh than the highway of truth. All the terrors of his fate came upon him from the lack of moral courage to meet and brave in clear light the danger that lay in his way.