CHAPTER LII. A FELL MEETING.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 232, 10 December 1887, Page 7

CHAPTER LII. A FELL MEETING.

Thcro arc son o things haul to wuViYstniHi. =Oh, help ni'\ my Lord lo ti u^l in thee ! I'll novcx- forget her soft white lianrt, Or her eyes when she iookoil irt me. And between us both, without and within, Stretched the yaw ning gulf ot law or sin. Owun Mkuidith. "Yks, it is my cousin, -Gernldinc,' 1 paid 'Colonel Fitzgerald, in a lew voice, as he le•coi'crcd his self-post.ee.-ion, A slight obstruction in the crowd for a Moment delayed thoir progress, and meanwhile Gertrude breathlcs-ly contemplated the splendid beaut}*, leaning slightly on the arm of the prince. Geraldino was magniticcntly dre^ed in a ro3 T al purple ael vet robe, richly embroidered an silver thread and small diamonds, over a skirt of \\ hito satin deeply trimmed with point lace. She was literally bla/mg with diamonds. Her toilet was almost barbaric in its splendour. It. miuht bo bnelly desoiibed as a blaze of diamonds on a purple vchct ground. The slight obstruction in the croud gave way, and\ still leaning on the ann ot the prince, she drew near them, and to Gertrude's unspeakable ama'emont the turned "K'ifch smiling self-posse-oioja and addie^sed her cousin, sajing : u How do you do, Gerald ? lam pleaded to moot you here.'' lie took the hand the offeicd and bowed over it, but could not ,»pojk, and did not attempt to do <o. The nitin in this casj had lc-s solf-po^e-^ion tha,'* the woman, i\lcan\\'hile with smiling q ace, .^ho turned to the pi nice, and said : £ ' \Vill your highnoi pc" "nit me to viesent to you Colonel Fit/gci aid,, of Viijiinia '"' The piinee and the colon* 1 bo\sed simultaneously, and I Ivy eA<_han^'?d a feu v.ouN oi courteous gi eeth g. Then Colonel Fit/geiald pi evented the litL'e lady on liio aim T.he prince bowed deeply, uiteied a fey. wouls ot com entional politeness, bowed again to the pin. Mid pa-^ed on with his beautiful paitnei to the diauinji-ioom, Other distinguished men <:nd beautiful -women came piecing fiom ihe po\ t<ds ot the ball loomman almosi cndle--> pioc^,sion ; but (leuild did not nas^io them to his comj) niion — did not o\en i.com to ->et them ; he was lost in i'e\ene. (Jcitiude vitl) a eoldne-^ I hat seemed to cL>e aioiuid hei he. it. He noU'jed tln-> at, la^t, aid >.iv', \\ ith much gt.vlleiu ~- : '• You aio -hi\ ci 'w\. my little love. Let us go on U> the Kiloon. It i > much wannci there." She as-seittod b;, a nod, a::d tliey turnetl and .Allowed the eio,\d. Not a woul v, as -aid bv eithet on t)v jeot of thtii -Miexpectcd en^cuuicr v.ith (Ueialdine. W.\en they le^^acn 1 tS.c ?alooii they found a \ery brilliant a-*., milage theie, conspk-u-out> among whom \\<& 1 1' c btaMiitul (h'/ml•dine entluoned on a f.o'a, .1 %eiy queen ot Jove, biuiounded L} ht i own couit. Jt wa=- a bccne ujion which (-Iciald Fii/could look .and li\e. Jit turned to his v. ifo and \vl<i«peied : ".Ojitrude, ha.c }on liad enough of thii) -' "' ''Oh, je'-, ye«, Coiald, q-ilte, quite enough,, ' >'.id lnurmuiod. " ShaU •.'. .' gu h'tine .' ' " Ye-, if j ou plea-e, < -vi aid." * { Cumc, ihen," lie -aul, leading Jl Lr toWird the eloaK-ioom . Half an lioiu b^r they liad 2eae!)ed their apaitmcnti on the iLoi of a handsome house ou the ri Clumps d'El} iJes. Colonel Fit/gc old ipmanied standing by the front window, with his elbow ie-4i".g on a niaibk pi'iar, a.i.l hi. hto r ! upon hi . hand, lost in thought. Got'li'iidc h id sunk upon a chair, where f-he .sat, di. iv, ing oft her glc\e-, and painfully ob--er\i'ig hd hi!-l;and. <l Yes I hncwit, I iek it all the c ciiug. My jn^'-entimcnt i- fulniLf". ilo ha, met Geraldme ! ]Le ha mJ. hi-, ovii f-,: nnl"and our .s'lott-lr cd lj-ippp • - \-> dt.ad ! ' A\b feighed to lict "elf. Yet t>h'i thought niO.c oT hi-, wclfaio rh in I of her ow n. Sceingth.it he did not mo^c from tin-. position, she diopped hor glo\ a 1 -, aio c and went up to to him, meaning to speak calmly ; but theie her feelings o\Cicaine her thoughts. She clasped her aim.s """■"me! him and bur-t into tjar"-, exclaim ' ' Oh j Utitdd, 1 run o fuuy— l am m aOlry !" "For what are you sorry, my little love';" he inquhed, gently, winding his arm caressingly around her leaning form, and looking down tenderly on her little sympathetic face. "For what are you soiry, little lady ?" he repeated, seeing that she continued silent. She did not answer at first, for the reverence in which she held him prevented her from saying : "I am so sorry for yon." But after a moment's pause &he replied : a "Oh, Gerald, I am sorry that you ar not happy !" " No one is quite happy, little Gertrude ; not even you, who so much deserve to be. But, my little love, you must not let what you have seen this evening disturb your own peace the least in the vvoild ; nor must you cheam that 1 would have your position in any respect different from what it is ; or that for one instant J regret the hasty act that gave me such a hcait as yours, or tha: my judgment does not perfectly endorse that act. Do you understand, litile lady ?'" he inquired, looking kindly into her wistful, tender, 1d; own ' i ycs. " Yes, I understand ; but, oh, how I with you were happy," she murmured, tearfully. "J shall bo so, little one — never fear; for I love you, little love ! / love yon, and I would not change you, if I could, for any woman on earth or any angel in heaven. , Ah ! yes, it is true that I cannot yet meet Geraldine with unshaken nerves ; but never heed thai, my little lady, for I would not if I could have our conditions changed, even in the least particular," he added earnestly. "Oh, Gerald, your words lift a weight from my heart. Oh, how I wish any Avoids of mine could content you as youra have contented me," she murmured. " Tell me, then, little lady, that nol even to-night you have regretted that trusting • leap in the dark ' when you gave yourself to mo ?"' ho gravely whispered. "Oh ! Gerald, no, no, no ! I have never x-egretted it, I never could regret it. No ! come what might, I never could regret it ! lam yours for ever and ever, and I would I'd '-her go out of existence altogether than to bq anything else," she answered, earnestly. , " There, then -your words have contented me, little love. But I think, little lady, we will leave Paris. Eh S What do you say ? Have you had enough of it ?" he gravely inquired.

! " Quito enough, Gerald. 'I am ready to go to-morrow, if yon pJease." "Very well. Tbia is Thursday. We will loave here for Rowe on Monday. This will give us ample time to procure our passports and to n*ake all other preparation. In the meanwhile, my little love, we will accept n© en ore invitations, and we will send excuses? for waving the 'engagements wo have already made, for wo do not wish to moot Miss Fitzgerald again in society." The next day's foreign mail brought Colonel Fitzgerald a letter irom a Washington correspondent, who wrote that the now tiial ot Adam Lackland for the mm der of John Buckhurst had eomo on in the December term of the criminal court, and had resulted in the full acquittal of the accused, and that the verdict was received w ibh popular favour. On the appointed day Colonel and Mrs Fitzgerald, with their attendants, now in-erea-cd by the addition of a courier, set out for Tlomo. They spent the next two weeks industriously \i-iting the \aiious great cnurches, palace-, picture galleiics, monuments, and antiquities ot the Everlasting City. On the third week they sought and found a- comfortably furnished hou^c, where they settled down for the remainder of the winter. Here masters were procured for Gertrude, who was so earnestly bent on making the be t use of her time that she made more progi ess during the thtec months of their stay in Homo than home young poisons would have made in thice year-; at ? chool. To the smpii^e and delight of Gerald, she developed a wondoiful genius for music, and under the new in^phation of (Gerald's hearty appreciation and sympathy, .studied more diligently and progressed more rapidly than ever before. About the iir^t of .September found them once mote in Paii". Mere they settled down in their old lodging in the Champs d'Elyst'c*. to spend the w inter. They mixed moderately in society, whoie the joung wife's child-liko beauty and simple giace won many fliends for she was a cicatuve to win love rather than to command admiration. Gorhudc had now been married for twelve months - twehe months ot unalloyed happine*-., v ith the c* ccption of those two occasions when the shadow of Ueraldine fell aeiu-s her p ith. [n those twelve months '-he had wonderfully rnpio\ed, both in poison and in mind: sbc had giown taller and liner in form, nnno intellectual 1:1 features, moic self-po^e-^ed in m.innoi, aild \et had lo>t nothing ot that peculiar child-like grace <li;>t< wa* her sweetest charm. Cood jv.d'je^ dedaied her manneis to be pevtoct. " Colonel Fit/gouild thought s-o too. "Thevnie Lcttci e\ en than (>ci 'ildine'^-,"' ho j-iiid to himseh — " tni (Jcialdine's displayod too much hauteur and self-assertion to bo pei lectly well-bred. Hauteur and -^If-s. -eiti<n would bo ill-mmneitd in a quooii." l>ut the soul of good-broeding is, after all, l;ou'I f-jelnig. And our little lady's good ['out tiuyhther the be^-t manner-. fn all ibi'! tjme they had hoard nothing of (i.ialdino, except, •iti.ingtly enough, by their lctici's fiom Amenta, in which all their cone pondent^ spoko ot Mi?=> l<itzgeiakl as Ijting «elt-e\pati iatod lioni her nali\o country. Jhing in Fi.iuee with her old school fiieml, the Baionc-s La ValetDr, and bring on the c\ eof marriage with a Ccitnan ju ince. The same cd respondent-. «jvjkc of Salh^b Kowley a» still on his ti^-ch in Europe. I'i oin Dr. Goodwin in TiOndon they !«-eaid le^ulai ly, and in one of hi^ latent, letter? he had spoken of a slight clue that tlio dc(fcihe^ had found wliieli he hoped would ulf iTin 1 cl % \ lead to t'lo dneoveiy of Gabiiel Haddon' c long-lnst daughter. The F't/gciald.- lemainul in Pau^ until t'sol^tcf Jiimiary, when they agiccd to <ro to En^ki'id to witne.-^ the opening of r.-ili'imiMit, which wa-, to meet eai'y in Fcbi-ary.