CHAPTER X.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 298, 12 September 1888, Page 5

CHAPTER X.

MRS "BREVORT's RECEPTION. Gladys Huntress was very beautiful tha^evening when she entered Mrs Brevorb's drawing-room, leaning on the arm of Mrs Loring, who was to present her to their hostess, while Addie and her mother followed close behind. Her dress was blue, of elegant surah, which fell i.. soft, graceful iolds around her, its long train making her slender, perfect h'guro seem almost regal. It was cut, front and back, with a A', .shaped bodice, and this was filled in with a profusion of soft flimsy lace, gathered close about her white throat, and fastened with a string of rai'c, gleaming pearls. Her beautiful arms, round and smooth as marble, »vcie also covered, but not concealed, by sleeves of lace. Her nut-brown hair, which shone like linest satin, had all been drawn up and coiled around the top of her head like a gleaming corot.et, while a few soft, silken rings curled charmingly about her pure forehead. Thero was not a flower nor an ornament about her anywhere excepting that string of pearls, but the very simplicity of her toilot was artistic and just adapted to enhance her beauty of face and form. Everet Maple^on saw her the moment that she entered the room ; indeed, he had been watching her for a half hour or more, and his eyes glowed with admiration. ' She is a hundred-fold more lovely than I brought) her this afternoon,' he said, under his breath. ' 1 shall love thab girl, if L allow mysolf to see much ot hei. And why nob? I believe I will set myself legularly at work to win her : thus I "shall nob < insecure a charming little wife, butaccomplish my revenge, also, tor the indignity tnat I have leceived from his hands. 1 He watched Gladys while she was presented to the hostess, and was charmed with the ease and grace of her manners. ' She belongs, evidently, to a good family ; she has been well reared,' he continued, 'even my critical and aristocratic mamma could not fail to be satisfied with her as a daughter, although &he is> nob paiticularly partial to Northern women. She reminds me of someone, too. I wonder who it can be ? There is something strangely familiar in the proud way that she cariies herself.' He moved toward another portion of the room, as he saw (Gladys and her friends pass on, and. seeking Mn* Vande water, who, by the way, was the mother ot Mr Albert Vanderwater, Eveivt Maph son's chum, and especial friend at Tale, ho asked : ' Do you know the party of people who have ju&t enteied — thab gentleman with three ladies ?' ' Oh, yes ; they are the Loring;?. Mr Loring is a wealthy Wall-street broker. His wife is a daughter of the late Col. Elwell, and their daughter, Miss Addie, is a charming young lady, not to mention the fact that she is the only child and the heiress to a great deal of money.' ' Introduce me, will you ?' asked Eveiet, eagerly. 'To be sure I will; but is it the money or the beauty that attracts you most ?' queried the lady, roguishly . ' I will bell you laber,' retoi ted the young man, in the same vein ; 'bub you did nob say who that young lady is who accompanies them,' he concluded, as if his attenti ai had but jusb been diawn toward her. 'No, I do nob know myself; she is a stranger, bub a very lovely one, is she nob ? Really, I do nob believe there is another lady in the room beautiful. Come, I ha\e a curiosity to know who she is myself, and we will beg Mi> Loring for an introduebion.' Thus Evereb Mapleson managed to secure a formal introduction to the Lorin»s and Gladys, through one of the leaders ot New York society. He knew that there could be no exceptions baken bo anyone whom Mis Vande^atcr \onchcd tor, and therefore the young girl would have no excuse tor avoiding; him on the score of not having been properly presented to him. But she l'eceivcd him very graciously, e\en referring in a- laughing way to their previous meeting earlier in the day, t.hus showing him she would nob have been the least bit prudish about recognising him even without Mrs Vandewater's reassuring presence. He soon after searched out his friend Al. whom he presented to Miss Loring. and then left him to be entertained by her while he devoted himself exclusively to Gladys. They danced together several times, and he managed to secure her company during supper, while afterward they had a social chat in Mrs Brevort's charming little picture-gallery, where there were several works of rare value. But the only picture which Everet Mapleson seemed to consider worthy of 'his iegard was an exquisite face, framed in lustrous brown hair, with the bluest eyes he had ever seen, and whose every expression only served to wind the silken chain of his bondage, the chain of love, more closely about him. Gladys, on her pat, was strangely moved by the young man's piesence. He was Geoffrey, and yet he was nob. Several bimes she almost forgob herself and was on bhe poinb of addressing; him in bhe old familiar way which she had always adopted toward her fabher's jwotege, and only resbrained herself in searion to prevent herself from appearing bold and forward. Had it nob been for bhe difference in bheir voices, Geoffrey's being much thepleasanter of bhe bwo, for there was a nobe of haughbiness almost amounting to arrogance in Mr Mapleson's tones, bhe illusion would have been more complete and she would have found it even more difficult to realise that he was a comparative stranger to her. Still, the more she talked with him and studied him, the more she became conscious that he was lacking in other braibs— thab he was shallow in some respects and far less noble-minded, naburally, bhan he whom she had learned to look up wibh respecb and reverence during bhe years bhey had spenb together. Evereb "Mapleson found her eyes fixed upon ' him wibh great earnestness several bimes, and he knew thab she was measuring him by her estimate of Geoffrey Huntress. It nettled him exceedingly, for he was only too conscious of his own inferiority. He had realised ib on chab firsb occasion of their meeting, when Geoffrey had nob only displayed his superiorphysical endowments, but had excited the admiration of everyone of his listeners by his mental attainments. Young Mapleson was nob above the average student, although he might havo been had he chosen 1 : but he loved pleasure and ease far more than a creditable report or, the favour of professors, while his rival, on the contrary, had long since begun to acquire fame for his depth' and brilliancy. • Well, Miss Huntress, are you, like many !

others, trying tbj=6lve, within yourself the mystery of my resemblance to your "cousin, that you observe me bo closely?' he asked, with an amused smile, upon finding her gaze riveted upon hi 3 face instead of the picture before which they were standing. Gladys blushed slightly. ' 1 shall have to plead guilty, Mr Mapleson,' she confessed. ' I trust you will excuse me if I have appeared rude, but, really, to me it seems the strangest thing imaginable.' 'It is, indeed,' he said, and added to himself, * and deucedly uncomfortable to me, too.' ' I wonder if — you are not in &omo way related,' Gladys said, musingly, and more to hersel f than to him. Everet Mapleson'& face darkened. ' I do not think so,' he answered, curtly. 'He is a Northerner — I was born at the South. My father is a Southern (faiilhman, and has always 1 elided near Richmond, Virginia, excepting during the war, when he was in the field or camp most of the time, and a year or two that he spent travelling 1 in Europe.' Gladys was conscious* of a nlight feeling of resentment toward her companion during this speech. The emphasis which he had, perhaps unconsciously, expended upon his personal pronouns, and the fact of his father being a ' Southern yenthman,' implied a sense of superoriby which gtatea harshly upon her ear. 'Is your mother also a native of the South ?' she asked. ' Oh, yes ; and my mother is a most magnificent woman, tco, Mi"s Huntress,' the young man returned, with a kindling face. Gladys's heart softened a trifle toward him at this. If he loved his mother like that there must be some good in him, she thought. ' Have you brothers and sisters '' the inquired. ' No, I am the only child. I was born within a year aftci my parents' marriage, and there have been no other children.' ' Do you resemble your father or mother? 'My father. My mother often told me that I am very like what he wa=>at my age ; but there is a portrait of my grandfather Mapleson, at home, which, but for bhe ancient style of dress, you would believe had been taken for me ; the resemblance is every bit as striking as that between Huntress And me.' ' Hr.s your father no brothers or sisters ?' Gladys asked. Everet Mapleson looked surprised. He knew bhat she was trying to account in some way for Geoffrey Huntress's likeness to himself ; but surely, he thought, she muht know all about her cousin's parentage and their connections, and it was a little singular that she should be so persistent in her inquiries regarding the Mapleson genealogy. ' No,' he replied ; 'my father was an only son. Ho had a sister, but she died while very young. The only other connections that I know anything about were an uncle who made my father his heir, and a di&tant cousin — a very eccentric eort of person. Both, however, are long since dead, and both died single. The Mapleson family was never a numerous one, and it i^ now almost extinct. 1 see, Miss Huntress,' he added, with a slight smile, in which Gladys thought she detected something of scorn, 'that you are irying to account tor this resemblance upon natural principles : but it is simply impossible that we are in any way connected — the fact can only be attributable to a stiang- fieak of nature.' 'Possibly,' Gladys returned, thoughtfully, and yet she was impressed that there was more in it than Mr Mapleson appeared willing to allow. She did not feel well enough acquainted with him to speak of the mystery surrounding Geoffrey's paientuge and his early life. It is doubtful if she would have told him, under any circumstances, because of GeofFrey'b sensitiveness upon the subject: still, she was strangely impressed by their resemblance. • You are at Yassar, I undet stand ?' the young man resumed after a brief pause, and evidently desirous of changing the topic of conversation. ' Yes ; this i& 1113* second year at the college.' ' Indeed ! and so it is mine. Arc you taking a four years' course ?' • Yes : I prefeired to take the regular curriculum rather than any special course.' ' Then you will graduate about the same time that 1 take my degree at Yale,' said Everet Mapleson, smiling, 'and if I may presume so far, I should be happy to exchange tickets with you for the commencement of that year.' ' Thank you, Mr Maple&on ; that is rather a lon&j look ahead,' Gladys answered, with a light laugh, ' but, no doubt, I shall attend commencement at Yale, as Geoflrey will probably arrange it for mo ; however, I will try to secuie a ticket for you to come to Vassar, if it would afford you any special pleasure.' 'It certainly would, Miss Huntress, and I shall not forget your promise,' he replied with a look that brought deeper colour to her face. She was not suie that his presence, in the event of her graduation, would contribute to her enjoyment, for, even now, there was something about him which at times repelled her. Still, she could but acknowledge that he was a polished gentleman. It was evident that he had been accustomed to good society and there was a certain fascination about him that left its impress upon her. He was very bright and entertaining, with any amount of pleasant nothings at his tongue's end that amused her ; but he lacked the earnestness, the dignity and truth of ' her own dear Geoff." ' Geoffrey is worth a hundred like him,' she told herself over and over again, and yet she was pleased with his preference for her society and the courtly attention he paid her. No matter who claimed her after they came back to the company, he returned to her side after every dance, and managed to secure a word or a smile from her ; and when at length she retired with her friends, ho accompanied her to the carriage and assisted her to enter. ' I have rarely enjoyed a plea.santcr evening, Miss Huntress, and I hope we shall meet again before 1 leave the city,' ho s-aid, as he handed her the extra wrap which hung over his arm and stood a moment beside the carriage door. ' Then come and call upon us, Mr Maplepon ; the young ladies will be together for a few days longer,' said Mrs Loring, who had overheat d his remark ; and having learned from some source that he belonged to one of the F. F. Vs., she was anxious to cultivate his acquaintance, tor Addie's sake. ' Thanks, Mrs Loring,' the young man returned, with an exultant thrill; 'I assure qousya ill need no second bidding.' He stepped back, lifted his hat respectfully to the party, and they drove away. But his face darkened as he retraced his steps to find his friend, Al Vanderwater. f s It is evident that this Northern beauty thinks that there is no one like Geoffrey,' ho muttoreel, a hot flush of anger rising to his brow. , ' Confound the fate that ever made him my double ! I could trample him benoatli my heel. Mapleson blood in his veins', indeed ! It is plain to be seen i that she knows nothing of that hazing

scrape, luckily for my plans, for I'm bound to cut him out with her. I'll injury Gladys Huntress befoie «he has been six months oub of school.'