CHAPTER Xll.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 300, 19 September 1888, Page 3

CHAPTER Xll.

I THE RI'X'El'TlOiV. Mns LoitiNu's reception on Tlnusday evtuing proved do bo a brilliant one. It was given nominally in honour of Gladys, but ib leally was as much for the sake of the daughter, who was tho pride and dailing of her fond parents' hearts, and her tasto was consulted, her lightest wish gratified, in e\ery arrangement. The elegant mansion was beautifully decorated lor the occasion. A p^itform had been extended lifty feet fioiii the broad south balcony and inclosed like a pa\ ilion for dancing, while one of the finest bands in New Yoik had been seemed to discourse sweet music to entice tripping feet, and an elabor.it c cupper had been ordered from Deli.ionico'f. Mr and Mrs Huntress were, of course, among tho invited guests, and GeoiTioy had also been sent for and preyed to honour the occasion with his presence for Gladys's sake. He had bent a telegram in reply, saying that ho would conic if possible, but at nine o'clock he had hod appealed, <uid (Jladys turned eagerly to winds tho door at every iies'i auival, hoping to •see him enter. Mr Maplo.-on had not failed to pic&ent himself at an early hour, when he immediately constituted himself Gladys's most devoted attendant, and was &o persistent and mat ked in his. attentions Lhat I ho young girl began to feel a trifle uncomfortable and anxious, lost matters shou'd gvow more serious than the desired. 'Papa, wheie do you suppose Geoff is ?' she inquired, with a troubled face, as Mi Huntress came up to hei, while L']\eiet Mapleson was doing his utmost to be agieeable Mr mi ntiv t> had been introduced to the joung man earlier in the evening, and had been staitled, 'is everyone else wa.-<, by hit. singular resemblance to the boy whom he had reared, and he had rosolvod to make some inquiiies of him rcgaiding his con nections hoping thus to gain fcomo light upon Geoffrey's early life. '] do not know, dear,' the gentleman icpliod to hib daughter's question ; 'it is siuclj' time that lie was heie. Possibly something detained him at the la^t moment and he could not leave.' 'Oh, X hope not: the evening will be spoiled if he does not come,' Gladys ciied, in a tone that, made the blood smgo angiily 1 to E\ eiet Mapleson a brow, fur it told him how little hope there was of his lelaining Gladys's companionship if his fortunate riwil should make lii^ appeiiance. ' J shall be soiry mjt-elt not. to see Geoff; lie needs the change and lecieation, too, for he is woiking \eiy hard,' responded Mr Huntress, glancing wistiully toward the door himself. 'Hut you must try to enjoy yourself all the same, if he does not come. Mr and Mis Loring will be disappointed if their reception does nohpio\e a pleasant one after all thei: 1 efloits. ' Gladys's glance was bent upon her fan with which she was nervously toxing ; her cheeks we c Hushed, hei btow slightly clouded, her lips compressed, and it was evident that she was grealy distuibed. All at once she tinned her gaze again towaida the door. She .gave a sudden start. ' Why ! thcie he is now ! Oil ! lam so glad,' she ciied in a joyous tone, her beautiful face growing radiant with undisguised delight, as she saw Geoff re j", looking moio handsome and manly than e\er, just entei ing the room. She instantly dai ted towards him without c\en thinking to excise herself to her companions thus leaving Mi Huntress and young Mapleson to entertain each other. The latt?r watched that graceful figure, a lurid tit e in his eje. his lipa compressed until they were colourless, his heai t throbbing with jealous anger. He saw her steal softly up to Geoffrey, who was looking in another direction, and slip one white hand within liisatm while she looked up at him, with a roguish but happy glance, and addressed some bright woid& of welcome to him. He s'»w, too, how Geoffrey's countenance i lighted, how his eyes glowed as he turned to look down upon that fair, upturned face, while the glad smile that wieathed hi-» handsome mouth told something of the joy which this meeting afrbided him aho. | E\eiet Mapleoon lead these signs ;'S plainly as he would have read a printed page, and lie knew that the young man loved the fair girl with all the strength of his manly natuie, and the knowledge made him grind hii teeth in silent rage. But Mr Huubres? spoke to him just then, and he was obliged to turn his glance away from those two central figures, which, were now iroving out of the room together, and answer him. Mr H untresswas more and mo"c impressed every moment that there must be kindred blood in the veins of these two young men, and lie amis, lcsohed to learn the ttuth. But he was destined to be disappointed, for Everet Mapleson lepeated about the same story, with some additions, that he had alieady told Gla^s, and there seemed no possibility of theic being any relation ship between them. ' My father was a colonel in the Confederate army during the war, 3 Everet said, in reply to his companion's query, ' and my hotre. with tho exception of a short residence abroad, has always been in the South.' ' And is your mother also a Southerner V Evei et smiled, for ho knew well enough ■what these questions meant. 1 Oh, yes ; she and my father were second cousins, and they were married in 1853.' ' Ah ! in 53,' remarked Mr Huntress, reflectively ; ' and wys that Colonel Mapleson's first marriage?' ' Yes, .sir, and it was a somewhat romantic affair. They had an uncle who was very wealthy, and when he died it was found that he had made a very singular will. He divided his fortune equally between them, but expressed a wi&h that they should unite it again by marriage ; indeed, he made the possession of it conditional, and in this way. My father was about twenty, my mother seventeen, at tho time of his death. Both were to come into their share of the property at once, but if either married someone else before my mother i cached the age of twenty-five, he or she would forfeit that portion and it should go- to the other, If both refused to carry out the conditions of the will and married contrary to his wishes, or remained single after my mother, who was the younger, reached the age of twentyfive, the whole fortune was to be made over to a bachelor cousin of the te?tator, and who was also a very singular character.' 'That was an exceedingly s'range will,' observed Mr Huntress. • Very, though it was not more eccentric than the man who made it ; but my father and mother chose to fulfil the conditions of the will ; thus the property was all kept in the family.' ( And are you their only child V ' Yes, feir. I nevei had either brother or sister.' • It is very strange,' murmured Mr Huntress, musingly. Everefc Mapleson regarded him curiously. 'You are thinking of my resemblance to

Mr GeoiTery Huntress,' ho said, somewhat sfcifHy, afbar a brief pause. 'Yes, I me,' ' Suroly you can have no idea that we are in any way related.' ' I— do—nob know, of course ; bub ' ' You do nob know !' interrupted the young- Southerner.' ' Why, you surely ought to be ablo to ti-ace his genealogy since he is your nephew.' 1 Bub he is not my nephew.' 4 How V 'Ihe\er saw the boy until about eight year? ago.' Eveiet Mapleson turned a look of blank astonishment upon his companion, while a strange pallor settled over his own face. Mr Huntress then related to him tho circumstances which hi ought Geoffroy to his notice, telling of his unaccountable intero-tin him, of the experiment which had resulted in the restoration of the boy's reason, and of his subsequent adoption of the lad. Eveiet Mapleson grew vory grave as he listened, andahunched conflicting thoughts came ctowding into his mind. 0 ukl it be possible, after all, that this man whom he had so disliked, and was fast learning to hato from a feeling of jealousy, •wnt in some mysterious way connected with the proud family of Mapleson ? Jie did nob know of a relative by that name, and yet there might be. He resolved that he would sift tho matter tho very next time he went home. ' And you know absolutely nothing about him previous to (hat time V he asked Mr ITu ntresi. ' No, nothing ; while ho was evidently so young at the time he received the injury which depihedhim of his reason that theie was comparatively little that he could remember about himself. Of his father or mother ho know nothing; ' Margery 'and ' Jack ' aie the only names that he has been able to recall, while his memories ot them aio \ery vague. I imagine, however, that tho woman, Margery, must ha\o been a sort of nurse who had the care of him.' Evcrct Mapleson started and coloured as he heard these names llu instantly recalled the incident (hat had occuired, a few clays pievious, on Broadway, hen the poor old tlower \ ender had detained him, believing that she had at last found tho boy whom she had nursed so many years aco. His first impulse was to tell Mr Hunticss of this ad\entuie ;, but he cheeked the inclination, resolving that ho would himself try to find old Margery atrain and glean all that he could from her regarding Geoffrey's eaily history. Ho becan to realise that there was something- very much more mysterious about their strange resemblance than had at fiist appeared. It might not be so much a "freak of nature "as he had tried to think it, and it there was any impoitant seciet connected with the affair ho meant to ferret it out alone, mid possibly it might give him an ad\anbage over his rival in the futuie it he stood in the way of his winning Gladys ft. r his wife. A little later, when he went in search oi her, and found her pacing up and down the great hall leaning on Geoffrey'sarm, chatting with him in a fiee and unrestrained way, and baw both their faces fo luminous and happy, an i knew that already they had become all in all to each other, he ground hia teeth savagely and vowed that he would destroy their confidence and peace before another twelvemonth should elapse. > He stationed himself behind some draperies w heie he could see without being seen, and continued to watch them, although io drove him almost to a frenzy to see how happy and unreserved Gladys was with his i ival. Her face was eager and animated —it ne\er had lighted up like that when in his presence — her eyes glowed, her lips were wreathed with smiles, and she chatted like a magpie. .She seemed to have forgotten where she was, by whom surrounded, everything, save that she was with Geoffrey. He knew well enough when she began to tell him about encountering his double in the caff, for he saw Geoffrey .stait, change colour, and then grow suddenly grave. 'Is E\eiet Mapleson here in New York ':' he heard him ask, as they drew near where he was standing. 'Yes; and oh, Gooff", he is .so like you. Even I could hardly detect any> difference.' Geoffrey smiled at the leply. It implied a great deal ; it told him that she could distinguish between them if anyone could, and that her eyes, sharpened by affection, had been able to detect something: unlike in them. ' Do you think you would always be able to tell us apait, Gladys?' Geoffrey eagerly asked. ' Of course I should, you dear old Geoff',' she affiimed, with a toos of her bright head. ' How V ' Why, 1 only need to look into your eyes to know you, she said, with a fond upward glance. At this reply, Geoffrey hugged close to his side the small hand that lay on his arm, and his heait thrilled with a sweet hope. ' What is there in my eyes, Gladys, that is diffeient to Everet Mapleson's?' he asked. .She blushed crimson at the question, for she knew that it was only in their expression that she could debect any difference. ' Perhaps strangers rcpuld not tell you apart,' she admitted, with diooping lids ; 'probably it is because we have lived'together so long that I know your every expression ; then, too, thei-e is a certain little quiver about your lips when 1 you smile that he does not have. Your voices, though, are entirely different.' ' Yes, anyone could distinguish between us to hear us speak,' Geoffrey as&ented ; but his heart was bounding with joy, for ho knew well enough that only tho eye of love could have detected the points that she had | mentioned. Yet, in spite of all, he experienced a feeling of uneasiness over the fact that Everet Mapleson, was spending his recess in Now York and was cultivating the acquaintance of Gladys. He had never mentioned him in any of his letters — had never spoken of that hazing experience, simply because his mind had been so engrossed with other things that he had nob thought to do so. ' There is the band, Geoff,' Glady& exclaimed, as the music came floating in from the south balcony. 'Mr Loving has had the loveliesb pavilion erected for dancing, and you know that I cannot keep still a moment within earshot of such enticing strains. Come let us go out. ' ' Which means, of course, that 1 am to have the first set with you,' he said, smiling. 'It does mean jusb that. You know I always like to dance with you, for you suit 1 your step to mine so nicely. There ! I'm so glad you asked me, for here comes Mr Mapleson this minute, doubtless to make the same request,' Gladys concluded, under her breath, as she saw the young man step out from among the draperies, where he had been watching them, and approach them.