CHAPTER III. AN UNWILLING HOSTES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 330, 2 January 1889, Page 4

CHAPTER 111. AN UN WILLING HOSTES.

O\KT..\.vr s was about as pleasant- a spot as could well be found on a hot August <laj'. Under the big elms fit the farther end of the lawn there was just the right amount/ of ■coolness, without a suspicion of the rhilliness -which makes some shady place? detect able even in the dog-dajs. Mr Lynuood, who with the Carnithors family had been ! a«kcd up to tennis, seemed to find it veiy pleasant, as he wandered about watching the player» or as«i«ting, as far as hi' some•vhafc limited capacity, and ~Sl\<** Falconer, f^ould allow, in handing tea and cake to the young and hungry. Miss Falconer was \ery busy — po bn=y that, after the first few words of greeting had been exchanged, and the inevitable questions as to his injured hands hid been duly asked and answered, JNlv Lynwood found any attempt to engage the attention of liis hostess a signal failure. Tndeed. there had been an aimo^t pointed avoidance of him on her part —an nvridanco which a more ' touchy ' man would probably have repented. But Maurice l\n- [ wood was utterly free from any sort of | petty vanity, and, being unconscious, apparently, of any intended rebuff, he quietly, and with perfect good-humour, ekcted to wait a more convenient &eason, rendering meanwhile as much or as little »<<- sisbance as appeared acceptable. He seemed, moreover, quite satisfied to follow in her wake, or even to stand aside and watch her as she moved about among hei guests. And as he thus stood, there stole into his face a look of content — one might almost have said pleasure, except that it .was too grave for that. It was acm ion*, dreamy look for such a face, nor did it st«\ there long — just long enough, though, for Miss Cai njthers's keen blue eyes to see it, and, having seen it, she, woman-like, jumped to a conclusion — the only contlusion possible. Mr Lynwood was in lovp, and with Winifred ! With Wjnified ! Of course, nothing could be more simple or more delightful. Why, it was a readymade romance ! Middle-aged hero — middleaged heroine ! No, no; she couldn't call her dear Winnie middle-aged ! Heroine no longer young, no longer in her n'ret youth — ah yes, that was just the word ! At this juncture, the heroine who was no longer in her first youth passed up the lawn, escorted by the middle-aged lover, carrying a pile of empty plates. There was nothing particularly impassioned about this I proceeding; butCarriewasnotdi&oouraged.

'It is true,' she mined, Winifred is never even civil to tho poor man — treats him, in fact, quite differently from anyone else. Of course sho doe* — ah, now I see through you, my dear, and I'm going- to have a finger in this pie.' Whereupon Miss Carruthers mado hor way across to her hero and horoine. 'Now, Winifred, 1 don't bolievo you have had any tea yourself, and I'm morally certain Mr Lynwood hasn't.' 1 1 hope Carrie is mistaken,' cried Winifred, turning to Mr Lynwood. • I should be quite shocked. 5 ' There is nothing to bo shocked about, I assure you ; unleaa it is that you have been waiting on all those young folks, and that no one has waited on you.' ' But you haven't hud any tea — now have fou?' pereibted Carrie. ' Eren in that case I am no worse off thM Miss Falconer,' he returned, smiling. ' I am very sorry ' began Winifred, in an extremely polite tone. 'Please don't bo, anything of the kind, and, if I may have some tea with you now, I shall think myself doubly fortunate.' ♦ Then, Carrie, perhaps you will be kind enough to pour out a cup, while I go and see that the servants send out some more bread and butter.' ' My dear, there is a plateful ready cub, and loads of cake down this end of tho table ; so you needn't stir, either of you. I'm sure you havo both earned any amount of food and drink.' Miss Falconer may have earned, but she certainly did not seem to enjoy either, foi after hastily swallowing a cup of toa, she pushed aside her plate untouched. Her fellow labourer, on the contrary, partook ol both with considerable zest, and without any sort of hurry. ' There are those girls calling me — very sorry to run away — but you won't mind. You arc resting, aren't you V Tliore they are — calling again.' Aud Came, totally disregarding Winifred's reproachful glances, vanished in tho direction of tho supposed summons. ' Then shall we join the tennis ?' asked Miss Falconer : 'or, may I first give you another cup, Mr Lynwood ?' ' Thank you, if ib is not troubling you too much.' ' Not at all,' responded his hostess, with great, but chilling courtesy. ' I am afraid I am keeping you, though ?' ' Not at all !' This time a trifle more coldly than before. Mr Lynwood. however, seemed a person nob en*ily chilled, for he Mcnb on in the most unruflled tone : ' I was &o surprised when I came back from town the other day to find yo i weic gone home.' 'Were you?' returned Mi*s Falconer, with an icy indifference as to whether ho was surprised or not. * Yes, surprised and torry,' said the other j cordially. 'Really?' with a corresponding indifler- i ence as to whether he were sorry or glad. 'Surprised, because they told me %ou would not be going befoio the cool of the evening ; and sorry, because 1 hoped bet ore you left to renew our acquaintance. 1 ! 'To renew our acquaintance!' Winifred ! positively gasped with indignation. 'I beg jour pardon. You taid .something?' But Winifred did not venture to do moro than shake her head in reply, and her companion, who either did not, or would not see her agitation, continued with the utmost composure : ' An acquaintance which, although of so recent a date ' This was more than Winifred could bear. She rose abruptly. 'You will perhaps excuse me if I say that I have little leisure for cultivating new acquaintances, and,' she added significantly, no desire to renew old ones.' Maurice Lynwood had risen also, and for a moment the two silently confronted one another. In her face the bitteiest contempt ; in his, boundless indignation, but not a shadow of confusion or discomfit™ c. ' A thousand pardons,' he said. ' I ha\e indeed trespassed on your time, and on your hospitality. Pray accept my humblest apolopries.' There was, however, not much humility in the tone or look of the speaker as he lifted his hafc, and stood there bareheaded and erect till she passed by. When the tennis-party broke up it was found that Mr Lynwood had already letr. 'Ah, yes; China mail goes to-morrow. He'll have letters to write,' said Joe. •Beastly thing, writing; aud to thinl. ilmt I shall soon be bark there, doing n»>ll mir but write. I shall mi?& Lynvood. mo, awfully. He is a trump. Why, when <.ur old boss said ib was no gooct sending mo home on sick-leave, as I should only die on board in a week, Lynwood said he'd see about that. He did, too !' ' Dear old thing !' cried Carrie. ' Not so old, Miss Carrie, but that all the girls out there wanted to catch him. Not a bad catch either, especially as he i-» now to be working partner for our firm in Fairyland. But, bless you, Lynwood wouldn't) look at one of 'cm — not in that w ay , jou knew.' • I know wo can't spend the night here, singing even Mr Lynweod's praises, to pick up your lacquet, Joe, and come along. On tho afternoon of the day following. Mr Lynwood received a telegram that called him up to town, and ib seemed unlikely thab he would return to Carytou, at any rate during the summer. There was, however, some talk of his» coming down for Christmas, to seethe last of Joe, whose leave had i < bii extended up to the first week of the New Year. Miss Carruthers conveyed tho interesting intelligence with all speed to her heroine, but somehow she felt that her news fell flat, and with a sigh she inwardly admitted that her romance had come to a dead stop at the first chapter, and gave small promise of a second.