CHAPTER XII.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 351, 16 March 1889, Page 6

CHAPTER XII.

A TETE-A-TETE. If Dulcie had been the most finished and worldly of coquettes, endeavouring to eocurearich prizeinthematriraonial market, she could not possibly have conceived a reply better calculated to please Mr Denver. It has been said that most men are vain, but he possessed by .nature a more than common share of personal vanity, which, owing to his circumstances and position, had, to a great exter-t, been still mrther developed. Dulcie's artless utterance was like spontaneous incense offered afc .the shrine of self-conceit. Evidently she considered him both young and good-looking. Any way,, that was the conviction borne in ,u on ,Mr j>cnver',B mind, and it induced him to look upon the girl with j increasing,

favour. Possibly, if the poet's lines could i ha%e been realised, and he had at that ■ moment seen himseif as others saw him, . he would have experienced a trifle less satis- ' faction. As it> was, a smile lit up the large penetrating eyes, and, turning towards Dulcie, he exclaimed, complacently, 'Oh! So you took me for a regular Methuselah, did you ? Well, I suppose I ought not to quarrel with you on that account, and feel excessively flattered by such genuine praise from one so. young and — nn d — so lovely,' beaming patronisingly on the girl. Dulcie looked away. She had intended no praiee whatever, find was not quite sure that he was not laughing at her. Ho had called her lovely, quite loudly and distinctly, and, though she might be young, she was conscious of the absolute impossibility of looking 'lovely ' under present conditions, when the green slime clung to her habit, wh- n her hair was dripping and dishevelled, her hat battered out of all semb ance of shape, and her face covered with mud. The 1: ol i stare of those magnetic grey eye? filled her with confusion hitherto quite unexperienced. 4 Are we not going uncommonly slowly ?' she asked, ungraciously enough, thinking that Dandy could certainly walk twice as fast as he wus doing. 'Is there any necessity for crawling alone V J 'I daresay we can go somewhat faster,' !he replied, hastening hia step a trifle. ' I wa* afraid of your tumbling otT, and did not know you were in such a desperate hurry.' ' Are you going to stay down here then ?' inquired the girl. 4 Yes, for the present". Perhaps even for several months, since affairs connected wit!) the estate are all in a regular muddle, and require weeks of constant supervision to yet them into anything like order. It will be awfully dv.l, I daresay, but I must 611 the house", get my friends down from town, and induce a few of you pretty young ladies to take occasional compassion on my solitude.' 4 Won t your friends be sufficient for that pu»pose without the young ladies?' said Dulcie. * No, Mi*s Mips they will not ; by-the-way,' breaking off suddenly, ' will you nob tell me your name V 4 Mv name is Dulcie,' she said, simply. 4 Dnlcibel really, but they call me Dulcie for short.* 'Oh ! I presume you are Miss Dulcie Jones, or Miss Dulcie Smith, or Miss Dulcie something or other, eh ?' •Yes,' smiling in spite of herself. * I'm Miss Dulcie Shepperton, the youngest, the plainest, and the naughtiest of Mrs Shepperton's four daughters, so now you know all about me.' ' The youngest and the naughtiest perhaps, but the plainest impossible. You are joking, surely V 4 No, I'm not. Charlotte and Marian are both better-looking than I,' answered the girl in all eood faith ; 4 but Ethel is quite lovely — at leas'", so people say, and 60 she believes herself.' • Oh ! then Miss Ethel is conscious of her singular endowments, and does not add the charm of modesty to her many other fascinations. She does not lesemble you in that respect, I gather. Is she like you otherwise?' ' No. Ethel and I are as different as the North Pole from t^.e Equator.' IHa ! ha! very pretty kn ice and a sun maiden. Which is which? You have aroused my curiosity. ' ' I'm not going to say.' • Never mind, I think I can guess all the same,' said Dennis Denver, with an amused expression of countenance. This girl was decidedly original in her remarks, and began quite apart from hir beauty to interest him. ' Has the ice maiden large dark velvety eyes, in which a man can st-e his own image reflected ? .Haa she soft curly hair and a rosy little mouth, like somebody close to me at this moment?' Dulcie turned c-imson as a peony. This style of conversation was utterly new to her, and she hated it. If these Mere town manners then country ones were infinitely preferable!" 4 1 wish you would not talk such nonsense !' she exclaimed, angrily. 'No doubt you take me for a very foolish individual, but I am not foolUh enough to believe quite all that you say.' He stared at her in incredulous amazement. Was this the result of his fine speeches and pietty declarations, intended to please the feminine hoait, and captuie it at one bold stroke? He could scarcely believe his ears, or that any woman actually existed who flew into a passion when he did tho civil, and rept lied his — his — Dennis Denver's advances with scorn. 4 Perhaps' continued Dulcie, excitedly, gaining courage from her silence, 'you think I like being made a fool of, but I don't. I dislike it intensely, and it makes me ieel excessively uncomfortable. If I wee really a beauty like Ethel, it might be diflerent ; but I'm not. and I've got quite enough sense to know when people are laughing at me.' ' You are quite mistaken,' he paid, warmly, though with a respect he had not hitheito evinced, for, like all men who take liberties, when thoroughly well snubbed, he began to entertain a higher regard for his female conectionist. ' Very much mistaken indeed ! The idea of making fun of you never enteied my mind.' They were now close to the gates of Brabazon Hall, and shortly entered a noble avenue, composed of lofty elms, whose tall branches met overhead and interlaced. The above through their dense foliage, peeped out in little chinks of light, whose pale blue contracted pleasantly with the dark green leaves. On either side the drl\e, spread great, silent woods, and now, in the calm of evening, in and out the tangled undergrowth could be seen the white bobbing tails of countWs rabbits as they scurried away alarmed by the sound of .approaching hoofs, and disappeared down their various holes burrowed deep in the sandy J-oil. The last faint streaks of twilight still lingered .in the daikening heaven?, the young crescent moon rose sharp and clear, and already a few bright stars twinkled up aloft, shedding their peace on all around. jßrabazon Hall was a spacious edifice, built of grey giani c, with thick oldfashioned walls and turreted towers, from the tallest of which proudly \va\ed a gorpeous flag, bearing the Denver recently acquired arms and qaarterings. The sraudy pennant stood out in giating contrast against tho teuder green of the young larch woods, which rose in a gentle incline behind the house, forming a harmonious background to the buildiner. In front was a garden laid out in terraced walks, intersectod by parterres of brilliant- coloured flowers. As Dulcie and her companion entered- the noble entrance-hall, with its carved oak panels, huge ingle fire place, and lofty roof, they wore met by the housekeeper. Mrs Hopkins composed her face into an elaborate and stereotyped smile, and curtseyed as profoundly as if Mr .Denver had been some.su pernatural deity. *AhA that/a «rigbV he exclaimed. . *I wiwit you to .take this young, lady nt once,,and rigJiefcout injsomejdrycclothes. , :Be,a»;quick as youtiC»n,.-ftnd , before you go :

upstairs tell James to put.Bryanb and May into tl»e mail phseton, and bring them round in a-quarter of an hour's tune. Do you underbtiiud ? I will drive Miss Shepperton home myself.' In answer to this speesb the housekeeper made another of her sweeping obeisances, which HI ed -Dulcio xvith mischievous mirth, and, after one, or fryyo more trivial observations, Mr Denver, greatly, to the sill's relief, left them to their' own devices.

(To be continued.)