Literature.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 169, 21 July 1904, Page 4

Literature.

FOUND-A HEART. I found Dolly soated on a sofa in BSC bedroom surrounded apparently ■by the whole of lier worldly posseslions)—and they were many. "Good gracious, Dolly," I exclaimed. as I gingerly removed a muslin dress and two hats from a chair and | placed them on thv- already heavily laden bed, "Whatever are you doin ,T Preparing for a siege ?" 'No,,' said Dolly solemnly, "I'm packing." 1 looked at the motley collection and smiled. ' "Why don't you lake dressibaskets nwtaad of those Hat things ? Thev u? much easiur to pack,"l said prar!,?Bqsauae," returned Dolly in disgusted accents, "X am going to stay with Aunt Darothea, and she will dijire in to fetch me herself in a horrid cart, and if I arrive with a lot of luggage she fumes and scolds nil the time, so I was trying to get everything in those instead, but it seems quite-hopeless." And she ran her fingers distractedly through her fluffy hair, which stood out round hir Small, face like a golden halo, and • ■ looked at me pathetically with a pair of helpless -blue eyes. Dolly Treveiyan was a spoilt child, ft spoilt girl,, and now that she is i married to an adoring husband she is more spoilt than ever. As a child Dolly was what is called in nursery parlance "a handful," keeping tho house in a foVer as to what- .she would do next, and when •hs grew up ar,d was launched into Society tlin develojted into the most incorrigible flirt, and her unfortuhato aunt lived -in a state of panic that sh<; would moke some undesirable marriage, so when Dolly suddenly and unexpectedly at the end of feer fourth season announced her intention of marrying the Hon. .lack Treveiyan, everybody connected with her heaved a sigh of relief. Their engagement was a short one. Wid lasted only siix weeks, and their wedding was celebrated without a Wtch. Aa they drove away, Miss Vil- - lier# eank into the nearest chair and •aid with heartfelt thankfulness in . bar voice : "Thank goodness, she is safely married at last." Personally, though I did not say 1 thought Jack far too good for ?. •» uch a frivolous little minx as Dolly - and it was with grim foreboding as to the future that I departed fur B toa® visit to America. It was a /ear before I returned to London, during which time I heard occasionally of the Treveiyana and their movements, and no hints of any pranks on Dolly's part reached me. ~ ' Although Jack's family is all that 'ifl to he desired, -ajid his prospects excellent, at present he is hot very WBll off, and as Dolly has only what , aunt allows her, the young peo--4 >#"?• means are limited, so they are * * B «eo66mising" in a flat. When I heard this-word in connection with ; , ,£olly I smiled, and now as I looked cfe feer and her surroundings I thought of it again, and this time I laughed aloud.

Dolly looked at me reproachfully. * "I don't see anything to laugh at" •hp said, with an injured iair. "You might help me instead of sitting there laughing. What am Ito do with all these things ?" Was about to .offer some advice "whan a ,W d catered and asked if "the miiafer" would be in at lunch. ft" 1 ?® jeceiying a negative reply she totired, and I s&Sf r" "Where is Jack, Dolly ?" . "Oh, I sent him out and told him not to come back to lunch. Ho is so big, he gets in my way when I am busy. You may stay, though," she Added generously. • i "Thank you," I answered, a trifle Sarcastically, -"and do the packing 1 ,1 . (Suppose ?" . "Well, you must help," she said. VI. shall never get finished: I have to catch the four o'clock train, and It is nearly lunch) <tifme now, and I ha»e done absolutely nothing." "What are you going to travel . I asked, Dolly looked puzzled. '■' What a fortunate thing that you thought of that," she said. "I had 'forgotten all about it, and the dress I want to wear, X think, is down at the very bottom ol that"—and she pointed -to one of the '''boxes—" I ; , : can't go like this, can I ?" As "this", consisted of a frilled dressing jacket and a silk petticoat, , X told her, rather impatiently, not Id be so silly. '•'Well, it must all come out again, I suppose," she said, getting lazjly Bp trom the sofa and kneeling down ' QD the floor, she began to drag out ttoe contents of the box. v Dolly, Dolly, you really are makan awful lot of trouble and crumbling everything disgracefully, you OBght to 'be ashamed of yourself," I uried. .. Dolly stopped and laughed. '"I can't pack," she said, "it's no ■ ÜBS, Wurron must do it." " Don't talk nonsense," I said, crossly. "Of course you can pack as well as anybody else, only you won't <»&• the trouble. Here, get up and let me do it." For once in her life Dolly obeyed wtth alacrity, and, .returning to her W&t o" the sofa, she watched me as 1 gradually reduced the room to or(M>—putting' in desultory remarks sad instructions from time to time. , __ i . At I gathered up the things that ''wteH}*flung on the floor, a flat leather case dropped put of the folds of a !'• i ' «Vdrt<a®d felt down. X made a movement to pick it up, but Dolly sudd«afytprjUig at it and snatched it away '• ' before I could reach it. "Never mind that," she said hastiwill put that in my dressingOUW." I looked at her in some surprise—--1 tile Usually cool, nonchalant Dolly took'flushed and excited as she put >( A» ease into a drawer. Naturally, , mjf Suspicions were roused by her evidesire to prevent me seeing , wfiat the chse contained, and a hun- ;■ drad ideas immediately flashed nto '■■• ay mind. Dolly had always been a terrible, flirt, and, of course, it was Mot unlikgly that she would continue to be ,so even though she was marri -' "Jied, for no one had ever given Dolly credit, for much affection for anyone except herself and her own whims And even if .my tears were correct, • dkl'Jack know ? Poor Jack, whose devpttyn to his wife had been the subject of many remarks among his friends—in all , probability he was quite ignorant, and I shuddered to think what wouM be the result when •fe' did find out, as, of course, he Would. , I determined at all costs to wring the truth irom Dolly, and find out if." -whose portrait it was that she kept Concealed among her things—for I felt aure that it contained a portrait. At Any rate, I might bo able to say something which would make her pause and think before she broke

Japk'B heart. ■ , "Heartless, wicked little flirt," I 1 ■'dWT'to myself indignantly, and then •loud, with ail the sternness I could fgUt ijnto ipy voice : "Dolly, whose portrait is in fflat '•'Why should you think there is a gtortrait in that case," she answered, >!..'} ff»Bd it .tfcere to, I don't see that it is . 4ky business of yours. You should be inqui stive." i "I am "not inquisitive," I replied, , twallowing my annoyance at her inm» aAnee. '''But I know how thoughtr» you are, and I am afraid that it some man's portrait that you do » wish me to see—and I really '-•'Ji 4P think, Dolly "

"I don't see why you should jump to the conclusion that it is a man," said Dolly, two wicked 1 dimples forming at the corners of her'mouth, " it* might be auntie's,, or yours, or —:—" "Don't talk nonsense, Dolly, youi know perfectly well that it is-neither your aunt's nor mine—now, confesp is it not a man ?" "Well, since you are so positive it—yes." And to my horror a distinct blush crept up into her cheeks and over her neck. "Then let mo see it." ■'■' Certainly not, X should not think of doing so," she said in a tone of docision. I began to feel desperate. "Dolly, havo you thought seriously of what you are doing—of what trouble you are going into—suppose Jack were to find out " "Perhaps he knows already," put in Dolly. "Then it is worse than ever, and I insist on your telling me how far this affair has gone—you have only been married a year, and yet already you have got tired of Jack—and—Dolly, I don t know what to say to you—how can you have the face to stand there and smile—you must be absolutely heartless." "Really," she said coolly, "you are getting very extited about it.' I sciall' begin to think you tako a great interest in Jack if you take his happiness so much to heart." It was my turn to blush now, for inadvertently she had hit rather close to the mark. She saw her advantage a,t once, and continued : "Jack and X are quite old entough to take care of ourselves and our own affairs without any help oi* interference from outsiders, I should think." "Dolly, I wish you would toll me how far this affair has gone. Is it really serious or only play ?" "It is really serious, very serious,'' ] answered Dolly, gravely. "The most I serious affair tiiat hast ever happens to me, and 'it has gone so far that itl is quite impossible to ever draw back." With a horrified exclamation *1 made a movement to open the drawer, but Dolly put her hand on it. '•'l did not mean you to know about it," she said, "but since you are so anxious, and have found so much out, perhaps it might bo as well if you knew more—l always carry that case with me wherever I go, and I do not intend ever to part with it'i —I shall bo buried with it—so that' no one else shall ever be able to touch it—if I show it to you will 1 you promise never to breathe a word to anyone—not to auntie, Jack, on anyone ?"

"Very well, I promise, but I think you are doing very wrong, Dolly." "Do you ?" said Polly, with a citrous little smile as she uulocked the case with a tiny golden key that hung on her chain amongst a lot of charms. Then she put it into my bands. They trembled a little as 1 Took it from her and raised the lid. Then a. stifled exclamation fell from her lips. Smiling up at me with the brave, 1 honest eyes I knew so well, was an exquisitely painted miniature of Jack: Trevelyan. "Well," said Dolly, "go on with the lecture." ' 'Dolly —l—<lon' t und erst and. Why should you make all this mystery about it?" "There is no mystery -at all—l simply did not want you to see the portrait because no 0110 but myself ever does. You made the mystery yourseli .fey your, beastly suspicions " She took the case away from me, and looked at the picture. "My Jack," she said softly, and in a voice that J had never heard before. Then she raised her head and. I looked at me—all in a moment something had come into it which changed i ner from a frivolous little Society j butterfly an. I knew her, into a wo- ! man who could love and suffer as deeply as the gravest of us—and I i realised that I need have no further anxiety on .Jack's account Polly would not break his heart for she had found her own. For a few minutes we stood looking at one another, then, as usual, she was the first to speak. "Now that you havo found out my secret perhaps you wiQl be satisfied. It is odd that you should never have considered it possible thati T might possess a heart and a conscience as well as yourself—and that I might love—my husband." "I beg your pardon* DoHy," I said meekly. "I have misjudged you horribly, but I shall be wiser ihi future."' Dolly shut the case witih a snap, and returned to her normal lighthearted manner. "Do you know." said, with a laugh, "I would have marriea .Jack if he had been a chimney-sweep, and you know how 1 loathe smuts. And now let's go on with ihe packiing."