LITERATURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 307, 31 December 1904, Page 4

LITERATURE.

t c EVEN* UNTO DEATH.'- \ (■Continued.) E "i see Live Mjeu'o Stone ! Do you J ewf-jk J'oj#te\ Mr Ferrand ? That Hie main track. We have 1 iKtn cljose to the edige ot the moor i alt aicif-r, had I only known it." | '•'l boj)C the time ,vou have bri-n 1 kept a prisoner lus not tan to-> Na|ad»3iiie ? I give you my woril, t to anniSß you." t " So 1 l,aVl ' ,iecll ° pleas- ( anter or , th « ypu « have been to-nighcNK b ™ ke 111 ; ' impetuously, "and you TV™ v,el > right, X am sure, to have liNf" coss. My art nudity deserved punishW™*- • ' " I)o you know that you' 1m I" v that I am not always a pli>s ni,n ' companion'/ Perhaps a feeling r °' • self-protection is m.v best excuse ' pass many ouch hours as T been passing this evening i.iiiiht dangerous to one's peace of mind." The rod light from the cottage 1 window foil on Trix's lace showing its crimson dye. Mr Ferranri thought 1 of that blush as Ire walked on alone to the manor. "What if she does flirt lie 1 muttCrcd. " What ' business is it of mine? I hate a flirt in theory: but, after all, she does not flirt with me." | Tlie sudden vexed tears lie had sur- 1 prised on her lashes had disarmed him : thy memory of the shy hazel eyes, the childish, quivering mouth , was with him as he smoked his ; solitary pipt. . j • •»»»» It was spring ; everything was joy- ! ous and gay, everything except Trix . Lennox—her face was flushed with angier ; she stood facing Mr Ferrand in th) long shrubbery walk, biting her lips and trying to keep back 1 the hot tears. The little Moorish ' r-ing he hud placed on her finger but-.' a few hours earlier lay on tho ground between them ( For a space Trix had been as happy as a girl could be. Since that December evening Mr Ferrand had , been her old, good comrade of the lakes; that evening he had asked her to be his wife and she had ac- i ccpted him. And then her curiosity I had marred it all; a true daughter of Eve, shf had worried him into telling her why ho had treated her i so badly at Uayswater. | Perhaps Mr Ferrand had been ■ clumsy in the telling ; at any rate, her prido rose in arms. So lie had regarded her as a despicable flirt ; , he had seen she cared for him—then i it was pity that made him kind -at I last. It was all over, and the gold I circlot lay between them, and Trix • would not hear a word in e.vtenua- j tioD. j

'' So lie it," said Mr Ferrand, bowing to her decision. Ho too, was angry. She was fooling him, playing fast and loose with hint. There was no making up the qnarrel. 1 Mr Ferrnad quitted the Manor next day, and was seen no more. Each waa proud, each in fault ; and the «ii>, at least, suffered. Thajik goodness no one had known of her engagenieot, no one knew of her'humiliation. It was her only conswlation.

Three months later lteatriee w a s ' the guest at St. Jlictoacl's Hall, on the northern seo-cotist. It was a plcaffarai. house for a girl to stay at, but Trix felt listless arwl dul! ; I she always did nowadays*. She had arrived at the Hall with lia.ely timo to don her ■ dinner-dress'; in- 1 deed, the soup was nearly over be- ' fore she got downstairs. As she took her place at the table, the started ; across the cactus dahlias and maiden-hair she saw a face she knew. Mr Ferrand was 'her vis-a-vis. He bowed slightly as he met her glance, but he showetl no emotion. The jfirl was furious -that her h;*art should beat so wildly ; she did not care for him, she would not. He was nothing more to her than any other chance acquaintance. Why. t-hen, did she fly to the solitary veranhah when the ladies quitted the dining-room ? Oh, only because the room had been insufferably hot ; that was why her cheeks burned so furiously. At once, before she aad time to fly Mr Ferrand was beside Iter, holding out his hand with provoking calmness. As he Sid so, she saw he wore the Moorish ring upon his little finger. Ho hail never done so before their brief engagement, though it was an heirloom. The sight gave her an odd, choking sensation ; she could li»t have spoken to save liar lile. He spoke quickly. Trii, tto riitf is safe; will you have it back? lteatriee, why keep up this miserable pretence ? Why pretend you do not care? I love you ; I lave told you so. Say that you will, you love nie still; I saw it in you'/ face to-night. It is only pit|uo that parts us. Trifle can go too far. Had I not been idiotically proud, I should have said all this before, Trix, you are such a child, do try to be reasonable." It was too much 1 Pities before, scolded now, treated as a child all through ! "I quite recognise your goodness in oUerimg to -renew our engagement," she said, with a pitiful little smile, ibut I must decline with thanks." Eitt&> - words and looks, and the breach was widened, not mended. On the following day Mr Ferrnad stood moodily on the headland looking at the. sea. He Was quitting St. Michael's in the evening ; he meant to go abroad. He was a soft fool, ho told himself; lie had let himself care for a pretty litrloj flirt. After all, was it not well tli.it her shrewishness had cured him jf his folly? Women were all alike, fickle, shallow, not worth a man's thought or trouble. But his philosophy was to no avail—he did care and there wias the rub. He looked down the eighty feel of cliff a nd rock, down at the beach, down at the incoming tide ; and he |*j s 1 "" raih , with a suden g a sp. rimt blue-clad girl's figure sitting below ! Was she demented ? Tho sea was high over both points, and round those points was. 'the only egress*. In an idle hour he had tested the perilous nature of the beach. Ihe fishermen had war,led him 0 f it. The rock, smoot h as nu anvil's face, and overhanging, offered no foothold for ascent ; assistance conM come by soa. alone—and no boats passed ihat lonely cove. There wps • bare chance of getting rescue for , • '} va « rrmt was berry-gatlvring close by ; lor gold He would carrv a message for help to St. Mirhaei's—ten miles to go, but no help was neaix>r. Before kelp could co) „e, twelve feet of water would be waging the ctills belmv. Still, it was a chanc-i. The vagrant flew with Die pcncjll,«J message, "No help will |>e in time," he said. Ay, sir, by the rowan tree you can slitnb down ; it he f.n awkward thing, but I have done it. There be no coming up.' Yon !«• not o-thinirfcimg of suing down ? It be

but a-thovwinjj a good life aftor a bad one." Mr 1* errand had been an Alpine climber of no mean repute, yet it was a dangerous descent, but at last he stood on the sands' behind the still unconscious figure of Heat rice Iwurox. lie i, ied not to alarm her, to make her believe that assistance way on its way. But once site saw that the paints were 'impassable, she grasped I her ]>eril ; she s'lood staring out at lie beating waves with widely openad, startled eyes. How young asid I childish she looked, and, good heav- ■ ens, she must die ! The man clinch- ' ed his hands in impotent helpless-! ncs. It wa.-r idle 1r vitvir to reassure her. ' Facing them was the cruel tide, coming ever closer and closer ; behind them the frowning dills, and I the nearest aid ten miles oli. ! She sat down on a li making no fuss, waiting for what was to icome. It was kindest to lvspect her wish for silence, lie stood giSfetly beside her, watching with her, (failing with her. " <Hi. vfhy did \ou come down?" slie said at .last, wringing her hands together. ''JVou must have known it was hut to'TV.e, too." i lie hesitated. The \va\e:i drew nearer and nearer; the end was not to very far distant. Thinking so, he spoke the truth. j "li need be, yes—to div- wi'Ui you, iTrix. Do you think I ~ould have let you meet it quite alone ? " Her l'ace wias in her hands, and tile inirepressed sobs shook her frame. He 'j'Ut his hand on her shc'l'der. j" Trix," Ivc said, softly—'' Tiix, may We be friimils at last? We have .wasted months of happiness; now. jf we may only have hours, let usl take what is left to us. At this eleventh hour will you have the rang back V Will you believe that 1 l Care for you—ay, even unto nfcath ?" I It was a Strange renewal of their 'hoth ' ? oluni " enough to them both, with their last leave-taking starmg them in the face. Kesting on tarn, supported by him, sure at test.that his love for her was real, Tnx found peace. Waiting for the Asath so close to hand, she was happier than the had been for Many a long day. I The waves were washing up to u m 'f"!, of t:hc Kil ' l ' s drcss ' and hope had died to them both, wh.n, at last, help came. Kound the point puflid a little nlea®teame'-; its captain, a st Michael man, realised the p<>ril ~i' those two solitary figures, a „,i , sclU |Off a boat to their aid. While thev jWaitod for their deliverer, laud the | boat was stil! but a mere ,s-|Kx-k in .the distance, Mr I'errand looked at I ~*;, smiliB S under bis mouwlache. | ' hx, shall you cast me off now

you are safe ? " The smilo was in s eyes, too, as lie stoojiial and 'kissed the face she raised to his. I" I feel safe now, Trix. You a re compromised irrevocably. Do yoi; | realise, child, those steamer folk ore all ogling us through their glasses ? |We have just delighted them hughly.''

"My goodness ! " ejaculated the scarlet-faced, dishevelled Hoatrice, as [siho att'-mpUfl to readjust 'her hat to a proper propriety angle ; and Mr I Ferrand laughed long and low. • " Beatrice, wliat a frijyht you 'gave us," said her hostess ti.ut night : and you are engaged to Mr Ferraml ! I was so certain, too, jthat you disliked him. Why is it ? "

I " It is difficult to stand out when a man just makes up 'his mind to die witli you ; " aad she kissed the quaint old ring on her hand when she thought her friend was not looking.