LITERATURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7758, 9 March 1905, Page 4

LITERATURE.

BY CONTRACT SEALED.

i- They were sitting in the library 4 i ber home io Kensington. Hie warm - ' rfow of a ta& lamp fell slantingly I over her, and brought out the di«p 1 . morocco greens and reds ol a heavy ; portiere briwd her. He was sitting 1 f- looMlV straight ahead of Win. They & were both silent. There was only the J * mtitttmg, silky frou-frou of her skirt « £ ad she swayed one dointly-sl-ippercd S foot back and forth with a pretty { m impatience. P " But, my dear child," Franklin : said at ladt, very patronizingly, "it ; ia absurd ! Inde.*d. ;t would bo quite j wrong, you know, for me to pref tend that I was in love with y o u " : i:'. The Soft frou-frou suddenly stop- ; ped. She narrowed her wide ljlue : - eyes and bit her lip an instant. T-hvn - she rose, went over, and sat upon u low chair- in front of him, so as tu * meet hia eyes. "But it is only for a month, i Just tq make Tom jealous. Ah, do i please ! " ■ " Hut., my -dear Miss Dorothy, how could I ? " She only continued to meet his ' fiance with her great, wide eyes. He ahifUd uncomfortably. " You see. I had my love affair when I was young. It wouhl be utterly absurd for a man of the work! like me to begin again—and on so .. youthful a plan, he addvxl, with a - self-pleased smile. j Franklin was just thirty,. He did , have a -few grey hairs, io 1;; viie, of which, together with his experience, ha was vastly proud. She did not answer, For a full . moment she looked the other way, 'then fiho turned to him aguin, und, .■•Oil fixing him with her wide eyes, I f . said sadly. j "Here you have always professed such interest in me, ever since I was a child. You used to send me , flowers ages ago, and you toek me •to my first ball, and all that—and now when I ask j- 0 u a tiny littla - thing like this " " You, know quite well," he said ▼eiy seriously, whw h,is eyes c.n his boot tow-**' you know *crv v.-eli that 2 would be ~ very glad to do anything in the wide world to please you; but this idea of bdag deeply » love with you for a month ! My dear child—" r She rose and turned awny with in<)»aUence. ty " Oh, as if I wanted you really - .to love me ! " she said petulantly, v, " I only want you to pretend you do. Y'ou do take tlbngs so hopelessly seriously." •' -"And you do place a fellow so hopelessly difficultly," he said drawIng his brows down. " Come now, Miss Dorothy, do you really want SB so .very much to do it ? " ,s " There now, that's a dear," she said, coming out of her pout instantly, and reseating herself on . the low chair before him. ">And I pronrise not to make it the least bit tt difficult for you. You will only have ' to lend, not really give, me your aff- Section, you know. You will have to come to see me—well, we will sayfour times a week,, and you will have to look pensively at mo >ome- , - times—sometimes very pensively, the '■ - way Tom does—and—that's all." i " Hiss Dorothy," ho said slowly, with his eyes agaia on his boot toes, "it does seem such an ansurj pro--1 „ eeehing for a man of my years and '. experience ! For a month t o —»hy it seems such " * •• YeS," she interrupted quickly ; " for only a month. That isn't much, is it ? And of course there must be no hedging. Y'ou must proV; mise ! There now, don't object. I think we shall have to have a contract/' she added, laughing a littlo. <„ She went over to the little Louis Quinze escritoire, seated herself, drew hj;:: out a sheet of note paper, opened it and with great seriousness wrote something across it. *i- • " There," she said triumphantly, «... holding it before hitn by. the tips of tho paper, " this ;s the contract. ~ You must sign it. He glanced over the sheet and saw written in" her hold, girlish hand : " Lent: To Dorothy Marshall, for ' a period of one month, beginning on Kay Day, the undivided love of .Jani- ... en R. Franklin." With great seriousness she dipped the pen in the ink amd gave it to j» , him, and stood over him very grave- | ■ ly while he signed it. 5,, you stall have this contract hack this day month, at which time >.„s; you will be released from it," she ■aid, folding: it carefully, and locking it in a small drawer of the escritoire. t _ . When she turned to him again lie fingering his tie and looking absently into the fire. £ It all seemed so absurd to Mm. j He felt with a secret disgust for t- himself that he, a man of thj world , and of experience, was being easily k- outdone now by a wide-eyed, bluek. ' f 3red cWW of eighteen. To be sure, ■ ahf could help her with her love " w ' v ou sht he not to do it ? grosser was desperately in love - .with her already ; and yd she had owned frankly that she wished to ; make ttm jealous. That was a peculiar admission, o looked up and found her looking at him with, ;wide„ persistent eyes. He stopped fingering his tie. ;■ml rose to • • • # v Franklin thought it had been a * ' I * ry ' n ß and awkward even- : . ."Wi though her spirits seemed u»ver *,'* nave failed for an instant. It JL"ii ° r ®° before a S™»d f ball, and they were both calling upon her, . 6 L" „ 'B*»ing with me to the . Caveadish«» boll, are you not ? " said, rising to leave. »-' saW indifferently, pinninff a wdful lock of hair close to her templev j|r Franklin is taking me, arn't you, Jim ? " k FranWin started uneasily. It was the first time she had ceiled hint V Jim," ■ t Vc f'" answered awkwardly, I believe you wish me to go." *J,„ " Uow very Stupid you were ! " she said, after Prpsser hud gone. "Of course 1 did suggest you tak■tag me, bul you should not have given Ton* that, idea." Weil you should not have called me • Jim/ -" he said, a Httlo sullenly. - . J! 0 " 1 you Uke it? " said, laughing in sp it e of herself. • 1 thought you would." • • " Yes ; but somehow it was so sudden," he answered, still rather . -sullenly. " Ob, don't say thai ! " she laughed again. "It sounds exactly as if 1 had proposed to you." 'He was looking intently at his patent-leather boots. There was ■. something peculiarly martyr-like . and meek about his face as the light, malting deep shadows, fell across it.. He raised his head suidenly. The line lines of bis face caiue out aharp and severe. " Miss Dorothy," he broke out, .with a, sudden fierceness. Then lie stopped abruptly, and lixtd h;.> cy.-s Again on the tips of bis boots. The light fell slantwise again down his ■ face. He was going to tell her that he could not keep to the contract. < Ueeaufce it had grown hateful to . - Wm; because it seemed dishonourable 'or him to devote himself to making another man jealous, while he himself was not really in love with , And then he stopped abniol'lv at the thought. "Well?" she said, smiling, her {ace tilted upward liEe an impertinent flower, I thought you were go- .; ing to say something." " Weß, I don't like it ! " he b'urtr " ed out. "You mean my calf ing you * ' Jim' ? " site said, lowering her head instantly, ana with only w<>n- "" _ der la her eyes and face, " Good Heavens, no ! Don't think - that I mind that," he said. "It is K the whole thin-, the whole con temp- ,. tning ! F o r me to devote ntvtat to making another fellow i«ilous and miserable when lie is liead-over-ears ia love with you. and ! an. not in the least 1J 0 sto pped Abniptly. He hesitated at this each time, like an unwiiling hunter before K- a siirbarred gate. _ Hcr "p 3 wer ? parted a little, ~nd p- wtole attitude that of uuiu,,,, % V }" m not- In the least ?• If < Pe^ f ° d : L an<J "* Bn >«= ran wide and « ide of the W "ell-" and I am not in the | L-. f, mood for such a thine." I |L -' h .p h ' sh « said. " You mean I tn lf Come a bore s"ou to come Kg ™ e 80 O'ten." Wfe+J. N ,°'.' he coming back to | i™-, aBnlTI ~" n °. H has not. ■S'r fn£ 1 you understand fig» no, ?° .!"—shaking her heaijto you." 01 bor;nff yr . hcr and looked i W®m te a Hord - her and walk<d awav I MSTwe? If - .<-'«»•'( i WPffiirnrtr .twji d not care a pin 't might be easy Bnt e acb day j care

i And lie care 9 too. And don't you I see what a mess it is V ' He came and stood before her again. The colour died down slowly from her face. 'i ITieri you don't want to take me to the Cavenh,i-hosi' fcali ? Her brows uoro lilted a very little, her lips haughty, and her head tilted up proudly towards his. "Yes. of course I do," he said, inconsistently. " Then I shall be ready at. half (cist nine. Wv won't want In #o before then." she said calmly, rising. A moment lalei", wh n l-Yanklin had gone, the flush came back slowly to her face. • * # , (To he continued.)