MAMMON VERSUS CUPID.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 29, 27 February 1909, Page 4

MAMMON VERSUS CUPID.

Mr. and Mrs. Greaves were not immoral simply superla'tively selfish. They had both been brought up in aflluencp. ami regarded .luxury as essential to existence, and the. gratification of their desires as of paramount importance. Therefore, when Mr. Greaves made an unfortunate speculation, lowing more 'than half his fortune, the Question of supplementing the deficiency occupied the 'minds oif both Mr. C-rcaves and his wife, to the exclusion oi every other consideration.

Reviewing the situation carefully, the only hope of mending their fortunes lay in the ■possibility of their only daughter nmkng a, wealthy imaUh. li had always been the dearest wish of their hearts that Helen should marry money. X'ow they deemed it an imperative .necessity. "We shall have trouble with Helen," sighed Mrs. Greaves. "She imagines herself in love with young Fortescue.

"Fiddle-de-dee!" replied .Mr. Greaves, w'itli a finality which forbade argument. Helen Greaves was a. beautiful girt, but too shy and reserved to sjiiue in smart society. She had received a good many proposals during her first season, and had gently but firmly declined them all, having given, her heart U> a penniless sailor lad with whom she had plavcd as a child. Jack Fortescue was what is commonly .called "a detrrmon.tivl," Tor he was mot endowed with this world's goods, but he was a gallant fellow, and after ,Uie relief of Udysinilh was given a well-deserved V.C. ••I will speak to Helen!" said -Mr. Greaves; "she is a. good girl, and when she learns how much, it .means to us, she- will listen to reason and realise whv she must many .money." "She will talk of love!" declared Mrs. G reaves.

••1 shall not listen." 'Mr. Greaves .did speak to Helen, and Helen did talk uf love, whereat her fa'ther -laiiwuod .the door and left her. "1 tohl 'her she should never have my consent to marry that wretched sailor, so she would gain nothing l>y her obstinacy. How many cligibles has ehe refused already!" . "Oil my il«»'- I ™ ,?t 1 " !lir io "" of the chances the girl has thrown ■Uttiv' There was an American millionaire.,' vou reiuein'bcr, first; then the eldest'son of a. newly-wealed Badica peer with an interest in biscuits, ami another man with ,Us,lWu a year." •■Disgraceful!" ejaculated Mr. Greaves.

The season was ill full swing. Helen ww dragged from one parly to another. Every elb'iblo bachelor was hunted by her mother, every wealthy bounder seeking the entreo to Society was .putnonisod by her father; but, owing perhaps to the girl's indifference-and frigid dumeanour, none of them came to the point. Mr. Greaves was becoming desperate. His financial affairs were in so critical a condition that he hardly knew which way to turn for the necessary ready money. His impatience with Helens indifference grew to resentment; her happiness was now a. matter of no consideration.

It was at this jnneture that LorJ C'rauly appeared uu the scene. Helen sat beside, her mother at the last smart party of the season, white, weary, ami wholly bored. Mrs. Greaves was also weary and heavy-hearted. All Uer efforts had proved vain. Helen still remained on their hands; her last hope was waning. She looked round ior her husband, preparing lor departure. He stood ait t.hei other side of the room hi conversation with his .hostess. An old ma-.i near Mr. Greaves cuujrht the dowager's look. His eyes travelled f«mi •her to the beautiful {,'ivl at her side, lie ■stared at Helen for soime tinfe, then strolled np to the hostess. Mrs. (Weaves ■-aw him being intiWtiml lo her ImsO.a.nii, and a few moments later the two ■men crossed the room .together.

i -'Helen, mv dear," .said her father. •'Lord Crauly does you the honor of wishing to be presented to you." Helen raised her eyes, ami almost

•.shuddered jis she saw the man's fate, •like a painted niusik. bending towards 'her-an old, wrinkled, withered face, •seeking to hide with rouge, dye, and ■cosmetics the ravages of tigc and vice. ■lli» mouth haul a nervous) twitch under the black imou.stac.hc, and below the painted eyebrows bis mean, cruel eyes leered down into Helen's lace. The girl spoke a few conventional words and ■lurned awav. Mrs. rfireavus was introduced, and'smiled affably upon Lord frailly. while Helen's father whispered between clenched teeth: "If you dont niaikn yourself agreeable, I know how In .punish vou." The girl shrank into her corner, and a moment later Lord Crauly dropped niio the vacant seat, at her side. Mr. and Mrs. Orcavcs had betaken themselves to the opposite end of the room, and Helen wa- left to entertain her new acquaintance, lie learned on the arm of Helen's chair and paid her compliments which made her cheeks burn. A slor.m of indignant words rose to her lips, but she choked lliem back. Her I'-ithiT had spoken of punishing her il siie were not agreeable, flow would lie be likely In punish her but by prevcat- '„,., he,' from seeing .lack t'oilcMUcJii°k. who might be .-ailing so soon, and I would be coming to see her to-morrow .' Suppose they were to prevent their meeting* Helen turned lo Lord Crauly and hazarded a remark about the heat oi the room. He rose inslant y. and offering the girl his arm, led her out lo the°illuinhiated balcony. | .11. ••This mav be good-bye, Nell." "You mili trv and come again bclorc vou leave." ■-.Need vou ask'! But. mv orders lo joiiwnv ship may corneal any moincnt.'' -How thankful I am it is not loreigu service this time! - ' Jack I'ortescw. a«id Helen stood together in the girl's own lit"" "'lt"'-" !room. It was the day after the party '.at which she, had met LuriU'rauly. The voiing lieutenant had come lo say goodbye to Helen before, rejoining l«s ship.. „'„d. the girl's mind being wholly occupi,.,l with the approaching departure "I 1,,.,- lover, sire had not mentioned the incident of her introduction lo the o>»i-. ■ .iie.l old peer, nor might she lime rei-ulleeted it had not -lack I'Vlcsc.ic told her Ire was at Hie same party (earlier in the evening; then Helen re-, » ineni'bered the old roue from whom slic ' had shrunk in honor. I "Oh, Jack," she cried, "I met such a j dreadful old imin last night! He looked at me with such a horrible expression in his eyes I felt quite frightened.' "Who" was he, dear?" ' "Lord Crauly." l'orteseiK started. "Lord Crank! he exclaimed. "AVho introduced you. to him?" I

"Father." , . , , '■Your father!" lie echoed uicredulou-,-1,- '-Veil, how dare be? That man is one of the worst characters in f.ondo:i. He's not fit to sneak to a woman, ami no decent man will have anything 10 do willi him." , , ~ . "Father couldn't have known that But, oh. r'MtaUto! weren't leaning me. -lack. I loot lii„ni K ,ed somehow at being alone." "It's not for long, sweetheart. 1 »luil •he back within the year, and Hi™ tornmander Forteseuc w 1 .»} ™ « with or without your lathers consent. "It will be good, Jack; oh so good! Helen rested her head ou her love * shoulder and felt the security , f » strong «■"» * O,, l licr ' f H ,lc ,TvtV™« who lay beside thorn on the hea buig, suddenly raised his head and gave a low growl. He was a huge briml c Imlldo*. Voted to his master, and a gical avorite with his master's ladylove. They came down to earth again from the'realms of Eden. I "What's the m-atter, Bully-boy? Lie down and be quiet," said Bully-boy sj master,

"T«l is father's sti'|>. Thi',V liavu I come back from their drive," Helen told . him. /

"I'll go., then. 1 won't see liini till l u can tell him I've got .my promotion and l B ■that we're going to bo married." o Helen-Hushed with pride as she looked f at the strikingly handsome, tanned face of the young sailor bending over' her 1 ■with the great love of his steadfast c soul mirrored in his blue eyes. ' "I want you to do something for ine, Nell." "Yes, dear; anything in my power." ( AVill you keep Bully-boy with you t wihile I'm, away?" "1 should love to have him." , Jack Fortescue received his orders and sailed next <lay; only his dog remained to coni'fort Helen. During the same week Lord Crauly dined with the ' I Greaves. His admiration of their daugh- ' tex was obvious aud his attentions to ' Helen very marked. Xot long after- • wards Lord Crauly came again; his visit was followed by an invitation to dine at the Ritz, and soon scarcely a dsiy passed that the ,oltl man did tiol manage to see Helen. Most people had left town, but the Greaves still lingered on. Helen's mistrust and dislike of Lord Crauly rather increased than diminished. He realised her great antipathy towards himself, and bitter resentment lay beneath his suave ami courtly manners. Sometimes a gleam of cruel triumph would shine unobserved in his crafty eyes as he looked at Helen. He felt as a snake might feel who watches its innocent victim with cruel enjoyment. At length the snake struck. Mr. Greaves called Helen into his study one day and told her that Lord Crauly had 1 done her the consummate honor of wi»h- ---■ ing to make her his wife. "Your mother and I rejoice at the thought .of such a position for you, my ' dearest child. You are indeed a lucky girl, Helen." "I—l don't quite understand, father.'' - Helen felt the room spinning round. ■' "Lord Crauly wishes to marry me?" r Mr. Greaves smiled tolerantly. "Of s course, my dear, you would not have s imagined such an honor could be in V store for you. and 1 understand your '. embarrassment at accepting such an " offer, but 1 feel sure you are capable h of adorning the position you will hold aud "

•■Father, stop—stop! Yon surely don't think that I should ever dream of accepting Lord Crauly's proposal?" "1 don't think a'bout it, my dear. I have accepted it for you." "You have accepted for me!" gasped Helen. "But, father, I am not a child, nor a chattel to lie sold at your pleasure."

"Don't talk nonsense, Helen. You cannot be so selfish a,nd undutiful as to allow your mother and me to live in poverty for the sake, of some foolish whim."

"A whim! Father, have you no regard for the sacrcdness of marriage, for the need of love, the union of souls—?"

"llf you aro going to talk to me about souls, you may spare your breath. 1 don't 'believe in souls. AYc know wc possess bodies, and our wisest course is to look after them. We don't know if we possess souls, so make the best, of this life and get all you can—that's mv creed."

"But not mine, father. I Never could ajid never will marry without love." "I suppose you imagine you are in lovo with that young fool of a sailor Fortescue, but you're not going to marry him, so you needn't let that stand in your way."

"Father, I cannot do this thing—l cannot!"

"I will not speak to you again till you have come to your senses. Neither shall you leave the house or hold any communication with anyone." "Am I lo be a prisoner?" Helen demanded coldlv. "You are to be treated like the wilful, spoilt child that you are till you see your foolishness." Helen lied from her father's presence up to her own sanctum, where she. found Bully-boy awaiting her with demonstration's of joy. Sinking on the lloor with her arms about the dog, she sobbed out her misery into his sympathetic ear. A week passed. Helen stood firm in her resolve, and remained a prisoner in her own room. Once or twice her mother came to plead with her, but Helen eon tended that no good could come of any wealth acquired by such means, and .declared she would prefer death to marriage with Lord Crauly. Of .Tack Fortescue she had jio news, and that she could neither write nor receive letters from him was the hardest part of her ordeal. At the end of the week a message was brought to Helen that her father wished her to come to dinner that night.

When she appeared in the drawingroom her-father greeted her coldly. "Have you come to your senses yet?" he enquired. '•I havo not altered my determination, and never shall," the girl replied. "Then lei me tell you the news I have received to-day. I am a ruined man." ■ißuiiie.il, father?" echoed Helen, incredulously.

'•.Burned! ( have lust every cent. If you had done as I begged you and had agreed to marry Lord Crauly, it would have saved me from utter ruin!" Mr. Oreavcs dropped heavily into a chair and covered his face with his hands, while Helen s(ooil quite still, staring before her with white, set face, wondering and wondering which way tlio path of duty lay. Was it up that road leading lo tlio mount of Ideals, where Love" sat enthroned in majestic purify and raised Ore heart? of men nearer to Heaven, or could it lie for her in material expediency on Ihe sordid plane of earth, where Mammon reigned in coarse supremacy? Dinner was a depressing meal, No■liodv spoke, ami halfway through Mrs. ifireaves melted into tears. While she wept a loud double knock was followed ■by the entrance of Mr. Greaves' butler with an urgent letter by special messenger. With a ..shaking hand he tore it, open, and, having hurriedly perused Hie contents, passed it to his wife. (When she had read it, her tears sud'denly ceased. ''■ We niav be saved, after all," she cried. "Oil, Helen, my child, for our sakes do this, and save your poor old parents front miserable poverty, which is worse than death lo both of us!" Helen took the letter which her mother handed her, and read as 'follows: '■Dear Sir, —Lord Crauly is on his death-lied, stricken 'down with a fatal heart disease. He bids me write at once to say that he will leave his entire estate to vour daughter Helen, together with all'his per,onal properly and effects, if she will consent to go through the form of marriage with him before he dies. If your daughter will consent to gratify his lordship's dying request, there is 'up lime lo lie lost, lie may not be alive, to-morrow night. As Lord Oauly'.s physician, I cannot but hope that your liaug' ier will give him this small'amount of comfort in liirf last hours. His lordship has a special license I'm- the. ceremony, and bids me say that .hii, lawyer is at this moment engaged in drawing up a will in favor of JUiss (Ireavcs. which shall be duly signed on the one condition aforenamed.—Believe me, dear Sir, yours truly, ' "Jolm Filzallen, M.D." Helen laid the letter down without a word, .['or one moment (he girl hesitated, then she spoke in a. cold, hard i voice. ! "I will do as you wish," was all she said. ;■ Helen (.ireavcs trembled and her voice | shook as she pronounced Hie solemn j words she would have spoken for Jack Fortescue alone. If Lord Crauly had filled her with loathing before, he was a. far more ghastly and revolting object now as he lay back on his pillows, with yellow, parchment-like face and unshaven chin, the only sign of life showing in his narrow, shifty eyes, which gazed ou the. fair young girl with a wolfish gleam. Helen needed all the fortitude, of i which she was capable to carry through this hideous mockery of marriage, liter parents and the doctor who had written Ui them stood by Hie bed while the priest read the service and finally pronounced Lord Crauly and Helen to be man and wife. A moment later Ihe will was brought to the dying man, ami duly signed and witnessed. Thin Lord Crauly raised a trembling hand and pointed to the door, whispering in a feeble voice, "Leave us." Silently they passed out of the room, as though" they stood already in Ihe presence'of death, and Helen remained lieside (he bed alone. | One moment, Helen looked down on the wreck of manhood lying before her with some feeling akin to pity i-a her heart, but even as she looked the wolfish light in his eyes gleamed more fiercely, and in an instant Lord Crawly had thrown off the bedclothes and sprung upon i-he victim of his lie with a cruel, triumphant laugh. "My sweet little wife! The joy of out marriage has brought me back to life, yoti see." At' first Helen was too frightened lo , realise the truth of the cruel trick this | man had played upon her, Tlio words j

he spoke conveyed little meaning to her in that terrifying moment, but as she saw the yellow, iiend-lihe face, with unkempt beard and fierce, cruel eyes, she thought some devil held her in his 'grasp, and with a shriek of horror fled | from the room. . . .

The plausible letter, purporting to have been written by Dr. Fitzallcn, emanated from the fertile brain of his lordship's secretary.

"Jack"—Helen wrote —"come to me, or 1 shall kill myself. They have mar- q ried me to Lord Crauly—they said he j was dying. It was a lie. Come to ine quickly, i think 1 shall go mad. r "Helen." a ! For some time Helen heard no more of her husband. As the days passed she i] grew calmer. A faint hope awoke in u her heart that he might not claim her, o after all; but her eyes .held a pathetic, I hunted expression in their clear depths, i. Only the dog—her constant companion i —was of any comfort to her in the dark i days while she waited for a reply to her letter from Fortescue. 1 The exodus from town had taken 1 place. The Greaves had lingered on till i late in July. Xow they decided to go s down to their country place, and, once established in the old Elizabethan house, Helen breathed more freely. She aud i Uully-lioy wandered about the quaint : old-world garden, and, as Helen grew , 'bolder, sometimes into the . lanes n.iul fields; but always the gin glanced fcaifullv behind her from time to time, dreading to see again the awful vision of her husband. At last the fateful day arrived when Lord Ci'aulv did actually come. >'l"' first intimation Helen had of Ins arrival ■was to see the door of her sitting-room •thrown open ami her husband standing in the doonva>. Helen »a> sitting with a telegram in her hand and a great joy in her heart, "i am coining to you to-day," were the Avoids she read. The wire was signed ".lack." Xow it fell to the ground unheeded a» she lose from her chair with a low erv of fenr. !Loid Crauly closed the door and came towards her. "1 have com* to fetch my wife," the old peer said, leering wickedly at Helen. "1 will not go with you; it was no .marriage. 1 will never, never go with you." Lord Craulv approached nearer to Helen. [ "Your father has already been enjoying a very handsome allowance as my 1 father-in-law. I felt obliged to do what I could to help him in his financial . crisis.' "Father has taken money from you!' i "A very considerable amount, my j dear. That was part of the bargain." 1 Helen shuddered, i "Who would .have believed that in this civilised twentieth century such - things as this could happen?" r "You have always been so uullatter- " ing in vour attitiide towards me, my t dear Helen; but I feel sure now you ] know I have fulfilled my part of the e bargain that you will fulfil yours." _ e "Oh, Heaven!" cried the poor girl iv "Oil. Heaven!" 1. "Come, little wife, be friends anil s make it .up." lie leaned towards her but Helen shrank away, covering hoi d eyes with her hands.

'••No, no!" she cried. "If you have any pitv, leave me!" Lord Crauly laughed a laugh that was not good to hear. "I intend to have value for my money. I paid for a wife, and I shall have one." 'll'o put out .a claw-like hand with long, pointed nails and gripped Helen's arm like a vice. (She struggled to free herself, hut his hold tightened. As b'e drew the K irl towards him she screamed in tenor.

Bully-boy had been watching the whole scene with anger and mistrust hi his eves. Now that Ibis strange man actually JaW hands on his beloved mistress, he could bear it no longer, bill, with a low growl, sprang in mry at Lord Craulv's throat, who, mad with (error, Irieil to light him oil'. But the dog buried his teeth deep in the old man's throat, strangling the awful oaths, which died in the death-rattle as Lord Crauly fell heavily to the ground. With a wild shriek of terror Helen sank back en the sofa insensible.

It was more than an hour later when she opened her eves to find Jack Fortescue .standing beside her. Without a word lie took Lord Crauly's widow in Ms arms. Mav Croagh Henry, in "M.A.IV