SERIAL STORY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 310, 9 February 1910, Page 6

SERIAL STORY

A ROYAL WARD. CHAPTER VII. (continued). "A very good retort, very excellent indeed"; and Sir Rupert was still laugiiing when the door opened, and a servant announced: "Mr. Walter Evertsen." "1 am late," said Evertsen, "but the villainous' cut of a new coat must be my excuse. Weston, of Bond Street, lias a reputation in the matter of coats which he does not always live up to. By gad! the tailors are beginning to try and set the fashion. Tills was a coat, sir, that would have made Bnnnmell weep." '•Even 'so, the world might have still gone round, Walter. Le nie make you two gentlemen acquainted. This is Mr. Victor Dubuisson, of an old Huguenot family, long buried in the neighborhood of one of our northern towns—Lieutenant Walter Evertsen, a rising soldier." The 'two men bowed to each other, and Dubuisson did not contradict the description given of him. "A soldier, sir, doomed to remain in England keeping the rabble in order, instead of winning honorable mention against Frenchmen on the Continent. But. pardon, I •" "Oh. Mr. Dubuisson has been so long in this country that he has' little sympathy with Bonaparte," said Sir Rupert. "As ']) told yon, Walter, my friend is seeking an Englishman of position who —who befriended his father, and wants "the entree where such men are to be found." "You could hardly apply to a better ) man," said Evertsen. "Command me, j Mr. Dubuisson. I like your face, sir, if I may say so, but " "But yiou are not in love with his' coat, eh." Walter? Do you expect the height of fashion to come out of the North?" "Lord, Sir Rupert, you make me blush for your bad manners," Evertsen returned. "My cousin, Mr. Dubuisson, for that is onr relationship " "Several times removed, Walter," Sir Rupert interpolated. "My cousin is one of those unpleasant persons who will speak without think ing. I was' going to add that my friend the Prince Regent would like your face; "but, in the matter of coats—well, the world knows how fastidious he is. An angel out of the fashion would annoy him." "He need not worry, Walter; no angel is likely to ask admission at Carlton House. By the way. is it true that Mr. Bi'ummell is out of favor? I heard talk of it at Brooks's last night." "It will blow over," Evertsen answered. "It would be a bad day for the country if the Prince and Mr. Brummell quarrelled irreconcilably. I refuse to contemplate such a disaster." "The Prince would still have you, AValter." "A great thing for liim, I grant you," Evertsen returned. "I find, Mr. Dubuisson, it is never wise to conceal one's merits. 5 could be as modest as a girl just out of the schoolroom, but modes'ty is out of fashion. The Prince honors me with his friendship, and I assure j yon that on his account I do not complain at being doomed to hunt smugglers and such like." Dubuisson had listened to the conversation, glancing at each Speaker in turn, not greatly impressed with this j rising young soldier, and pretty certain } that Sir Rupert was laughing at him in , bis sleeve, j "Smuggler-hunting must be dreary work." he said quickly. ! "Exciting enough at times, eh, Sir •iiupert? Why, sir, only 9, few days ; since, in Devonshire —an out-of-the-way '' part of the country. L do assure you—l nin-earthed a desperate gang and put a ; stop to their traffic for some time. I '' v:>iV.uit. But that is not all. With ! then; was a French spy, a very devil of a man with his sword. I was so occupied Hut at first I did not notice him, the:! when T engaged him he ran—ran, sir. like a doer when the hounds are ; 100-c. Had he stood his ground, li should have run him through the body. : mid hanged his carcase op the nearest : tn-e afterwards, but at running he was ' my superior. We do not learn that art I in our army." ' "They do not seem to teach it in France, either, in these days," said Du-. ■ liuissou. "He must have been a poor : sort of Frenchman." "He was an excellent runner," laughed Everts'en. "and beat me. He went to earth somewhere, and we could not find him." . "Nor hear of him?" "Not a word," and Evertsen turned to a mirror and'adjusted the set of his coat. Dubuisson looked at Sir Rupert, but lie was contemplating Evertsen, with a smile upon his lips. This young soldier . was evidently the man who had com--1 manded in the attack upon the smug- ' glers, and, in s'pite of his foolish boasting, he went; up in Dubuisson's estimation. On duty he was a much better j mail than anyone, seeing him now, would have given him credit for. Was Sir Rupert aware that he had made known | to each other the hunted and the I hunter, Dubuisson wondered? Truly, he was in a very maze of difficulty and without a real friend. "But this can hardly interest you, Mr. Dubuisson," said Evertsen, turning from the mirror, still uncertain, it seemed, whether his coat was everything it •should be. "I promise you that your affairs shall have a great deal of my attention. I will take you to the clubs, I will see that you are invited to the

Duchess of Petersham's, and I will endeavor to interest her Grace in you so ; that you can obtain the entree to : Almaeks. If in these places you cannot ; find the man you want, he is either j dead or you have been misled with regard to his position." "I can only thank you now, but shall hope for the opportunity of repaying your courtesy." : "It is nothing, Mr. Dubuisson, nothing, I assure you. Give me the address of j your lodging." " Mr. Duuisson is hardly settled in town yet. Address him here," said Sir Rupert. "You are " 1 "That also is nothing, Mr. Dubuisson." j "An item of news, Sir Rupert, that I i warrant you have not heard at tne clubs," said Evertsen. j '■Concerning the Prince?" "No, and yet, in a way, it does; but not so nearly as it does' me.' My Lady Betty Walmisley comes to town." Evertsen's back was towards Dubuisson, so he did not notice the start which this piece of news caused. Sir Rupert smiled, as though he had noticed it. "And Walter Evertsen rejoices," he said. "You will find rivals in half the men in town." "Would you have me marry a lady no other man is dying of love for? She will be the toast from Carlton House to the Pavilion at Brighton." -Let us hope she is amongst those who do not think all other men ill-look-ing beside the Prince Regent," said Sir Kupert. "He might object presently to her being toasted anywhere' but at the Pavilion and Carlton House. Ah, Walter, you ily at high game; take care you do not fall," "I trust you have few relations, Mr. iDuhuH'son," said. Evert§eji;_ "they are a very plague. You shall see my" Lady Betty before you are much older, and I should not wonder if you became one of my rivals." "That would be too great an honor." "Faith, Mr. Dubuisson, they did not forget to teach you the trick of paying compliments in the North. I foresee pleasant times in your company. You have been courteous enough to consider yourself in my debt; it may be that you will amply repay it by having an opportunity of doing me some slight service with the lady. I have known a friend's praise do much for a man before now."

"This is clipping a rival's wings with a vengeance," laughed Sir Rupert. "I but acknowledge Mr. Dubuisson's power," said Evertsen;

"I may have the good fortune to serve the lady as well as the gentleman," Dubuisson said. '•'You will be one of the few, then, that ever found a reward in such a double task," laughed Sir Rupert. So Lady Betty Walmisley was coming to town, and be would see her. This 'was the thought uppermost in Victor Dubuisson's mind as he walked away from Bury Street. , For a time the ditt'i•culties which faced him, the tangled maze of intrigue into the very centre of which he seemed to have stepped were forgotten. He was unconscious of the streets' through which he passed, of the men and women about hiiu, of the busy, throbbing world; he was standingbareheaded upon a silent terrace, the misty light of a watery moon about him, and there was a girl looking into his eyes, endeavoring to read his very soul through them. She was coming to town, and this coxcomb' of a soldier had already marked her for his prey. Would she even look a second time at such a man? Perhaps. 'Who can tell what a woman will or won't do? "Le Bon Dieu understands them." he murmured, "but He has not given such understanding to men. I shall see her, perchance carry a message for Monsieur Evertsen. Bah! It is too much." He spoke and thought in French—sure sign that he was excited, and he quickened his' pace as though he would leave all such disagreeable considerations beiiind him. To some extent he succeeded, but the thought of Lady Betty was pleasant, was persistent, and remained with him, even when he went to meet Finley Baxter presently at the Golden Cross. It was curious that Baxter had made the appointment for the ostensible purpose of discussing the winning of a •woman, for bifore they parted that night Victor Dubuisson, although he did not name her, had asked his com- : 'panion to honor a toast. ! "To the lady of my dreams," he said quietly, and Baxter raised his glass, ask- j ing no questions. | CHAPTER VIM. j A PERPLEXED MAS. ' Walter Evertsen was as good as his I \vord, and gave a considerable amount of liia time to Dubuisson's affairs. He began by helping him to select a suitable lodging in King Street, and laughed when his companion expressed. some doubt concerning the requisite depth of his pocket. 'lf we all paused to consider such a trifle as that," said Evertsen, "a vast number of us might as well be dead and buried. If you would catch a fortune, you must make the bait attractive, and forget the cost. Yo will never find the man you are seeking unless you are in the world, and to all right-minded gentlemen the world means this Parish of St. James's." There was no conibatang the air of 'conviction with which he spoke, and, since money was not of paramount consideration with him, Victor allowed his objections to be overruled. Neither did !he refuse to be put into the hands of Evertsen's tailor in Bond Street, who was, apparently, the only man in the world who could cut a coat in such a fashion that a gentleman could wear it complacently. And, these preliminaries

settled, Evertsen introduced Victor to some of his friends, took him to the clubs, arranged that he should receive a bow from the Prince Regent at Carlton House, and brought him generally into contact with men of fashion and position. Without gambling much and without drinking to excess, vices which were foreign to his nature, Victor Duhuisson managed to impress his new companions as being an acquaintance well worth the cultivating. Of course, such friendship was all on the surface, a veneer merely, but it served the purpose of unlocking the gates of the world of fashion into which he must enter if he would have s'ueeess. It must be admitted that Evertsen's kelp was given unselfishly; he had little to gain by it. and perhaps his feeling towards Dubuisson had rather more depth in it than his sentiments towards his fellows us'ually had. There was a certain quiet force about Dubuisson which was attractive; he could be frivolous, but it was more natural to him to be serious, to get down under the surface of things and to see the real earnestness of life. Evertsen realised this', and at those times when there was any semblance of seriousness in himself found especial satisfaction in/ Victor's company. He was serious about Lady Betty Walmisley, who had come to town, and whom he had already met I on several occasions, and he made Victor the recipient ,>f his' confidence. Dubuisson had not yet chanced to meet her in London, for although Evertsen , had pointed her out driving one day, 1 she had passed before he had caught a [ glimpse of her face. I "You will see her at the Duchess of 1 Petersham's reception," said on \ one occasion when Lady Betty was the .subject of conversation, "and. you svil! I admit that I have not praised Ler too highly." I "Others praise her as highly," Dubuisson remarked. "I am not looking for an easy victory," Evertsen answered; "but I have advantages which others do not possess.' I "Indeed!" j "Oh, lam not thinking of those which j my mirror shows me, although I am not ill looking, and looks go far with a woman, however much she may deny jit; nor am I thinking of advantages of j birth, although I am very likely, in course of time, to succeed to an ancient • and honorable title. No, I speak of the

advantage of having a friend at Court whose word is certain to impress the lady. I have two friends, in fact; nay, three, for you have declared yourself in my debt." *••■ Ki =■». "I hardly think I should " "You do not believe your services 1 Would be Of much use," interrupted j Evertsen, with a laugh. "Perhaps 1 not. j A word in my favor, should opportunity occur, pays your debt, Dubuisson; but it is hardly likely that Lady Betty will give much thought to your opinion. 1 No; my other two friends are more ': valuable in this affair, and one of them I am strenuously playing now, as an 1 accomplished fisherman does a fly. Lady i Betty has a companion an elderly I Woman—who is never tired of being nattered. Jove! I have exhausted my- ! s'elf of compliments to please her, and she is still greedy for more." I "Is that the royal road to success?' ' "One of them," answered Evertsen, with a meaning which Dubuisson could not appreciate, since he was ignorant of , the fact that Lady Betty was the King's' I 'ward. "One of them, for the lady has much influence with her young relation; has brought her up, in'fact, and is a depository for all her secrets." "And they are delivered to you j second-hand?" I "They will be, when I have sufficiently : flattered the depository. Besides', doe's not this elderly person keep the key. as it were, of Lady Betty's house in Pall , Mall? Win the guard of the city to I your side, and the siege is nearly at i an end." ; "There is a savor of treachery in it, i isn't there?" asked Dubuisson. j "There are few women's hearts' that { are not won by deceit, my dear DubuisiSon; the better the woman, the greater j the deceit. For what man amongst us I is really worthy of a good woman? yet , 'he will perjure himself to prove the contrary. Even if he bemoans his unworthiness, and makes a sort of half-con-fession to her, he does it in such a manner as' will excite Iter pity, and so .'he wins. for. pity and love are twin . sisters and ever go hand in hand." j Dubuisson looked at him reflectively. j "I did not know you could be so serious," he said. "A little while ago I did not know it myself," was the answer. "If ever you , are called upon to answer for my triithj fulness in this matter, you can s'peak with a clear conscience. But talking ot love makes us sentimental, which is bad ; for digestion. Where do we dine to--1 night? Let us, for once, seek company j where there is no talk of mistresses." ' I "Is' such a company to be found in j'St. James's?" Dubuisson asked. "Tf not. we'll dine alone and toast

; Lady Betty together/- Evertsen an--1 swered. "For the nonce, you can im- | ngine that you are in love with her." f (To be continued in next Saturday's j issue.)

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Now's the time to purchase cheap clothing for the boys and men. It's sale time at "The Kasli," and you shrewd Taranaki people know that'this mean, lots of bargains. This firm buy for cash and sell for ea.sh; that means' they buy absolutely in the best markets, securing special discounts which they pass on to you. Look thom up at once and *<vnm some of their bargains. "Hi" f\i*li." iust li'lcw Nolan's auction mart, Ne,-. r:v.:: 3 :;'.h. Advt.