For Honor's Sake.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7981, 8 March 1906, Page 2

For Honor's Sake.

CHAPTER XXXIX. Continued. Claude, after lounging a few •moments, got up, and went down to i tbe lawn, across whiob she sauntered, and plunged into the deeper wooding of the grounds. Absorbed in her own thou«4its, she wrfndered on .and on; the deep gloom chimed in with the tone of her mind. Once she started, hearing a eliaht • sound; but it might be a squirrel—thare were many hereabouts, she knew; tramps would not dare venture into the grounds, where ihey miaht at an moment come across a gardener; besides what was there to tempt them? Suddenly the girl was startled iu leal earnest. She heard a step behind her, swift and stealthy.' She turnwd sharply, but before she oould more than see the dim outline of a man's form, some one sprang quickly from the other sHe; a heavy shawl, or o'oak. was flung over her head, s'iitiiug any cry, and strong arms surrounded her, pinioning hers. "Be quiet; there's no use in struggling," said a voice that, even iu the paralysis of her terror, gave her a kind of relief, for it was Chris Davenant's; but the other man? He had not spoken, but there "was no need. Sho knew that it was Basil Tollemacbe! She did ffot struggle; it was quite useless, and she had no power to cry out; yet hor senses never left hor. Claude posgesnad that rare quality, presence of mind; and it did not fajl her, even iu this terrible crisis*; indeed, the very strength of the emergency kept ber faculties the more keenly alert: Chris carried her carefully enough, ' and she kue»v she must have been very near the end of the grounds, by the abort time that elapsed— Jiardly a minute— a* gate was and the lane beynd was reached. Claude knew that this gate wbb a * wlokeb leading to a narrow lane—a thoroughfare only in theory, for flbaroely any one passed along it >lrbm week's end to week's end. Chris lifted hor into a carriage, as she perceived. Was he going to leave her with Tollemaohe? No; he followed, never losing his hold of her. Tollemacbe mounted the box, . and the carriage drove rapidly away. Davenant closed both windows, and pulled the cloak off the girl's head. She did not utter a word. She knew how futile it was to attempt to escape or cry out; but deadly white, with blazing eyes, she dragged herself from her captor's armß. , She saw by the ligljt in the carriage, that he was disguised, *oth in the face and dress. .'J:here was a flush on Davenant's face; his eyes 'refused to meet Claude's. Villian though the man was, he was ashamed-of the part he was playing. "You drove me to it,"j he said, in a sort of halt defensive tone. There wa3 unutterable scorn in the girl's look.„ "Drove you to it!" she repeated. What are you going to do with me?" He turned away his face. "JTou will have to, marry Tollemaohe," belaid. "Uncle Chris!" Suddenly she was at his feet; her bands clutched his ' with a convulsive grip that he \ could not have loosed without violence; her livid lips could hardly frame the words; they came through "her teeth in a hoarse wnisper. "Unole Chris, you are not going to leave me alone with that maul You uan't do it! No I won't let go! You daren't leave me with him! You daren't!" The force of her frightful terror affected him. He was compelled to answer her—to tell her what he had meant to keep from her. "Claude, no harm shall happen to you. I never meant it. I'm not bad for that." "But dont' leave me with him I" gasped the girl. "Uncle Chris ' you can't trust him 1" "Look here, ohild, you'll be quite safe, I tell you; but you'll have to j marry Tollemaohe, because you will be, so far as the world knows, alone iu the house,with him." "But not—not really alone!" What fierce strength mortal agony gave these fragile hands. "You will be there, too!" "Yes," .',..•■■,,.■■ She bowed her face down on his hands;* she was quivering from head to foot; f,or the moment she was conscious of nothing but relief from this overmßfl*ering terror. "But that," Chris went on, trying to loosen the clasp—be wasn't going to be unnerved by this sort of thing. j "that won't save your, name, Claude. No one will know I'm there!" The girl made no answer. Swift 68 lightning flashed in the mind the thought of Maida's speedy knowledge Of the guest's disappear anoo, and prompt action; the keenwitted little woman might even suspect something of the truth. That presence of mind, that capacity for rapid thought, stood Claude in good stead in this crisisplaced in her hands the woman's weapon, dissembianae. She would protest, defy, at first; but let her oaptors see that, as time went on, she began to faltor under the growiug terror of the condemnation, for whiob, in itrutb, she cared nothing. To'gain time was to gain all. If every other means failed, Captain Stewart would tiud her; he oould not 'ali'l So, after a minute or two, the girl raised herself, and shrank back into the corner of the carriage. "Let the world say its.worst," she said. "I will never marry Tollemaohe." "Brave words! We shall see what a few day 9 will do." "If it were weeks—months—years, I should say the same!" Shespoke absolute truth; but, of course, Davenant did not believe her. They drove many milos that night,

By Bertha- Iff. Clay. Author of " Wife in Name Old!;," " Wedded and Parted," 6t Dora Thome," " A Queen Among Women," (i ATrne Magdalene," etc., etc., I

and took many turnings. Where they went, Claudo had, of course, no idea, as she was a stranger iu that part of the country. Davenant, too, kept the carnage blinds down. But judging by tbo time that bad elapsed before the carriage stopped, Morton Grange must have been at least fifteen miles behind them. Claude clung frantically to Chris' arm, as she heard Tollemaohe descend from the box. "Don't let him touch me." she said, through her teeth. "All right," he answered, rather roaghly; but. in truth, Chris Davenant had an eye to the possible tailure, of this desperate aoheme, and he might get some meroy from Esric Stewart if he protected Olhude from insult. He wuuld get uone if he permitted it, and Claude understood this motive. She knew Chris well, and bad far more faith in it than in his meroy. The carriage door was opened, and Tollemaohe's swarthy face appeared, a triumphant smile on his lips. "Come!" he said, holding out his. hand. But Davenant aaid, ooolly: - "I'll bring her. Go on. and light up, Basil." (To be Continued).