A Tardy Wooing.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8117, 11 April 1906, Page 2

A Tardy Wooing.

CHAPTER IV—Continued. "Aye," he said, with a rude attempt at playfulness, "bow civil we are when we want anything, but you could always do as you liked with your fooliah old Chris; and no nntter how you used mo, I could never resist forgiving you. If tlio maj is still in Dover, I'll briny him to your hotel bofore the day is «nded." Poor Sir Jasper had a weary life of it in the hour* that intervened before this promise was fulfilled. Angry with herself for having incurred an obligation to Kenuett, Cyrilla reoroaohod her father as the cause of it. Had he displayed' more tact, more common sense, her odious suitor would have had no oxouse for offering bis services, and she no reason for accepting them. "It's enough!" Sir Jasper cried at last, "to make one regret that fortuue has favoured us. You could not have led me a worse lile, you ungrateful girl if I had playod the miser with ray savings and let you and your fretting, maundering mother go through the world with nothing but a cotton gown to bo Been in, and no better treat than a visit to the fair twice a year!" Was it part of Cyrilla's punishment that, aa her father spoke, her thoughts went back to happy davs, when all the pomp and pleasures of riches were uusnowu; whan she had made no worse use of hec beauty than to fling a coquettish amile at the squiro as he rode past the gate of her father's cuttage.. Lady Dartison bad gone to bed 1 drowned in tears, declaring that she couldn't abide herself when S'rilla was so ahai'p-tempared : and Sir Jasper had retired behind a newspaper, after obstinately refusing to go and loylc for Kennett Kennett himself appeared bringing with him the discharged seaman. Oyrilln chose to see ibis, man alone; and' though Sir Jasper demurred—for Kennett was a very Tough apeoi men of a man—she had her way as usual. Her inquiries were answered and with respect. , The little she had already learned was confirmed. The fellow persisted in asserting that he knew Mr Outram and if hia gratitude was clumsily ■worded it had every appearance of being sincere. He was quite sure it •was the gentleman to whom he owed his esoape from drowning that he had seen and sDoken to on tne evening he proceeded to spec.fy. 1 Had be overheard anything that i passed between Mr Outraui and the servant in livery who reoeived and carried away his valise? Not a word but he had seen Mr Outram hailed and bis arm grasped by one of the youug lieutenants from the barracks up at the Heights. Lambton his name was; everybody in Dover knew him well as one of the rackety good-natured "Mr Outram went away with this Lieut. .Lambtou?" Oyrilla interposed. "Why did you not say so before?" "Because begging your pardon hubs, that's just what he didn't

do. lne lieutenant saya, naja.uo, 'dome audi dine with us mess, Outram; the colonel will be delighted'; but Mr Outram makes answer. 'Nothing would Rive me greater' pleasure, but 1 have just been reminded o£ a prior engage*m» ruent, .and you know'—— and then he went on with something about a lady being in th® case, and on that they both laughed, and shook hands, and parted. And this is all 1 know, miss." By this time CJyrilla bad grown strangely pale, her eyes glowing like living fires. It was, then, for sume unworthy rival she was negleoted. Claims stronger than hers had drawn Harold Outram from her, and for the moment she knew not whether she hated or despised him. fj • « Flinging to thp seaman a sovereign as the price of his revelations, she gave him his dismissal and rejoined her father. "We shall leave here tomorrow, papa," she said, Breaking with great deliberation; "tell the waiter to make arrangements accordingly. You and I can go to town by an early train, and mamma can follow in the course of the fday, with her maid and the luggage." Sir Jasper did not dream of opposing h's daughter in her present mood, bat, as with a brief "goodnight" she swept out of the room, Kennett ventured to follow her, murmuring, humbly: • "You're not angry wifchj me, are you, Oyrilla?" She glanced at him as she might have glanced ac some insignificant animal that had orawled fo her feet, and passed on, merely saying: "You! 1 had forgotten you!" Christopher Kennett wiped his forehead and drew his breath quickly, though he walked away without more ado, nodding civilly to the porter of the hotel who opened the door for him. But, once outside the building, ho clinched his hands, and shook them at the windows. "She will not let mo spare her. la it not bcr fuult that my ora.ving for revengo grows keener and stronger? She has waited for her lover to some purpose. When she sods him agaiu-——' And Cyrilla would have trembled had she seon hia smile—trembled, perhaps, for Harold Outranks well as herself.

CHAPTER V. J A REJECTED LOVER'S SCHEME Wynoio waa afraid to stir lest the Bounds that bad awakened ber from sleep should bavo reached other ears as well as her own, in which case she might be djsouvered listening, and punished for it. So she shrank closer to her litti© charge, and drew the scanty bedclothes over her head; but ahe could not shut out the deeo tones of the voice that grew boarse and de-

By Charles W. Hathaway. thor of i( Marjorie's Sweetheart," "A Long Martyrdom," "A Hash J'ow,\ "Joseph Dane's Diplomacy," etc., etc.

lirious with ravings and agonising prayers for water. The gentleman so brutally attacked etili lived. This thought filled her with thaukful joy; but ha was suffering from his injuries; ho was hidden away where none were likely to suspect it. and thoro was but too much reusou to fear that little or nothing had been done for It is relief. "Water," i;e cried again, and a lil.Hn stir un the landing outside mado Wynnie tremble anew. Were ' they going to complete their horrid j work? Who was the dreadful man who had first; decoyed the gentleman thither, and then stolen upon him when he was "iuite unprepared to dafend himself? As her imagination pictured that scene she passed her hands over her eyes and ears, but ouly to remove them directly, for she was being roughly shaken and commanded to get up. The elder Mar by and bis wife were in tbo room. Both weie pate and uneasy, and both half dressed. Brought thithor by those ciies, thoy had told each other that a way of Bilenoing thorn must be found, and speedily, luhlj in spite of their precautions,some faint echo of them should penetrate to the dwellings of the neighbours on the other side. "Why do you shiver so?" Mrs Marby demanded, crossly, when, in obedience to her bidding, the girl rose and slipped un the few garments she had hud aslo. "Ate you cold or afeared? Nobody will hurt you if you do us you are bid. Here's work for you. Coice this way." "Not there—oh, not there" Wynnie entreated, when she saw that she was being led to the chamber in the roof where, the Htranger lay. The man Murby muttered an oath, while bis wife caught hold of Wynne's fair hair, and tugged it in a cold fury. "Haven't we got enough worry without your turning on us?" she whispered. "Have you neither gratitude nor good feeling that jou*d deny a sick man a cup of the coid water ho'a praying for?" In an instant Wynnie held out ber hanO for the jug; but now it was Mrs Marby who hesitated to turn the key in the look and enter the room. "Listen, you Wyn. This is a friend of ours—leastways a person we know-—who had a bad fall aa ho was trying to get away from those rats of oustom-houae officers. If .von .!<■>' Hud out, or even if-ro, there won't brt iir, i:iz icit in you. The iMavbi arms if anybody ("i-.h'i' Uia.:> h:i ill turn, and I siio'iMir' ' ho in your shoes, 1 can t-11 ,vnu, •• ! To ! 'iir o added a threat tbht iu >'o thou- helpless drudge grow cold with dread. She began to comprehend that there WfiH less to be s ivous the sorry spectacle in t-io gnrroe-than her taskmasters' brutality. "What do you want mo to do?" she faltered. Seeing ' that she was reduced to subject,iou, Mrs Marby opened the door and pushad her in. (To bo Continued).