For Love and Glory.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8162, 20 June 1906, Page 2

For Love and Glory.

CHAPTER XI.—Continued

"J knew him in Seville, when •ancle was consul there',' she admitted, and had it been light Armand could no longer have considered that she was cold, for the colour flooded ber face n;vd neck. "From what I heard him say he appears to have thought considerable of you, an! is grieved, because you dropped him." / "He became impertinent in his hot-headed Spanish fashion, and went so far one day that I had to tell bim American girls knew how to defend themselves against insult, and that if be ever spoke to me ■again in that way I would publicly horsewhip him in tha market place or plaza." "Ah! that settled Senor Juan," ventured Armand, secretly pleased. "He let me severely alone after that." "But evidently did not forget you. It would be hard for any ■man to do that," sarcastically. "Oh, 1 don't know. I imagine the task would be easy enough with some men, especially if they ivere of an unforgiving nature," she observed, with a tremor in her voice be failed to notioe. "At any rate, our Don Juan did not—his appearance on the carpet here, ready to steal you when he failed to get you fairly, proves that. A right gallant 'Lotharia is Juan, bold and heroic in his own ■way. according to bis, light. You surely should not condemn bim,. you who have always declared your admiration for the man who refused to take.'no' for an answer, and who wobld ride rough-shod over all difficulties that presented them- ■ Solves. 11 It was a keen cut, and she ■writhed under it. / "You are awfully cruel, Armand," she murmured. I* "Pardon me, so I was. I shall ■say no more." 4, JBufc yoa bellev© I bib grateful to yon?" quickly. "Grateful—that appliea to a dog as he licks the master's hand that now feeds, anon whips him. Ohl why certainly, I understand just how you feel in the matter. I am delighted to have been of some littlejservice. I'm a gentleman, I trust, at any rate, and must have done for any lady in distress. Besides, McGregor was the main 4 piece de resistance;' he oarried on most of the game." She anew It was false; had she not with her own eyes seen this man take the lead in most of what had been done; did he not order Gordon down the side of the yacht, and the big Scotchman obey like a child, leaving Armand there to face the whole crouching, blood-hungry orew? j Say whali he would to depreciate his Own sbare in the successful venture; she knftw to whom praise was due. Things had, it seemed, veered quite around, and the wind came Irom the opposite quarter, since it was she who believed in his valour, and himself who insisted ffgon it that he was only a poor exouse of a chevalier at the best.

Tes°ie despaired of ever establishing connections again as of yore. The experience seemed to tiave changed Radoliffe in more ways than, one Still, what has been -done may again be accomplished, -and it would go hard if sooner or later she might not be able to fan the embers of his former love onae more into a vigorous, consuming fire. At least, she hugged this secret hope to her heart. Thus they arrived, at the hotel to find that the jinrikisha containing the old gentleman had just pulled up at the door, wtih the oolonel rubbing his eyes and staring about, wondering what in the deuce had .happened to him that he should thus return "sans" hat and coat and the valuables upon his person.

CHAPTER XII

IN OLD TOKiO. Armand knew enough to rail out this juncture. Possibly he had some urgent warning from within, co the effect that it would be more or less dangerous for Him to remain' longer at a stretch In the society of the girl who had once been so much to him. Perhaps his traitor hfeart throbbed faster than it should according to his idea ot thiugs, when she laid her arm within his bo confidently, and clung for support; or it might be the witchery of her rdgnish eyes still had the power. •of thrilling him to the 1 core. Alas! for the boated strength of man—from Samson down he ha? been but a willow wand in the hands of a beautiful woman, who with a look bends hipa as she may. At any rate, Radcliffe was aware o! bis weakness, and rallied bis powers to the support of the threatened redoubt. Prom one extreme be very naturally went to the other, just as a pendulum swings back and forth. So now he knit bis forehead and -appeared to be very solemn and formal; indeed, Tessie's heart, which had begun so take on hope again, became convulsed with alarm •when she saw liow like an iciole Armand had grown. "You will pardon me, of course, if I withdraw. I believe I received one or two small cuts or braiseß aboard the boat that may need attention. McGregor la telling the oolonel all about it, and yon may depend upon him to take care of you all. At least, Gordie is made of the right material, and' has the true ring." There was something of a reproach' in his voice, something that cut her tO'.tho quick. '

By St. George Rathborne. Author of "Dr. Jack>» "The Witch from India," « Captain Tom, 'Mynheer J° e ," " Dr. Jack's Wife," tie,, etc,

She held out her band impulsively, aud he, the artful sinner, made out to taKe it in a deliberate, matter-of-faot way, though to tell the truth he p»as wild to crush the little rebel to his heart. > . , "Ohl Armand, I hope it is nothing serious. You alarm me, she faltered. * "Nothing but a scratch or so. I am sorry having mentioned it. Perhaps while I am about it I ought to say good-bye, aB 1 shall hardly expeot to see you in the morning before I leave." The girl showed emotion at this. "You are—going away?" "Yes." "I suppose because—l am to blame," dropping her eyes to bide the tears, the unbidden coming of which quite angered her. "Surely not. I intended running down to Tobio ' before sailing tor Manila, you remember." "lukio —are you going to the capital?" easterly. "For a few days." "Uncle arranged for all of up to go— I think it is to morrow. Per hapa we may see you there?" An eloquent pause. Armand rubbed his chin aud hardly knew what to sa.v, foi while in one ssnse he would rejoice to see her again, he Knew deep down in his heart how dangerous it must bQa "Ah l it is nothing to you, then?" she murmured, with keen disappointment in her voice; "then if you wish, let it be good-bye." "I shall certainly 1 iolc yon up if you come. Do not thing so meanly of me as'tbat. I have a hard battle to win, and must decide what is bset for my ultimate suocess.. A man is a fool to tempt bis fate, to continne looking over the border iuto the Promised fiand from which like Moses he is debarred from ever erteriog. Explain to the others, I'leoee, and—good-bye." He turned hastily and rushed into the hotel, so that she might not see what his telltale face would have betrayed. "Armand!" she cooed after him, but evidently he did not hear, else would have surely halted and come back.

She looked after him, and her face was ilium int«ted with the glow htat betokens satisfaction; yes, even ardent love gleamed in her eyes. "He belongs to me; none other shall possess him," was what the glowing beauty whispered to her self as she stood there palpitating with pleasure. Armand might struggle against his fate, steel his heart ,in rememberonoe of the slur she had so disdainfully cast into his face, and hold aloof for a greater or lesser period, but the magic of her personality dominated his life, and when the time oame that she must crush her pride'''ari''d v '''':- humolyplef4.' for hie forgiveness, his love, the game was quite in her hands. The McGregor amply made amends for bis friend's rudeness in disappearing before the jovial colonel could even thank him. In their private parlour Gordie spun the whole story with the con - summate skill of Scheberfizada spinning wonderful yarns to the Arabian Sultan to keep her liead on her shoulders.

He was a generous whole-hearted fellow, this son pf Scotia, and he praised this absent comrade in a way that should have made Armand's ears" Hngle In the seolusiou of hia room, where he packed his duds and smoked and took himself severely to task for the miserable weakuess that had almost made a spectacle of him. < It was Armand who seggetsed, Armaud who led the forlorn hope, Armand who had been brave as a 1 lion, and resourceful as a serpent; i the way be laid it on was bus- ! picious, to say the least, especially sinoe he cast more than one sly glance in the direction of Tessie,, us though to ascertain whether his efforts in the oause of Kadoliffe met with resutls. But the young girl had turned her lace away so that the glow upon 1 her cheeks and the sparkle in her starry eyes might not betray her shame; for had she not called this same wonderfully proliflo'gentleman a coward less than thirty hours before? Armand was up betipaes. - He took the very earliest train out, partly because he wished a change of scene as speedily as possible, but mainly on aocount of the weakness he had discovered in his armour. ! A little time might enable him j to repair it before he was again sub- j jected to the battery of her eyes; he must brood over his injuries, magnify the wrong she had done him, and by this means steel his heart against her charms*' No doubt Armand was not the only man by a big majority ,wbo thus struggled unavailingly to tear from his heart the image of a false one; sinoe the world began it has been an old > story and will last to the call of Gabriel's trumpet. He tried to interest himself in the floenery, and endeavored to imagine that he was the 'hyakusho,' or farmer, working in bis garden, the coolie who labored in the mud of the rioe fields, or the nobleman surveying his domain, seated in the jinrikisha, with the gaudy umbrella above his head, a&d looking for all the world like some grand Eastern potentate; but it wa?miraculous how his mind persisted in travelling back to the hotel on the Bund, because she was there.