Selina's Love Story.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8199, 1 August 1906, Page 2

Selina's Love Story.

CHAPTER ll.—Continued, m . SdßolWag ill he« si!"" 06 to SDBfiPst ll'ia to Dorothy Baraia iiie; She drew ■ - ''l thiols I know what J 1 OU feel- - fihe said in a low « „ vdik. 'You «ie thinking of Beliba. You aio afvaid that, fchiß ftiU ba an fch&Apploeaa for.beftV . a 'No,' said Mary Laceombe, and she tried to sposk naturally. 'Selina has already spoken to me about this. Yes 1' :»s Dorothy uttered an exclamation oS surpriae—''you sec, her eyes are veiy , been, and m such a m;.ttor that touohea her brother so closely, she could net., fail to know what whs passing in his heart. Instead of being nnhappy,' said Lascombe, she Is quite delighted; she loves you very dearly.' , , Dorothy ■■ Barnldino stood and looked at the speaker a little wiEtfU'But you,' she said, in a low voifl'e, 'yoirnre not pleased.' MiBH Lasoombo got up. •My dear child,' sno paid, what are you say ins? lam a little' start led,- that is true, hut beyond being a very old friend, I have no right to feci one way or another on these matters; .Come, shall we go upßtairs?' .added Misa Lasoombfi. •I should like to help you to thread that necklace.' They heard Sulma singing liobt]y as they passed out into the hall, and na they went up thß atafrs together Mary Lf»scombe was saying to herself: •What ia my duty at this moment? What a miserable tangle! Am. 1 right to hold my toague?' Just as she was passing' into her own room, Selina ran down passage. 'Such a tore!' she said. 'I have just bad a letter, from Michaels mother. What do ynu think? -She has invited herself to dinner tonight, and wants to bring a friend of Michael's somebody who seems to have arrived unexpectedly. It sounds very inhospitable, Polly, but 1 am always teirifled when Mrs silchester dines here. She pretends Bhe can eat nothing, and that drives Anne mad, and I Snow she ia darting her eyes into' every corner to pick out some thing to talk about afterward.' Til take her in hand,' said Miss Lascotube; but her tone was not so, brisk as usual, and Seilna paused to Sook nt her. •I believe you're awfully tired, dear old thing,' she eaid; 'why don't you rest for an hour?' •Just what I am going to do,' said Mis? Lascombe, apd she let Selina put uer arms round, her neck and kiss her and fuss about her...., But when Bhe was alone, and sat in front of the Are in an easy-chair, in a cozy bedroom, Mary Lascombe was not resting. She was thinking, in troubled fashion, what she could do to prevent sorrow coming to jtbe house, which, for Selina's sake alone, was so dear lo her. 'The child is absolutely innocent,' she said to hersef. . She Lad Dorothy Baraldine before her eyes as she mused. 'How proudly she speaks of her uncle. Poor, little soul, it goas to my heart to think that shadows maybe gatheiing already on her young life. How often I have heard of this child! How- little i thought of meeting her in such eir; camstanoes as this! (-Jeorge, <at least, will have to know the troth before he marries her. Is it my place, as a lifelong friend of his family, to tell him that truth^' So, thinking, puzzling, debating, the time slipped away, acid Miss Lascombe was startled when she beard the gong sound through the house, denoting that it was the hour to dress for .dinner, ,and found she had arrived at no conclusion how to act in the matter at once delicate and difficult. ***** The drawing room of the Gate House never looked more cosy, or pretty, br inviting, than when the daylight was shut out, and the soft-shaded lamps were lit; and Selina never looked so ."weet and fascinating as whun, in her . girlish white frock, jhe stood playing hostess to her brother's guests, pj* For some reason Dorothy Baraldine had put on a black gown this evening. The sombre garb could not take away from her her beauty, but it gave her a touch of maturity. To Mary Lacsombe it seemed almost prophetic, that the girl should- have worn black on this the first day of her announced betrothal. Miss Baraldine's maid had restrung the broken necklace, and the green stones made a vivid bit of colour ou Lar white skin and. black gown. On her left hand she now wore the j betrothal «)riug of the Durnstone family, and George Dornatone must have taken it from its old case and slipped it on that small fiager only a short while before. There were two or three people staying in the houses certain Mr Tarbutt, an old man, who was considered a bore by everybody else—■ and with whom Miss Lascombe, as a rule, exchanged a sharp edged conversation—but who' always was sure of a welcome at the Gat© House; and two other men, fishing friends of Sir George's. The company, however, had just been inureased by the arrival of Michael Silchester, and the friend his mother had written ajaoufc, a man who presented n very marked contrast to his companion. Selina welcomed tnis man in her pleasant and naturally gracious matiner, and looked at him with ." great interest. . 'Mrs Silchester never told me it was you,' she said, quite innocent ] tflat there - was flattery in the remark. St. John Delaval smiled faintly, and looked at his young hostess with a good deal of approval. He was accustomed to be flattered by

Py Effie Adelaide Rowlands,. jLitthgr pf'fAn Inherited JFeud," t( Brave Bqrtyavfft" tf 4 Splendid Hearty " Temptation of Mapj Bqw, 3 * K The Interloper,» etc., etc.

women. A who had trodden stretches &jf ItJae world' 9 earth untrodden by pthenj; amm who had made for himself a reputation; f> wao of Intrepid ur . Bge,an phs»'; iaseuaibilifty t8 StillMiug; a cultivated man, ranging his talent through art and soienoe, he was an interesting ueri sonality, a man who received homage as hie due. Selina hoped that her brother, in his new would show special attention to thiß wonderful guest—for Sir George was not, by nature, extremely affable. Howeyer, George Dumstone was moved to be amiable with'ail the world so he gave Mr Delaval a werm welcome.

St. John Delaval quickly took in the situation and scanned the de lioato, blushing face of Sir George's betrothed with eyes that noted its potentialities. Miss Baraldine's beauty conveyed a good deal to him.

lie was a quick reader of character, and Dorothy Baraldine was not a very difficulty person for him to read. 'Scarcely lh® wif® 1 should faßV® thought Buih a man as this would have nhosen for himself,' was bis comment, and he studied : Dorothy again and a'cain. ' 'A p and a sleeping one,' he -said to himself, 'but one who will not long remain asleep. I seem to. have seen her before—where was it, I wondei?' . These two girls made an interesting study to tni man. In fact, Mr Delaval was now not sorry he had let Mtohael persuade him to dine at the Gateflouse. He seemed to find the old room very oharming and he walked afcout it, looking at the old prints and the old china, and drinking in l the fragrance of the atmosphere with that appreciation that made.him so strange a mixture; • "• 'Bow typically English!' he said' to himself: 'Like t» dalmyetream running on monotonously to its end. Do 1 people who live in. this aorfc pf way ever really live ? 1 «onder?' Miss Lascombe. had caught hold of -Michael Silchester. 'So that Is the great St. John Delaval,' she said. 'I have often wished to- meet • him. He looks—, capable,' she paused for the word and ! then she smiled; l i suppose he is your hero?' Michael Silcheater's "face glowed. 'Yee,' he answered, Bimpiyi '1 don't thiHK the world holds another i man like Jack. He is only just back froa Wild parts of China, where be has wonderful things. He came straight to us when he arrived; waa it not good of him?' 'Very,' said. Miss Lasuomte, just a little dryly. She was too old i for herd worship. - ! j Then she lapsed into silence, i PerhapH it was that she bad been I jerked out of her usual siarenity lof thought aod feeling, or maybe lit was one of those strong, inI stinctive warnings which oome to I some women at odd times, but, i certainly, as she looked at St. i John Delaval's slight, sinuoue, ! yet graoeful figure moving now ' about this old Gate House drawing [ room, and took in bis ■ strange, strong, repellent, attractive, in scrutable face, she found herself wishing that suoh a man had never come into this little groove. Just as Hhe read beneath the viv--ginal lovliness of Dorothyßaraldine, so she read ' beneath his calm 1 , wellbre<? air. Watching him, he diverted her thoughts from the other subject whioh had held them i so closely the last hour or so; but Miss Lascombe, though interested in tor Delaval, found nothing very pleasant in her close study of him. There came back to her mind as she sat looking at him—bending over some flowers, with Selina beside him—stray memories of this man and his strange career, memories of terrible cruelties, of a relentless will, of an almost superhuman enduranoe. To call up such remembrances gave her a shudder. It wae a relief when the_ door was opened, and the butler appeared, but as he spoke two names, and two. women passed into the room, Mary Lascombe gave a great start, and, urged by a curious sense of. protection, she rose very quickly, and stood be9ide Dorothy Baraldine. She had noticed that the girl had started as the buttler announced 'Mrs Silchester and Lady Dunworthy, and she saw now that Dorothy Baraldine was locking at the woman who followed Miobnel Silchester's mother, with a puzzled expression on her face. To Mary Lascombe, that white face, on which the conventional smile seemed so out of place, and whose dark eyes J 1 "Id suoh depth of tragedy, brought a nervous thrill, a sudden sense of apprehension. Selina had left Mr Delaval, and now pressed forward to receive her guests. (To be Continued.)