Selina's Love Story.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8200, 2 August 1906, Page 2

Selina's Love Story.

CHAPTER ll.—Continued. 'I told Marin you would be glad to see her,' aeid Mrs Silchester, in her piiui way, and Heliua made a good pretense of welcoming Lady Dunworthy, whose unexpected coming, of course, completely upset her arrangoibents, and necessitated a delay in serving dinner; then she proceeded to introduce everybody. She knew by Michael's flushed face that he was greatly upset by hie mother's inoonsideration. Mrs Silchester had a happy knack of imposing small annoyuuoes on the young mistress of the Gate House. Selina, however, was proof against all petty spite, determined not to loft the other women have the satM action of putting her out of temper. Now she chattered on gaily, 'So glad to see you all here, for a great event has taken place to-night. George is engaged to be married!' he said. 'Just fancy! {Jan you believe it? Well, it's true, •quite true, and this'—she took Doiotby's hand affectionately, and led the latter forward—'thia is my future sister-in-law —my dear aohool friend, Dorothy BaraldiuH." Mary Lascombß held her breath. She noticed that Mrs Silchester drew baok almost awkwardly. The next moment she quivered, for Lady Dunworthy, pushing aside her friend, had advanced hurriedly and confronted the beautiful girl whose hand was linked in Seliua's. Her white face was drawn. Her eyes lull of fire. 'This is an insult!' she said in a choked voioe, 'an imfamous insult! Tbiß creature cannot stand in the same room with me. Yon are all cruel, you are all cowards!' She spoke wildly; she looked from one to the other wildly; then, before anyone could interfere or even guess what was in ber mind, she lifted her right hand, and with her fan she struck a sham blow across the beautiful face of the girl who was to lie George Durnstone's wife! CHAPTER 111. A FORBIDDEN GUEST. Almost before Lady Duaworthy's hand had time to droD to her side, Selina bad flung both her arms about Dorothy, and at the same time two out of the astonished group of people had stepped forward—one was Sir George Durnstone, the other St. John Delaval. The face of Sir George was scarlet, the face of the other man very white. He was the nearest to Lady Dunworthy, and, as his strange eyes fixed themselves upon her, the hysterical woman caught hei breath, " burst into tears, then turned and rushed out of the room. X"Mrs Silchester's look of fear and surprise would have teen laughable if the situation had not been so pitiful. Michael went straight up to hiH imotber. 'You had better take that woman •home at once,' he said, in a low voice. His tone was very stern; he looked at that mument no longer the dull, purposeless youth whom Seliia loved to tease. It was Miss Lasoombe who came to the rescue of everybody. •Good people,' she cried, 'sup- . pose we sort ourselves out. George, you take all these gentlemen in to dinner, Selina and Miss Baraldine and I will follow almost directly.' Mrs Silchester had already taken her son's advice and left the room hurriedly. 'lt was unfortunate,' added Miss Lascombe, briskly, 'that Mrs Silchester should have brought this madwoman here. Everybody knows that Maria , Dan worthy ought to have been Glint up years ago. Now, lam sure the soup is getting cold. Trot alone, all of you! Mr Delaval, suppose you lead the way. The dining room is just acroßS the hall.' All the men responded to the command, only George Durnstone lingered. He was looking at the crouching figure shielded by Seliua's loviug arms, with something like anguish in her eyes. When the last man had passed out of the room, he spoke. Going over to her, he bent over her and kisßed her hair. 'My dearest,' he said 'will you ever forgivo me! That such a thing should have happened in my house ■to .any person as hard euough, but that it should have happened to you is something I shall never forget, never forgive!' Dorothy made no response. Her face wag covered with hands. None of them could see the ugly, red mark across her delioate oheek. When Sir George had followed his guests, Mary Lascombe spoke. '1 think we will all have a little dinner upstairs, Selina,' she said; and I am sure this dear child would rather have that, would you not?' Dorothy baraldine raised her head, hnr eyes were dazed, yet miserable; the rriaik of the blow made a humiliating stain on her fair skin. 'lf you dout' mind,' she said, in a broken voice, 'I would rather be alone. 1 wart to think. I must think.' Her voice, her look, her whole bearing, made the older woman's heart contract. 'Alas,' she said to herself, 'how true it is that the children suii'er.' She put on her kindest, her most practical manner. 'Perhaps you are right, dear ohild,' ehe said, 'you have had a cruel shook. Lady Dunworthy is famous for such ontburtss. I remember once,' said Miss LnßComho with a half laugh, 'hearing a story told how Lady Dunworthy openly accused some unfortunate woman with whom she was staying, of stealing her pearl necklace. Poor soul! one cannot but pity her.'

By Effie Adelaide Rowlands. Author of "An Inherited Feud," *' Brave Barbara," 11 A Splendid Heart," "Temptation of Mary Barr," "The Interloper," etc., etc.

'I have no pity for her,' said Seliua, hotly. '1 think sie is a horrible woman, and 1 mean to tell Michael tonight that I will never have his mother inside our loors again! She has behaved abominably! If she cares to have mad people staying with ber, it is her own affair; but she has no right to expose other people to this kind of thing.' It was evident to Mary Lascombe that the painfully dramatic episode had convoyed nothing to Selina, just, as it was evident to ber ihat Dorothy had suddenly been awakened as from a dream, had suddenly been put face to face with an ugly truth, had suddenly been bereft of her childish faith and her childish loves, and realized that she- stood alone. Though Miss Lascombe's views for the future were unchanged, it was impossible for one so womanly, so really good as she, not to give absolute sympathy to this poor child. • She stood a long tine pondering by tbe fire after Selina had led Dorothy away. The pleasure of her visit was completely shadowed by this un happy business Selina came down in a little while. 'She entreats me to leave her by herself,' she said, 'and I think it is only kind to do so. 1 will go back to her by and by. Shall we go in to dinner, Polly, dear?' Miss Lascombe paused an instant, and then said, 'Yes.' - Selina slipped her hand through the other woman's arm. 'I cannot holy being glad,' she said, a little viciously, 'that Mrs Silohester will go without her dinner. You know how she adores eating. Though she pretends to turn up her nose at what we give her, she really loves to dine here; and then she is so awfully mean, she dines out as often as she can, for economical reasons.' As they entered the diting room, Selina paused a moment by her brother's chair to whisper to him that Dorothy was much better, and had gone to her room. Sir George gave her a curt nod, and turned away from the girl. There was something .in his manner that hurt Selina —something that seemed to suggest that he blamed her for the painful, the extraordinary circumstances that had occurred. She slipped hurriedly into her empty place, and then found that she had St. John Delaval on her right hand. He at once began speaking in the most matter-of-fect way about the most ordinary things. Among his other numerous gifts was to be reckoned au exquisite tact—the power of making other people forget; and so, though every now and then Selina would wince as she looked at the pluce where Dorothy should have sat, and piotured to herself her friend alone iD her room upstairs, the dinner that might have bßen so uncomfortable passed amazingly well, almost pleasantly. She talked exclusively to Mr Delaval. Just & little way from her Eat Michael Silohester. He looked tired and sad, and there was a pleading expression in his eyes as he glanced every novv and then at Selina ; but, though she saw those glauoes, she was blind to them. 'Some one must suffer for this,' she said, earnestly, and not very gently. 'I cannot make his mother feel ashamed, but I can make Miuhael pay for what she has done. And I promise him I shall! ' I It was only at the end of the dinner that she spoke cf what was passing in ber mind. 'Have you evei met that horrible woman before?' she aoked Mr Delaval, thoughtfully. Delaval nodded. 'Yes; I used to know her fairly well once.' 'People have told me,' said Selina, 'that she was peouliary interesting. And only this afternoon folly—that is Polly,' she sard, Miss Lasoombe, 'promised to give me the story of Lady Dunworthy's lite, but I never realized that she was mad. Why, she is positively dangerous!' 'She is an embittered woman,' said Delaval, thoughtfully. 'You may find it diffioult, perhaps, to believe that. Miss Durnstone but 1 can remember the time fwhen Lady Dunworthy was an extremely handsome woman. It is not so very Icng ago either. There is Eastern blood in her veins. She oomes of a race that harbors revenge.' 'That is ali very well,' said Selina, a little sharply, M.ut what could induce her to behave in such a fashion to Dorothy? A girl whom she had never eeen bofore, tbe dearest, and the sweetest girl you can possibly imagine.' Delaval looked at his plate and was silent an instant. 'Sometimes the innocent suffer unjustly,' ha said; then he put a queston abruptly, 'You know Miss baraidine's mother, of course?' 'No,' said Selina. She looked at him quickly. '1 have only seen her portrait; she looks a beautiful woman, and a very sweet one.' (To be Continued.)