Selina's Love Story.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8218, 23 August 1906, Page 2

Selina's Love Story.

CHAPTER XL—Continued

It was the first time that Thomas Pos'et had heard the young man grumble. He frowned, wrote oat a new pre soription; then called up the hutler, Stevens, and gave bis master into the man's} charge. He had hie own way uf treating Mrs Silchester —it was tactful, firm and successful. Two days later Michael insisted on getting up. , 'You will kill me i? you keep me there,' he said to Dr. Foster. He had ;his shoulder and arm bound up, and yet ne had attempted •and succeeded in dressing himself. Tho old doctor looked at him. He had commenced to pity Michael a long time ago; now ne was keenly sorry for the young man. , . Without knowing wbv. ne iph that Michael bad need of special sympathy. *1 have to see my clerk from the bank,' Michael saia, restlessly, 'anl, I oan't talk business when I am lying in bed. Besides, I fed that these others must think me suob an ass to go falling about for nothing." , „ 'What about yonr London busi- - ness?' asked Dr. Foster, abrupfciy. Miohael's face contracted. 'X have done nothing. What could I do? I can't write a line, and there is no one who can attend to the matter but myself.' Dr. Foster looked at him. 'lf you want any letters written that your clerk cannot do, I am always at your disposal, Michael. Yon are getting hipped and bothered shot up in thie, room. What you want is some on« young and bheerful who will chat to you and make the time pass. What's become of that wonderful friend of yours—the adventurer, or explorer, or whatever he calls himself? Thought he had come to you on a ibng visit?' MicDasl coloured faintly. Oh I Jack is never a sure person to count on, •He is here to-dayi and gone again to-morrow. He had to go to London, and I believe he will ba starting almost immediately for some foreign part.' 'I wanted to see him,' l)r Foster said, meditatively. A man of that sort is always interesting. 1 have always just missed him, you know, After pacing to and fro for a little, the doctor aeked, in a low voice, 'Did be give you any more data about poor Edward's last illness and death?' Michael shook his head. 'No,' he said, and he was silent 'for a moment, and then he 'it is odd you should have asked me that, for I have had Edward in my thoughts such a lot lately. 1 dreamed about him last nightHis voice broke a little; be turned his face aside. 'Urn!' said Thomas Foster to himself; and he took up his gloves and prepared to go. 'Louk here.' he said, as ho went; "'I am going to send Nelia over to stay with your mother for a few days. She had better run in apd sit with you a little. I know no one more comforting than Nelia, or anyone half so sympathetic,' 'I thought she was abroad,' Michael said. He rovised himself a' little. He had a strong liking for Dr. Foster's niece and adopted daughter. He would be very glad to see Nejiia oster. 'Can you spare her?' Fhe asked. *1 know you must miss her when she Is away.' 'Oh! I can jog along. I am very busy just now, and, as a matter of .fact, 1 shall have to go North in two or three days' time for the Medical Congress. I never cared to leave Nelia alone. Somehow,'said Dr Foster, with a smile, '1 never can realize that she is a woman, that she P has been a woman n.ow for some time. She is always young to me, though she is never helpless. Your mother wants someone atiout her just now,' added the doctor. 'She has fretted herself a good bit about you, and she has not really been the thing since the epi&ode at the Gate House. By the bye George Durnstone is home. I saw him this afternoon. He has had a brief honeymoon. I laughingly told him so, and he answered that all his life was going to be a honeymoon. He looked wonderfully bacpy—a changed man. I suppose now we shall have Selina back again before long.' 'I don't know,' 9aid Michael Silchester; '1 have no news of her—-or about her.' 'lSelia was quite amazed when she heard of alltbat had been haDnening since she went away; she can hardly bring herself to believe that Selina has left the Gate House, even for a day. But there, 1 am cbaltering away, and you want to be quiet. I am an old fool some times.' Michael almost called Dr. Foster back, it was so sweet to him to hear her name spoken! Save whon uttered by his mother—and when she spoke on the subject she made him wince—he had not heard the word 'Selina 1 for these many days. His senses of physical helplessness maddened him, but the old habit was strong with him. He eat musing miserably for a time after the old doctor had left bim, and then he took himself to task. 'Why should I imagine she wants me? Why suppose I am the only person in the world who can do anything for her? I am a fool!' he said, bitterly. 'She never deceived me;. She never wanted me. ' She always let me see how little use she had for me! What a fool she thought me? Oh, why can I not put her out of my mind?'* Sheshe tortures me! He felt better later that day, nftor he had transacted business with his clerk from the bank. He had ourbed the craving to write to Delaval. 'lf Ido anything suddenly, suspiciously, I shall make it difficult

By Effi© Adelaide Rowlands. Author of te An Inherited Fend," '' Brave Barbara," "A Splendid Heart," " Temptation of Mary Barr," "The Interloper," etc., etc.

for us to come together again. I won't write. I will wait till I oan go to town. I have. no earthly reason to suppose Jaok will wish to avoid me.' His mother had given him the information that Delaval was still in London. She had a mania for writing and receiving letters, and OBrried on a voluminous correspondence with innumerable wo men friends. , From one of them-—a neighbour who bad gone on a visit to town—she heard that Delaval bad not left England; further, she announced that he and Selina had been seen together. 'A funny sort of friendship—don't you think so?' this friend'had written well knowing how agreeable any slighting remark about Selina would be to Michael's mothei. 'Of course, that Misß Lasoombe was with them, but I must say I don't quite undeistand how any person of sense oan enaourage that sort of a man to pay attention to a girl. Now, that I am up here, and meet people you know, I am bearing all sorts of gossip ahout this wonderful Mr Delaval. Some one did say the other day that it was a known ftot. that he had a blaok wife. lam not so sure that was not'wives,' but, of course, one does" not want to think quite so badly of him as all that.' This delectabla epistle, whioh rambled on for many pages all in the same strain, was read aloud to Michael in a soit of triumphant way. When St. John Delaval was their friend and stayed with them Mrs Silchester could not find praise enough for him, but she had taken bis summary departure very muoh to heart, and the mere knowledge that he had cultivated so inoch friendship for Selina was quite enough to turn her weak admiration into spite. She was jealous—very joalous—that any man could desert her for Seiina, and she had never liked Mary Lasoombe, being, in truth, not a little afraid of Miss Las combe's sharp tongue. Michael listened to the letter and to his mother's running coa'ment on its contents in silenoe, but his heart sickened. He.was sharply hurt with Mary Lasoombe. She had taoitly promised him news of Selina, and she had not written once since he had seen them away by a train the day following that quiet marriage at the Gate House. What did this silence mean? Assuredly, she had gone to him at the bank that day with a desire to smooth over jiny rough spot there mignt have been left after that memorable episode, in which Lady Dunworthy had vindicated b n r right to iusult Caroline Baraldine's child On that point she bad been most ex. pjicit. She had practically asked Michael to let nothing change his old friendohip for Selina; and yet now, though he was sure she must know how eagerly apxious he wrs to •have news of the girl, she left him without a word pr a line of any sort. It was a natural result that Michael should translate this silenoe in a manner that signified trouble to himself. \ Mary Lasoombe would—be felt this surely—be herself troubled if what his mother's friend gossiped was correct. He had known her long enough to be convinced that she cared most tenderly for Selina, and her voice, when she had spoken to bim once or twice about St. John Delaval, had betrayed the fact that, thougn this man certainly interested her, he as certainly did not appeal to her sympathy. Michael now bas no doubt in his mind about Delavai's admiration for Selina. He confessed to himself he did not quite understand. Not that the did not think Selina worthy of any man's admiration—the greatest was not worthy of her —but because he imagined that he had some acquaintance with this strange man's strange nature; because he could not see in Selina's fair and simple youtbfulness that element whioh he natuarllj supposed would attract a man like Delaval. (To be Continued.)