Selina's Love Story.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8252, 5 October 1906, Page 2

Selina's Love Story.

CHPPIBK XXIX. -Continued

She could not make up her mind what gown she would wear. She made her maid fetob her several out of the wardrobe. Finally she decided on a pink linen one, with which she would wear a largo, shady hat, garlanded with roses. She was humming to herself, touching her beautiful hair here and there, when there came a knock at the door. 'Come in! 1 she called. Sho did not remark that her maid had withdrawn suddenly into tho inner ioum. 'Oome in!' Lady Durnatone said, impatieutly, a second time, and the door wa3 opened slowly. Dorothy turned with a frown, that deepened quickly as she saw Selina standing in the doorway, with a thick veil tied ebout her sailor hat. TheD something about the gill's tense look made her heart ben> v-iv quickly. 'What is it? 4 she said, getting up, keeping one hand on her chair. "Why d" you stand there so strangely? Selina, you frighten me.' Selina put back her veil. It was as though a lifetime had passed over her, blotting out her childish happiness, her girlish lovelinesa. 'George—George is very mi she said. 'He has been badly hurt. He rode your new horse this morning. He was thrown. I have jaat Outne back fioro the hospital.' Dorothy staggered. She put her band to her throat, and then to her heart. She was deeply moved and frightened. 'He is /tot badly hurt?' she said. . «0h! Seliua; he is nut badly hurt?' A sob broke in Selina's throat. • She went forward and held out her arms. 'Dearest!' sho said, and her voice was hoarse and almost inaudible. 'Dearer to me than anything else now on earth, because you were so dear to him! Nothing can hurt George badly now ' She caught Dorothy to her heart, as the latter winced. 'I wish 1 could put it more gently,' Seliua said, 'but there is no other way. George is dead!' Dorothy lay in her nrmß heavily. She whh moaning like a whipped animal, uud shivering as with sudden cold. Sho spoke, but she did not know what words she used. < Only a few hours before she had teen filling her mind with stupid, resentful anger against her husband. Now she felt that she would have given her own life itself if she might have been 'permitted to see him before her once more—to hear his voice lovfiladen as he spoke her name. The maid came ■ from the bathroom, and together they laid Dorothy on her bed. Selina soothed her as if sho had been a mother. Once the Frenchwoman, with streaming eyes caught the girl's baud in hers, and kissed it. It was the only expression of sympathy she dared make. She marveled at the self-control Selina showed, but she was not de--1 ceived by it. She knew that the girl's heart was bleeding—that for hor life was darkened perhaps iu a way that never would bo lifted. Such courage was not comprehensive to her, but she recognized it ail the same, for, like all *he household, she had learned to wonder at the love which this girl had lavished on her brother. Martin had had thegforefhought to send for a doctor, a man whom Lady Durnstono had already consulted for some trifling ailment. It was a great relief when he came. He took Dorothy in hand quiokiy. Her nerves were in such a state that she as fast passing, into a frenzy of hysteria. The dootor protrptly administered' a sedative; then he drew Selina on on side. Her look troubled him far more than Lady Darnstone's condition. Often as he had oome in contaot with great suffering, he had never seen a face wear such a look of absolute heart despair and anguish as that whioh wbb written on the young faoe before hira. He quiokiy saw that he must treat her in a different wry. 'You will have a great deal to do, Miss Dumstone,' he said. 'Have you anyone who can oome to you at once and yive assistance?' Selina shook her head. '1 have no one,' sue said. Just for one moment the thought of Michael had flashed into her head. Ti;en she recalled that his mother was ill; she could not claim him when his mother had 'need of him. And onoo her heart went with almost on aching cry to the thought of Mary Lasoomfce. 'Oh! if Polly were only hero!' she said to hiu'sef, with hor stiff, white lips; but she did not even know where a letter would reach Miss Lascumbe. ,The longing passed. Nothing had place with hor now save the one, the awful fact that George was gone. Gone! Just a moment, too, when for the first time they had stood heart ton heart, as.it were: when for the first time her brother had shown recognition of the love and devotion she bßd poured out before Dim; had even given her the joy of realizing that this lovo was piecicus to him! T.'«at was the only gleam of light at this awful moment. 'There are many relations,' nbe answereJ the doctor, 'but no one is iiatimate*, enough to come here and do things for me. We have always beou by ourselves.' Then, after a little pause, ehe continued, 'And 1 would rather do all myself.' "'lt will be the best thing,' said the dootor to himself, as ho laffc her and went down the stairs. He exchanged a few words with Martin, who was anxious to know if therb would bo an inquest; also, if his late master's bociy wuuld be brought back to the house, ;

By Efne Adelaide Rowlands. Authoroof(f f( An Inherited Feud," "Brave Barbara," "IA Splendid~Heart,"."Temptation of Mary Barr," "The Interloper," etc., etc.

«I hope it can be all done very quietly, sir,' he said. 'lt's all so very r»ard for these poor ladies.' 'Everything will be done in order, you may be sure of that,' said the doctor. He promised to return in an hour or bo, aDd Martin saw him go witn BOTOetning like regret. He felt as if the responsibility of all that was passing now r«mted on his shoulders. The calmness with which Selina bore herself was almost unnatural iu Martin's eyes. It impressed him, nevertheless. There was something of the dead man about her as she sat in the darkened study and gave orders and took up the reins of management as if to the mann3r born. •She'll break up after this, for sure,' h 8 muttered to himself, ashe spout his time in going .to the hall to answer the numerous inquiries of people who came, out of curiosity, or friendship, or sympKtby, to assure themselves that what they had heard was true. The news of the tragedy had spread quickly, and everyone was shocked and sorry. Not that the dead man had made much of b place for himself in that world which had already hailed his wife's beauty with such genuine homage, but because he was known to be a man of integrity; one, too, who had tut just come, as it were, into the full meaning of life. It was too early for the world to speculate as to how this sulden death would affect the beautiful young woman whom George Durnetnne had mhrried, but the majority of people are given to a aenti mental regard when circumstances are pathetic, and the poor young wife was pitied by everyone. Pew people thought of associating Sir George's sister with their pity. Svlina had not been a oonspicious success in sooiety. What prettiness she had had teen overshadowed by her sister-in-law'a brilliant beauty. Overshadowed as the girl had been by the knowledge that she held a great secret coneealecl, and by that fear and doubt about her brother's future which had orent uninvited into her thoughts of late, Selina had not been seen at her beat. She was considered a nice girl, and a good many women had euvied her her beautiful skin, but ehe was countrified, and it was really very unfortunate for any girl to be seen in company with a woman of suoh attraction as Lady Durnstono. It would perhaps have surprised the world could they have known the real tradegy that lay beneatht this sud business. .There would have beoi some perhaps to have given a measure of real sympathy to the white-faced girl, who sat like an image turned to stone in the little room that was already hallowed to her as naving been the odo corner in the house which her brother had made his own. There were innumerable things for Selina to do. She did them with something like happiness stirring her heart. She wanted to step into her brother's place, to bear on her shoulders the burden he would have had. And in £this dark, cold hour she thought of Doiotby with a love and a tenderness that had been lacking in her thought altogether of late. And yet all the time, while she was dictating telegrams and letters, interviewing the hospital authorities, and going so quietly and }n such a business like way into all the detaile that had occurred, it seemed to the girl as if sho were inclosed in a vice, as if stakes of iron were passing into her heart, Btifling her and draining her life blood from her. 'Yoa have done enough,' the doctor said to her when he came again. 'Now let me urge you to rest. Lady Dumstone is quite calm now, but she is hardly yet conscious of all thai; has happened. It will take her another few hours at least to work off the effects of the sedative 1 gavo her. You must have done nearly all that was necessary. You don't want to be ill.' 'I shall not be ill,' Selina answered. Then she looked at him pitoously. 'Don't try to make me rest,' she said. 'I could not go to a room alone. If lam doing something, if I can move and speak, i can make pretense to myself that everything is unchaHged.' (To be Continued.)