Hugh Gretton's Secret.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8473, 27 June 1907, Page 2

Hugh Gretton's Secret.

By EPFIE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS.

Avth»r of «S«ltna<* Love Storu," "A Splendid Heart," "Brave Barbara," "The Temptation of Mart; liar," "Ihe Interloper," etc, etc.

CHAPTER VII-—Continued. "Dearest mother, what happiness to fseo von ajrain. and what a delight to have you here especially now!" he said, a--' he turned from one to the other of the dear women, who had scarcely td-pi; for excitement all the night i'eCore for the joy of seeing him again. It wa,i di{limit in a feW words, and in such confusion, to make known the story he had to tell, but Sir John managed as tersely as he could to describe the situation. "It seems the hand of Providence that you should be here at such a moment," ha said, m he hurriedly explained all there was to do, and all that was now his duty. _ Mrs Bynge was truly sympathetic. Her eyes had a rush of tears for poor Millicent Gretton's terrible loss. "Oh the poor child!—the poor, desolate child! Indeed, I am glad, Johnnie, dear, that Anne and I suddenly determined to come and meet you. You must let us do all we can. We will, of course, arrange to stay at the hotel till all is done." Anne Bynge seconded her mother in this, and neither woman found a word of regret or dismay for the onerous position which Sir John's acceptance of this guardianship must signify. In a hundred different little ways fhey helped him during the next few hours, and they were sad and harassing hours enough. It was to Mrs Eynge's motherly arms that Sir John led his weak and brokenhearted ward, and in the gentle care of what was to him the best woman in the world he was able to leave the

man I had learned to love," Bynge answered to this speech. He had looked very keenly at her as he said these words. Durming's account of that strange last seizure that had come to his master had (lashed into Ills mind with fresh emphasis, and that uneasy doubt that had come to him, in the hours of solitary reflection revealed itself again. There was nothing, however, in Lady Yelvertoun's manner that could be translated into anything beyond a sort of impatient nervousness that she should have mingled, even so little, with the affairs of other people. She. of course, said all sorts of kind things about the bereaved girl, and expressed the proper sort of regret for the sad event, but she made no offer of help; it was evident her only strong desire was to get away, and her last words, as she finally departed, showed Sir John pretty clearly that her dominant feeling about the matter was one of annoyance.

poor girl while he superintended all the necessary and sombre details of the removal of the body from the steamer, and other preliminaries of the funeral. It was Mrs Bynge, too, who softly solved- the question of finding a last resting-place for poor flugh Gretton. "No," she had said to her son when he made a suggestion of asking Millicsnt's wish. "No, dearest, it is impossible. She is too proetrate to be able to think or decide anything just for the moment. It would be cruel to probe such a wound as she has received, unless it be absolutely necessary. Since the matter will be more or less in your hands, may I suggest a decision?" John's assent to this was given eagerly. "Let the grave be chosen in our little churchyard at Drylstone. The very air of the place seems to whisper of rest; and since the child will henceforth make her home with us, it will be a solace to her to feel that she is near her beloved dead." | Mrs Bynge passed her hand tenderly over her boy's brow and hair as she was saying this. "Granted that the lawyers you are expecting have no objection to offer, I think this will be a good arrangement." "The very best, dear mother," John Bynge was quick to answer. He drew the worn, caressing hand from his brow to his lips. "It will be a solace to me, too, mother," he added, after a slight pause, "to feel that poor Gretton is lying in no strange place. I.wish he could have lingered on a few days. He longed so to know you; he seemed / to have learned to love you through hearing me speak of you. It would have comforted him, poor fellow, could he have known you were waiting for me at Southampton. He was so anxious you should grow to love Millicent."

"It will not be a difficult task," Mrs Bynge said gently. "Already my heart yearns over her, poor child! To have so much, and yet to lose so much." And, then the mother fussed a little, as the day waned, over her boy's pale, tired look. She was 1 a very delicate woman in appearance, and slightly lame. She had always used a stick to walk with ever Bince John could remember clearly. J It seemed strange to think so frail and slender a woman could be the mother of so fine a man. Sir John's 3istera were tall and well built, and all of them were the superior of their mother in height. The power of Gertrude Bynge's noble nature and wise, thoughtful intellect was so great, however, that it made her a very giant among more ordinary women, while for tenderness and comprehensive sympathy she had not her equal. John Bynge found his mother's care and anxiety for him now very sweet. As the dav darkened, and much of what he" had had to do was done, he felt inexpressibly weary. He but dimly remembered all that had passed since his landing in the morning. He recollected vaguely feeling surprised at the ha.ste with which Lady Yelvertoun had hastened away from the steamer. It had seemed to him rather heartless of this new friend of Millicent Gretton's to leave so hurriedly without first ascertaining if, there were anything she could do. It was all part of Lady Yelvertoun'a creed, however, self first and everybody else afterward, and anyhow. He had exchanged a few words with Lady Yelvertoun as they stood on the quay. She had been swathed in furs and shrouded in a thick veil, and her whole manner was anything but sym-. pathetic. "You start early on you duties as guardian," she had said, as she gave him her hand. "I wish you well through all this trouble. It seems a cruel thing to say but it would have been infinitely better had- the poor creature lived till we had got on shore. But there is a destiny in these things." "I should have been glad, indeed, had Gretton lived for many years. I did not know him well, yet he was a

"Miss Gretton will, of course, remain with your mother now for some time." she had said, and then she had smiled faintly. "I fancy I shall have to plan out some other matrimonial future for Yelvertoun." John Bynge had watched her go with a sensation of strong and honest contempt. He had been really too angry with her to notice anything about her companions. It came to him sharply a little later that he had not tried to say "gobd-by" to Sigrid; that, in fact, he had not seen her at all. His heart went out in pity to her. Now more than ever he pitied anybody who had to live in daily contact with so hard and cold a woman as Lady Althea Yelvertoun.

He resolved, however-- in that fugitive way that he thought on any outside subject on this busy and depressing day—that he would not be long before he would call upon the countess, and so start a possible acquaintanceship with the girl of the violet eyes and hauntingly sweet beauty.

It came to him as a great shock late that same night to discover quite by chance, that Sigrid had not gone with Lady Yelvertoun, but was actually at that moment occupying a tiny bedroom in the same hotel that accommodated his own party. It was Charlotte, Millicent Gretton's maid, who gave him this information.

He was standing in the hall, looking over the London newspapers in a desultory way when his attention was arrested by seeing Charlotte at the office, evidently perturbed, and making many inquiries. In an instant Sir John had thrown down the newspaper. All that appertained to Miss Gretton was of importance to him now, and as he imagined, of course, that Charlotte was discussing some business of her young mistress, he hastily went to the rescue. Charlotte speedily set the matter before him. It was nothing connected with Miss Gretton. "Fortunately she's asleep at last, sir," the maid said, with genuine relief. "She's just worn out with crying, and we hope she'll sleep for some time. I ain't going to trouble Miss Millie about anything tor the .moment. I've telegraphed to a big London shop they told me about here, sir, and I shall give an order for some black to be made immediately. Begging your pardon, Sir John, may I ask, is all arranged for the poor master? Mrs Bynge told me you'd decided to carry him to your villaere churchyard, and I do hope, sir, the. gentlemen from London haven't made any objection?" John Bynge reassured her. The lawyers he had summoned early in the morning had travelled to Southampton without delay, and had fallen in at once with Sir John's suggestion, seeming glad and relieved that there was some person in authority in such a moment. "You think Miss Millicent will be satisfied with this, Charlotte?" John asked, after a few words of explanation. Charlotte nodded affirmatively. "Yes, indeed, sir. Anything you do will be right,*sir. She's told me over and over again the poor master was so fond of you, and had such a good opinion of you, sir. And indeed, Sir John I cannot be thankful enough that things is as they are. I'm sure your mother has been a saving angel to my poor young Miss Millie to-day. I'll never forget her goodness; she's a sweet lady!" Sir John smiled faintly at this praise. (To be Continued.)