Hugh Gretton's Secret.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8477, 3 July 1907, Page 2

Hugh Gretton's Secret.

By EFFIE ADKX.AIDE ROWLANDS. Author of "Sethia's- Love Story," "A Splendid Heart," "Brave Barbara," "The Temptation of Mary Bar," "Ihe Interloper," etc., etc.

CHAPTER IX.—Continued. Van) there been a glimmer of the expression of that indescribable interest which permeated his whole being as he spoke of Sigrid. when IVniiicent's name was introduced, Mrs Bynge would have felt that the future would lie clear before them all, but the calm, brotherly tone with which John discussed all matters connected with MUlicent conveyed as clearly as any confession that the man's heart was untouched by l'ovc—other than a brother's sympathetic affection—for the girl whose life and fortune it was his destiny to rule and protect.

It was really almost annoying, Mrs Bynge said to herself. Underother circumstances she would never have made such a remark, and indeed she might easily have dismissed the vague matrimonial plans she had so quickly imagined, as being both hasty and foolish; but the wide difference of the young man's attitude toward these two girls, thrown so strangely and so unexpectedly into his life, the possible danger attached to furthering a closer acquaintance between her son and poor, beautiful Sigrid, turned the mother's thoughts, almost as a matter of course, into a new and up to now an untried channel. Her natural instincts of womanly charity and sympathy, which Sigrid's lonely condition would have awakened so fully at other moments, seemed clogged and unwilling to move forward as things were now.

She could only hope she was exaggerating the power of this girl's attraction over John, for honestly, however sweet, and good, and beautiful she might prove to be, Gertrude Bynge could not easily reconcile herself to the possibility of her boy falling into love with a girl so strangely, even humbly, situated, as Sigrid undoubtedlv was.

She was not in the least a worldly woman, or what is understood by that term, and her views of life were far broader and more generous, than most people of her acquaintance; nevertheless, she was a very proud woman, and she had woven so many, many dreams about her son's marriage with some daughter of a family equal to her own, that the very suggestion of a mesalliance hurt her beyond expression. She had successfully combated her daughter's objections, but as she saw John ring the bell, and give her letters to the servant to be posted —his eagerness that the Southampton letter should not be delayed was only too apparent to her —Mrs Bynge felt there had been more than the ordinary element of common sense in what Mrs Langtone had urged. It certainly was not dependent upon them to carry their kindness so far as it had been carried for Sigrid. The girl's position was one that called for comment and remark; and Lady Yelvertoun was certainly by far the most proper person to whom Sigrid ought to have turned for help and advice. To do as she had done, write and place her home at the disposal of this girl until such time as she had made other plans, struck' Mrs Bynge as distinctly quixotic and foolish now that it was done; but there was nothing to be gained by regretting this act; she must only set all her wits to work to prevent mischief from following it. "After all," she mused, as she sat listening but vaguely to her son's talk about dead Hugh Gretton, his daughter, and the days of travel that had b/ought them together—"after all, perhaps it may not be so foolish. There is always an element of danger in objection and separation, and with such beauty as this girl possesses the romance would be inevitably fostered. Propinquity has more than one advantage. Who knows, on closer acquaintance, if the beauty may not be marred by vulgarity? Certainly the girl spoke, moved, and looked life a lady; but still it is not quite easy to judge accurately of these qualities till one comes in closer contact with hei\ Whatever she may seem to be, the fact remains that she has occupied j a menial position, and su2h fact is almost bound to have had some material effect upon her nature. Johnnie is fascinated now, as I could easily be, with her unusual loveliness; but I shall not be surprised if daily intercourse with her will not have the result of reducing her fascination very much." And Mrs Bynge was hardly conscious of the eager hope that found place in this last thought.

CHAPTER X,

A GRATEFUL LETTER. An answer arrived to the letter of Mrs Bynge's in an unexpected way, quite late the following day, when Dunning, who still remained in Miss Gretton's service, found an opportunity of speaking to Sir John, and announced that he had received a telegram from Charlotte, informing him of her intended arrival at Drylston that same evening. "And I should like to go and meet her.''sir, if it's quite convenient," the man said. He felt very eager to see Charlotte again. He was in very comfortable quarters in Sir John's household, Put the man naturally felt restless and oppressed by all that had occurred. Delicate in health as they had known their master to be, neither of the Gretton servants had known how feeble his condition really was, nor had they even imagined that his death would have been so near at hand, and the present time was, of course, a troubled one for them, especially for the valet whose occuaption was gone. Sir John was conscious of being pulled up suddenly in a strange and wonderfully happy train of thought as Dunning spoke to him, and gave him this information.

"Of course —of course," he answered. "You need not have asked this, Dunning.", He hesitated a moment, seemed as if he would say something- further, then, with a pleasant nod, went on his way to find his mother.

Charlotte's telegram was, of course, merely a private message to her old comrade, he informed himself as he walked along. Sigrid had undoubtedly sent some word to his mother.

His heart began to beat a little nervously as he made his way up the broad staircase. He had so completely lost himself the last few hours in anticipations of pleasure and comfort at Sigrid's coining, that the mere suggesting of seme obstacle being put into the way of this delight was full of keen disappointment to him.

His mother was sitting [in Millicent Gretton's room, so he had to fall back upon his sister Anne to learn what he wanted to know. Anne could give him no information, but his two other sisters, Margaret and Cecile, were quite convinced no telegram had reached their mother.

They were quite young-, these two sisters, ar.d, girl-like, were keenly interested in all the unusual events that were taking place in their home. "I hope nothing will prevent this Miss Carleton from coming here, Johnnie," Cecile cried frankly. "Anne has been telling us she is just too lovely for words!" "She is absolutely beautiful," Anne remarked decidedly; and John Bynge's heart seemed to thrill and expand with a touch of deeper and newer affection for this particular sister. "You must all try and make her at home," he said, very shyly. Fortunately, none of the Bynge girls were endowed with too much perspicuity, or their brother's manner at this moment must have struck them as being changed, and fraught with hidden meaning. "It seems funny, doesn't it," was Cecile's next remark, "that both those girls should come here? I don't suppose you ever dreamed such a thing would happen when you went on board the Columbia —now, did you, Johnnie?"

John agreed to this emphatically. Indeed, he had been far, very, very far from imagining all the strange things that had happened since he sailed from New York harbour only a short fortnight before. He grew very restless as the evening drew on. Had he suited his inclination he would have gone with Dunning to meet Charlotte at the station; but he felt it wiser not to do this, so a carriage was despatched instead.

He could not rid his mind of an uneasy thrill. He felt it was so strange that Sigrid should have sent no message, no courteous acknowledgment by telegram, of his mother's kindness. He hardly knew how he lived till the time arrived when the travellers from Southampton should have reached Big Drylstone. He was sitting in the library, his ear intent on catching the first sound of the arrival at the outer hall, his eye supposed to be scanning an illustrated paper, when the door was opened and his mother came in. She had a letter in her hand, and at the very first glimpse at this, John Bynge knew that his plans for Sigrid's immediate future, or his own unformed yet conscious delight, had come to naught. "Hera you are, dearest," Mrs Bynge said, in her gentlest way, as she advanced slowly, with the aid of her stick. "I have been looking for you everywhere. Miss Gretton's maid has just arrived from Southampton, and she brought me this letter from Miss Carleton. You wili see that our invitation reached her just too late. lam so sorry." Gertrude Bynge said the last few words honestly enough now, for something in Sigrid's little note had touched her, andJjCharlotte's words of admiration and liking for, and regret at parting with, the girl had appealed to her also. She stood before the fire, leaning on her silver-handled cane, while Sir John read Sigrid's letter. It did not take him very long. (To be Continued.)