A GIRL TO LOVE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9069, 21 April 1908, Page 2

A GIRL TO LOVE.

By BERTHA. M. €MY. f Author of " Thrown on the World," " Her Mother's Sin,." Beyond Pardon," "Th 3 Lost Lady of Hsddon," " Horn Thorno." " An Ideal Love," etc. '

CHAPTER ll.—Continued. A sudden Curve in the drive ■jteVealed Pendinaa,- with its numerous windows, its terraces, and lawns, and shadowy woodland ways. It re- ' vealed, too, the figures of a man and a woman, and a flush sprang into Jasper Trdnwiih's , cheeks, while his wondarous eyes became soltly luminous. The man and the woman vanished amid the trees without observing him, and n strident voice from the verandah was bidding him welcome. . ,; "There's time for a smoke, lrenwith. Come and set down. More like June than May." " "I never smoke before dinner, fair Charles" ~ r . ' "No?" Sir Charles Leighton flicked an inch of gray ash off-his cigar, and regarded his guest reproachfully. "You let me down gently with a bang this morning, Trenwith. : Had 1 known that it was your intention to champion that rasical,' Price— —" , > "I don't think the man is bad. l have given him work. I could not see him sent to prison. knew ' I would never consent to that. Sir Charles flung his cigar away, and jumped up. His face reddened, he stamped One foot. He was angry. - "You interfered with the course of justice." > .■. '-, ,„ ... "Malice," interposed lrenwitn calmly. "A weakly Woman and five j little children to suffer! No—no, Sir ' Charles. , One cannot be to charitable towards the poor." ' "The poor!" Sir Charles paced the verandah. "The improvident, you should say. They prefer to beg or to steal rather than work, A standing .menace—a living pestilence to th« advancement of the world. But you will discover this' for yourself some day, and I hope it wiH be in the gratitude: of, Sam Price! Then he resumed is seat, laughing, and eareaied his heavy white beard. That same beard gave him a venerable appearance. "I've Had my say, Trenwith, and there's an end of it. Here comes Nathalie and our neighbour, Mr Victor Felbam. You've , never met Pelham before? Nice chap, but as utOpiah and quixotic as

yourself." . , , • * . _ . ■ . Jasper Trenwith smiled. He shook hands with Nathalie Leighton, and • she laughingly told.him not to squeeze, her fingers to a / pulp , V She was a tall ■ititl, with an exqujsitefigure, and a face "divinely fair." 1. I "I'm sorry, Miss Leighton, JasY per Trenwith said, with the faintest show of embarrassment. His heart was bounding. "Ah, you do. ;: MrPelhara? 1 am glad to meet you." , Victor Petham acknowledged the ; introduction easily, while a gleam of momentary interest, shone in his dreamy gray eyes. He had heard a little, and read a great deal, of ' Jasper Trenwith, the financier, the .pbUanthropiat, and multi-million- ' aire. Trenwith's fame was worldwide, and he was one of the besthated a;»d best-loved among men. He had forced his Way to the front , by sheer strength of character and an utter disregard for his kind. Moneymaking and crushing of great personalities had been the business and the pleasure of this man of blood and iirbnfor thirty years. His eyes, large, luminous, and i soft, were'searching Victor Pelham's face, and Victor discovered himself : favouring a man whom he «had long '■>. doubted. ' "I have read some of your books, MrfFelham," Jasper Trenwith said. "Ydur literary paeudonym is Leslie Grant, I belfeve?" ; "Yes," Victor answered mdifferently. "You are striving for' the betterment of the poor," Trenwith continued, as he gently shook his head. "And you are merely playing with the rfrihge\of a great problem, Mr Pel- ' Visitn "Now, you confounded socialists," interrupted Sir Charles, "dinner is waiting. Pelhiiin, look after my daughter. I must keep you and irenwtth apart in my house!" _ Sir Charles was very much m •earnest He hated the poor and all that concerned them. He had no belief in the spiritual brotherhood of man. The so-called lowerclasses were .as far removed from himself and his kind as were the beasts of the fiold. Their grievances were unreal; they were lying, thieving, lazy hypocrites, and he did not scruple to say so. "Oh, papa!" Nathalie exclaimed. ; Her eloquent eyes were turned upon Victor Pelham, and Victor smiled indulgently. . At the dinner-table he addressed much of his conversation to Jasper 'Trenwith, and the financier appeared •to be Dleased. "I have been abroad for several years," Victor said, "otherwise we should have met and known each other long since, Mr Trenwith. The recenc death of my uncle loaves me master of a small colliery, and, for a time at least, this has put, an end to my wanderings. The new respon : sibilities do not promise to be of a -congenial nature, although I muaily : find some pleasure in whatever I am ■ called upon to do." Jasper Twnwith nodded. "I can quite believe that, Mr Pelhatr. You will now settle down at the Chase?" , "I suppose eo." "And marry! Young, good-Iook- : ing, clever, romantic, what girl can resist you?" . Victor took iho badinage in good part. He had never considered that love and marriage were necessary to .his happiness. He had arrived at_ the age of thirty, free and unseated. His heroines lived in his books; his tender thoughts were of and for them. "Women don't care for men of my I 'Stamp, Mr Trenwith. Wc writers

arc selfish, unsociable,and egotistical. What do you think, Mias Loiffhton?" Nathalie's t:yo;; were iur»ed x upon him with misity light in them, and a faint flush sprang into her fair face. "What-do 1 think? Well, I am quite sure that you five capable of talking a great deal of :x>fifaeiice. Or are you fishing for compliments?" She rose from the table, evidently a good deal confuted. "Don't forget that I. have youv promisu to write a verge in my birthday-book, Mr Pelham." "Then that promise shall he fulfilled now," Victor ankl, rising also, and following' Nathalie into another robin. Sir Charles watched them, suspecting nothing, but Jasper Trenwith's face had paled slightly, and he lighted a 'cigar with fingers that trembled in spite of himself. "She is in lovo with that fellow," he said quietly. "How long - has this been going on, Sir Charles?" "Eh? They haven't met for ten years, until three weeks .since. You must be mistaken, Tremyith. Nathalie isn't the girl to throw herself away, upon a mere nobody. The days of silly sentiment arc past, at least! as far as she is concerned. My | daughter is practical from the tips of | her fingers to the crown of her head. As for Pelham- pshaw! The colliery is worth perhaps a beggerly two thousand a year, and he'll Boon fritter that away with his book-writing." Jasper Trenwith was silent. "Pelham..sha'n't come here again, if you wish it," Sir Charles said. "Now you are talking in a ridicul- [ ous fashion," Trenwith smiled. "It may be a passing fancy, and, at any rate, the love is all on one side, This Victor Pelham is a handsome, romantic sort of fellow —a clever Bohemian, and a gentleman. To the eyes of most women there is doubtless a halo around his head, so that even the practical Miss Leighton may be excused. She understands that she is not exactly free, and that I " He covered his 1 eyes with one white hand, and the half-smoked cigar slipped from his , nerveless fingers. Then something fell glittering fo his knee. It was a tear-drop!

1 CHAPTER 111. NATHALIE LEIGHTON'S FEARS. A blue, blue sky, with here and there a dash of misty white cloud; a, dazzling sun, and the fields and woods vocal with the melody of birds. It was the morning after the informal little dinner at Pendinas, and Jasper Trenwith was seated in his library, busy with a , pile of correspondence. Every movement was quick, alert,- electric; his eyes sparkled, aid the refrain of a popular operatic song was on his lips. Prom behind a tall desk his secretary watched him furtively. "Mr Walker—ready!" Mr Trenwith said, without looking up. The secretary came forward, pencil and notebook in hand, and his master rapidly dictated many letters.

(To be continued.)