A HEART'S TRIUMPH.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9113, 12 June 1908, Page 2

A HEART'S TRIUMPH.

CHAPTER lll.—Continue:!. "What asi existence!" ejaculate;! Felix. Ho was back once more m hia troubled, selfish thoughts. H;jw to work in the subject of his pressing need? —that was now what was uppermost in hia mind. The more) Ik reflected, the more absurd itstiucu him that he should suffer any inconvenience, while this old man had so much and could give so easily if he chose. •' ~ .I,l' He had just made up his mind dcfinltaly to have no beating about the bush, but to speak quite openly, when there were sounds of some arrival ai the qntrance, and the bell ot tho little house rang sharply. . "Da you have guests so late in Manchester?" queried Felix, annoyed at the interroption. "Soma one who has come to mo in mistake for one of the other, doctors," Sebastian Thorold said. The door opened and admitted a man whom Felix quickly recognised as one whom ho saw frequently in town. He rose as his uncle greeted Paul Darnley, who had a harassed troubled look. "I have come to you at M-133 Lacklyne's special request, Doctor Thorold," Mr Darnley said, acknowledging the introduction to Felix with a now; he, too, on his side, had instantly recognised the /young man . as a familiar figure in London smart > circles. "I am sorry to say that she is in great distress. " Her father has had a severe shock, and now is lying j in a prostrate "ondition. lam not i skilled enough to read his.symptoms, but I very much fear they look like sjme fo.'m of paralysis. Would it Le. asking you too much if I were to bag j you to come and see Sir Charles He is not wholly unconscious, but j not utter a saund, and is undoubtedly Very ill. I have a carriage waiting. "I will come at once, and, Felix, you had bettor come, too. My nephew is a doctor, younger and in a way more valuable than I arn now. Give ma a moment, Mr Darnley. Your news is sad tome. I have known Lackjylie now many yeara, and wo have uhvays been goo.l friends. Poor little Cecil! this must be a great trouble to her." _ Paul Darnley had hesitated a moment as ho h.'ard Doctor '! h iro.ld ask his nephew to accompany him. There membrance of the sudden and painful domestic tragedy that. ha-J ' been played that night at tho White Abbsy seemed to claim fi'jm him a l possible secrecy. Yet that otiier r membrance, that vision of Ghat I s Lacklyne stricken mute, and lying, possibly, in a precarious condition, made al stronger demand than too ' other. Help must be had, and since Felix was a doctor, and the nephew . ot Cecil's old 'friend, he wa3 perhaps, a desirable person to be associated with the miserable events of this night., , , i i It was hard for Paul Darnley to let a word pass his lip 9 as to the cause of Sir Charles' sudden illness, but as his one desire, was to shield Cecil as much as possible, and he knew the poor child was utterly unfit to tell even ao old ar.d trusted a friend as • Sebastian Thorold what had happened, he introduced the subject as they were driving hurriedly through the quiet night to the White Abbey. "There had been an unexpected a'tival here," he saidto Doctor Thorold. "'Lady Lacklyne returned home thi9 evening, quite suddenly." "Lady Lacklyne? God bless met I had no idea Jhat hia Wife wai alive I" the old man said, in startled , surprise. . . , , He lapsed into thought; he asked no more qestions. Mr Darnley's words had more thati_ji;nswered him, —it was they had shocked him, too. ... Felix Bingham sat back in his corner of the carriage, feeling by no means displeased at the change in his programme for' ths night. H 3 was at heart an adventurer; he loved to live a life that had nothing that was ordinary—nothing monotonous. This little excitement' pleased him. It wa3 agreeable,, too, 'to penetrate into the mysteries "of this curioiu household. » ~ . L All that his uncle had jaid about Cecil Lacklyne remained vividly n his thoughts. He felt a <sudden interest in this girl, so strangely reared, do different from all other girls, and with the prospect of immenre wealth before her. This sudden return of a wife supposed to be dead was another factor of interest in the unusual circumstances. Felix almost forgot himself and his worries as he was bowled up to the wide entiance of tho White Abbey. His eyes went forwaid half-eagerly to catch a first glimpse of this girl—Cecil Lacklyne. II jw, littl-j did Paul Darnley imug- ' ine, as he ushered Doctor Thorold v and hid nejihjw into Ilia house, that tho thoughts and doubts that had ■troubled him earlier in the evening to GodTrf future lifj were but p/einonitwy t'oronmneis of tin sa l truth, and that already the destiny of the g'r.'s h?art lay in the hands of o.ie wh'-f, in the fu.noss of_ time, would set 11 is lisel upon the pricelajs gift and crush it to death CHAPTER IV. < FELIX PLAYS HIS PART.

y Effie Adelaide Rowlands, V Author Jof "Hugh Grotton'a Secret," "A Splendid Heart," -Bravo ' Enrbara," ,"The Temptation of Mary Ban'," "Sulina s Love Story," etc.

Somo o\v3, probably by Cecil's orders, had lowered the lights everywhere The girl herself, yvith her faithful, loving old nurse, came out f;om th:. t large lMom on the ground floor :ia the noise of the wheals : ut£4idj announced that Mr Darnley had rjlurnnd. She had recovered from her L"::iuting-fit, but she looked very iii; h:r face was drawn and colouring, even to the lips; her eyes held still that iviUctiun of incredulous horror arid pain that had smote them When the luvt heavy blow had fallen. Her hair, which usually wreathed her brow in such soft, pretty curls, was .pushed back in rough disorder. She had lost her proud, easy carriage for a time, and her curious costume seemed to strike a jarring note to mark her trouble and grief with a mocking, fantastic element. 2 "They had carried him up-staira," she said to Mr Darnley, in a voice that vva's scarcely audible. A wave of sudden relief passed over her face as she gave both her hands in greeting to th 3* old doctor. "How good of you to come so quickly,!" she said falteringly; and then her eyes went questioningly toward Ft'lix whose tall, magnificently built figure in its immaculate evening dx-ass seemed ill-placed in the dim light and oppressive silence of the old house. Felix met the girl's eyes calmly. He saw no beauty in her at this moment. Nevertheless, she attracted him. She was so wholly unlike any other girl he had ever met; she was so young, too, and was surrounded by such extraordinary circumstances, and these alone would have bean sufficient to make her interesting. Even in her misery Cecil Lacklyne was conscious of an amazed sense of this man's splendid physique —of the noble head so gracefully set on his shoulders, of the wonderful features, the most beautiful eyet ; and the tender sympathy which crept into those eyes a3 their gaze restsd on her was like a faint, suft touch of comfort. t Doctor ThoroH hurriedly introduced the young man. "This is my nephew, Felix Bingham. You have haard me speak of him, Cecil. He is a doctar, and has come with me this evening to join his help to mine, if necessary. We will go to your father. Do not trouble to come, dear; you look worn out. Now, ait down there and wait till we come and don't imagine anything very terrible, my child." A3 they were moving away, Doctor Thorold spoke hurriedly to Paul Darnley! "Kemain with her," he whispered. "She should not be left too much alone. "Let her talk; it will save her vitality ahd probably prevent an illness." \ Paul Darnley returned to the din-ing-room, as he had been hidden. Cecil was sitting almost feebly in a big chair, and Nini was hovering about her, frightened and tearful. As Darnley came in, the girl looked up. "Flow good you have been! What should I have done without you? I shall never be able to thank you, Mr Darnley." Paul Darnley shook her hand. "'We are old friends, Cecil, you and I. Thanks are never necessary in 1 real friendship. You know ho r v glad lamto do anything for you. I wish I could banish all your troubles." lie I drew a chair close to her. "Tell me what happened while I was away." Cecil shivered and passed one cold hand over her eyea. j' ■ (To be continued).