A SENSATIONAL CASE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 2997, 21 September 1908, Page 2

A SENSATIONAL CASE.

By FLORENCE WARDEN. Author of" The Lady in Black," "An Infamous Fraud," "For Love of Jack," "A Terrible Family," "The House on the Marsh,"

CHAPTER XXXl.—Continued. TWO SIDES TO A BARGAIN. Jem stared at Lhe cab which was rapidly taking Netelka away in the suspicious care of her husband. fc>he was stupefied by the rapidity of Linley's movements. Suddenly she turned to Hugh. An idea had struck her. \ "Mr l'horndyke," said she, "will you go to the station and try to find out where they'are going?" That this was a forlorn hope he knew, for, as he told Jem, to get away from Hastings they '.'.'ould certainly go first to London. Still the girl insisted; and Hugh thinking that she was anxious to get rid of him, fell in with her wishes and started off for the station. "And please find a train to take us back to-day," said she as he started. Then Jem went into the house and told her aunts frankly that she would have to go back that evening, as she was anxious about a friend whom she had seen that morning, and who, Jem was sure, was being taken away before she was well enough to travel. Although her explanation came as a surprise to the ladies, and was a great disappointment to them, they accepted it, having themselves noticed the passing cab and commented on the fragile appearance of the lady inside it.

| pect had quite suddenly become f ,11 of terror. Even the Misses Ponsonby perceived dimly that things were not quite right between the two; but comforted themselves as they walked away, after waving their hands until the train was out of sight, with the reflection that they would "make it up" in earnest before they reached Charing Cross. "He is a charming man, is he not, dear Muriel?" said Miss Lilian to her sister; "and he seems very straightforward and good-tempered, and in every way qualified to make our dear Jemima happy." Miss Muriel was a shade less enthusiastic. "Do you think, dear Lilian," she said, that he seems to show quite enough eagerness, quite enough empressement 7 I think when I was a girl I should have expected rather more demonstrativeness, rather more of a kind of indefinable something in my fiance's manner, don't you think so, dear?" "Well, dear Muriel, to tell the truth I think the indefinable something is missing in dear Jemima's manner rather than dear Hugh's," said Miss Lilian, with the tone of authority and experience in these matters which her own ; love-affair of thirty years before enabled her with propriety to speak. And they each gave a gentle sigh, but walked home cheerfully; with the conviction that all would come right in the end. In the meantime the journey of Jem and her escort had begun unpromisingly enough. By this time physical fatigue had combined with mental anxiety on Netelka's account and distress on her own to reduce the young girl to a condition so abject that she sat back in her corner, mute and dejected, hoping Hugh would think she was too tired to talk. But of course he knew better than that. "Will you have the window open or shut? Or half-open, like this?" he asked, when they had got out of the station. "Oh, open; all the way open, please," answered Jem quickly, without looking at liim, and with the shy, constrained manner which phe had quite lost in his society until the visit to her aunts. "1 am afraid," said Hugh gently, "that you have overtired yourself. I have never known you so silent before." Jem laughed shortly. "I'm rather tired," said she. I am worried about pocr Mrs Hilliard. That is why you tre less bored than usual with my ccnversa*tio i." Now this was opening enough for Hugh, who was dying to get beyond commonplace. "Your conversation has never bored me yet," he said. "In fact, I don't think you have felt so modest about it b2fore." Jem sat up, and, blushing deeply, spoke with gasping breath. "I hav« never before —at least with you—had so much reason to speak, modestly," she said, with the tears gathering in her eyes. "I have made myself ridiculous, I have." She drew a long breath and shopped. "You have passed a very uncomfortable day, I am afraid," said he, in a tone which was meant to be soothing and consolatory, but which had a precisely opposite effect upon the young girl. (To be continued.)

When Hugh came back from the station, therefore, with the news that Linley and his wife had taken tickets for Charing Cross, and that there was a train for themselves at five-forty-five, he found that the way had been smoothed for their departure. They had tes in the pleasant drawing-room, the windows of wtiich opened on to the trimly kept garden; and all would have gone well but for the consciousness which hung over the young people that there was a twohour journey before them, rpoiled by the remembrance of that kiss. Not that to Hugh the memory of that incident was fraught witn acute distress; the unpleasant part of the affair, for him, lay in the girl's reluctance. The mord he was in Jem's society the stronger became Hjgh Thorndyke's conviction that this impulsive, waim-hearted, unaffected, haif-edurated girl was the civatui e with whom he would choose t> go through the rest of his life. She was so open-hearted, so honest, so oddly free from vanity or selfisbnaas, that she came nearer to his ideal of what a woman should be than girls who came very much nearer perfection in the minor matters of reticence and demure deportment. But while his admiration increased, his diffidence increased in the same degree. If she had been heart-whole, Hugh would have felt no qualms; a girl's love, when none else is in possession, is a treasure easy to win. But here was her stubborn affection for Gerard Waller, which no indifference seemed flMe to kill, to be reckoned with. Hugh's face grew longer, his rem&iks shorter, as these reflections passed through his mind. ' "Strawberry jam? Oh, yes, it has always been one of my weaknesses. While these words were on his lips, tnis thought was in his heart: "I've got two hours with her to-night. I must make the most of them!"

Jem, on the other hand looked upoh the incident of the kiss much more seriously. She had never been kissed before, and the salute, perfunctory though it was, seemed to her a dishonourable and terrible experience. It was horrible to have to endure another journey with the inflicter of the outrage. Jem felt suddenly afraid of him. The consequence of this feeliig on her part, which /grew stronger as the first effects of the sight of Netelka died away, as at she grew morose and silent, starting when ovA of her aunts addressed he:, and blushing crimson with an expression of alarm, if Hugh came near her or even glanced in her direction. Luckily for the young girl's place in hc-r aunts' .esteem, they were ready to put a kindly construction upon every eccentricity; and when they insisted upon accompanying their guests to the station, to see them start on their journey, they both declared that the flying visit had been the happiest event they had known for years. "I suppose, my dear Jemima, said Mass Muriel, who walked with her niece, leaving Hugh to her sister, "that the day of jour marriage is not settled yet?" "Ob, no, no!" gasped Jem, in horror which paised for maidenly modesty. "I —I haven't thought about it. I don't want to be marriaJ for years and years yet!" Miss Muriel laughed, and said archly that there was some one else to be considered. And she glanced tit Hugh, who had heard poor Jem's answer, and who was moved to resl pity for her evident distress. An answer of some sort was expected from him, so he said, with a deprecatory look at Jem: _ "She is very young, Miss Muriel, and she doesn't want to think that she may not change her mind. "Change her mind!" echoed the lady, witn some asperity. "Surely you don't a 1 low her to contemplate the possibility of doing that!" There was a second's pause, ?nd then Hugh said very gently: "I would rather she did that than —thin take any step she would repent afterward." "But aren't you p..ing to make her such a good husband that she won t be able to think of such a thing as repentance?" persisted Miss Muriel. "There's the train!" cried Jem shrilly, and without justification, and they all began to run. Of course the aunts found an empty compartment for their interesting visitors, and Jem got in, grim with despair. A thte-a-.tete all the way to Charing Cross with him! The proa-