THE COLONEL'S ENEMY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3112, 10 February 1909, Page 2

THE COLONEL'S ENEMY.

BY WINTHROP B. HAKLAND. Author of "Lady Elgin's Secret," "A Harvest of Shame," "The Elder yon," "Lord Ashtoivs Heir," Etc.

CHAPTER 1.-Continued. "Take another view of it, major," Mr Dacre said, with a fond glance at the girl. "I came back to England a lonely old man " "Old?" the major queried. "Well, to old to marry and begin life again, but at the age when the paternal instinct is strongest, and a man longs for the love of young people who might have been children of his own. You may imagine, then how pleased I was when I found this young lady living with my sister, who had, as it were, adopted her." "Your sister was Mrs St. Hilary's friend?"

"They were only slightly acquainted. Mrs St. Hilary and Mrs Dacre, the mother <rf my nephew Leonard, were friends; but perhaps Dora will .explain how it was that I came to be her guardian.'' "It is very simple," Dora said. "When I lost my poor mother, I went to live with my aunt, Miss Truscott, and while with her I saw Leonard's mother very frequently. After a time we went to live in the sitne house, and then poor Aunt Truscott died. She left me a little money, the residue of her property, for she had been living on the principal at last; and then, 1 do not quite know why, it was arranged that I should leave Mrs Dacre's house and live with her sister-in-law, Miss Dacre." "Whom you will see presently." Mr Dacre observed. "My sister's habits are almost those of a recluse; but we get a glimpse of her two or three times a Hay, and, so far as her religious principles will permit her to indulge in an earthly affec'ior, she idolises Dora. And Dora does not quite know wny she had to Irave Mrs Dacre for my sister? • Now the reason can be given easily—l was the instigator of the change." "You?" Dora said in surprise

"Yes. my darling, I. I was in close and constant communication with my relations, and when I heard that a ycung gir', a beautiful young girl, my sister said, was an inmate of Mrs Dacre's house, I sjw at once that it would not be fight to keep her there, it would not be giving her fair play. My nephew was at home every day, and what was more likely than that two young people so thrown together should fascy rhey were in love with each other?"

"As they evidently were," observed the major. ' As it proved; but not til! I had given. Dora every chance of correcting her first impression. When I came home and took this house, two years ago, I filled ic with company, and caused it to be understood that Miss St. Hilary was a free age, and, to some extent, my heiress. I absolutely forbade Leonard to write or speak a word of love to her for twelve months, or interfere in any way if she fixed her choice on another. This, I thought, was only fair to Dora and Mer father, the colonel."

"He approved most thoroughly of your conduct," said Lugard; 'and he could never speak without emotion of your generous desire to provide for her without trespassing, or his ctippled resources, as they were then, buchehas has had better fortune lately."

"That is good news, indeed." "Yes, an old comrade, one of ths many ,men who admired and loved him, left St. Hilary the bulk of his property. By a singular coincidence, a surly, old uncle of mine, who appeared to grudge the cost, of my education ar.d outfit, died; and made me the richer by the whole of his wealth- a fine tstate, with a decent rent roll, ii Somerset. That is what brought me to England." "I congratulate you, from my heart," Mr Dacre said, "as I do for the colonel; but, with him, I hope that his accession to riches will not induce him 10 interfere with my intentions regarding Dora." "He will not interfere in any way; I was to assure you of that." "If you knew how much she has bean to me," Mr Dacre went on, "you would not wonder that I want to treat her as my own child, and feel almost jealous even of the colonel; but I am sure he will not take her entirely away from me."

"On the contrary," the major said, "I am certain you will be the best of friends; and you will not be sorry that your nephew's wife is the daughter of a rich man, instead of a poor ono." "Her father's money does npt matter an aiom to either of us." Mr Dacre said. "Leonard loves her for herself, as I do. He would marry her even if I were to disinherit him, and she had not a penny." The soldier heard that with a thoughtful smile. He was nut surprised. He was thinking there were few men in the world who would not have been glad to change places with Mr Leonard Dacre, even if Miss S,L Hilary had no other dowry than her gentle face and the sweet vohe that loft a lingering music on the ear. Perhaps, for a moment, he, was sorry for the forty and odd years that had tinged his hear with grey, while thpy had left him so young in heart.

"It was possible," he said to himsalf, "that he might have been nearer still to his dear, old friend, the colonel, had he counted three decades instead of four, and if there had been no Leonard Dacre in the way." "How is it?" Dora asked, "that my fathee was disturbed by my intended marriage, if he is so satisfied with everything that has been done for me!"

"The answer mnst be rather a comprehensive one," Maj. Lugard replied. "When you first mentioned this young man to him, and asked his consent to an engagement, ycu made him realise the fact that you were no longer a child; he had not noticed, as I had, the gradual chanere in the photographs you sent him. His

most vivid recollection was of the little girl who left him to go to England with her mother; and you were the last and the youngest of his children. The Indian climate has bee:; fatal to both your brothers and your sister, as it would have been to you; and I know he cherished a hope that in time you would be able to return to him. But when you ' told him what your own wishes were, he was too urselfifh to wish to take you from your friends, and he never expressed his desire, though at the time it meant v.n eternal separation , for him." ! "Had I known he wanted me." ' Dora said, "I would have gone to him at once."

"He was so sure of if, that he would not let you know the doctors had given him up. I, myse[f. did not think he could live twelve months, and he was quietly resigned tn his fate. Then, without any assignable cause, a slow improvement set in. There was hope for him; the only thing to fear was any sudden shock or excitement, as the doctors are afraid there is a touch of heart disease, and he had suffered severely from sunstroke soon after the end of the campaign. "Then, all things considered," Mr Dacre said, "I should think it decidedly dangerous for him to travel. No man, at least not one in a thousand, ever entirely recovers from the effect of a sunstroke; I have heard, in fact, that those who have been so affected are not at times thoroughly responsible for their actions." "The colonel's mind is too wellbalanced to let that troubls him." I.ugard said. "He knows what the symytomb are, and nothing brings them on but fatigue or worry —or— what would never happen to him, an over-indulgence in stimubn'?. Most of them go in for that fort rf thing pretty freely, but St. Hilary is never to be tempted, and so he i 3 tolerably safe."

"Still," said Mr Dacr?. sh-kin? his head, "I think it unvj;? Id attempt the journey at prea'.'r.'." "I thought so," the major a'snnted, "but I di 1 rot venture to say so, though I knew him so well. When he told me that he intended to be present at his daughter's wedding, I did not say a word. The colonel's intentions may always be looked upon as an accomplished fact; he told me he would be present at the marriage of his daughter to the man she had chosen ; naturally he wanted to see what kind of a man he was, Then there was the other motive that I hyve mentioned.

"You said that someone had wronged him?" "Robbed him and wronged him; not only left him poor, but filled his life with a misery that preyed npon his heart, and for years caused an estrangement between him and his wife."

"That was a cruel thing to do," Mr Dacre said, "if it really was done, and I think it would be easier to fcgive the robbery than it would the wrong." [to be continued.]