The Colonel's Enemy.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3141, 19 March 1909, Page 2

The Colonel's Enemy.

i CHAPTER XlX.—Continued. "In the disposition, of course; for some girls the way is made easier than for others, but it must chiefly depend upon the girl herself. Your way, for instance, has been very hard." "Indeed, no. Mother and I have never had a «are. We have always found work to do, and done it willingly. If you had lived, as wejhave, in the midst of the poor, you would see that the only misery rests on who cannot get work to do, and those who, when they have it, neglect it." He heard her with a smile, in which there was much heartfelt admiration. In spite of hard work and sordid surroundings, she had retained her high-bred grace, ard the calm, thoughtful face was not marked by a line—a very noble face he considered it, one that a man with a lofty and /joble mission might take with, him wherever in the dark regions of the world there was mission work to be done. And he was proud of her. Had she been less high-bred and graceful he would have been disappointed, though he would not have been less kind. "Youjnight as well come with me now," "he said, "and let me introduce you to Miss St. Hilary. I want you to be the best of friends, as you are my cousin and she is St. Hilary's daughter, and when the colonel comes back we shall all be together. Have you ever seen her?" "Never. Leonard often talks of her, but he has never brought her here." The major thought that very strange, but he was becoming accustomed to the eccentricities of the Dacre family. There must be an objection, he was sure, but whether it came from Mr Dacre or Leonard's mother was a question he had xet to answer." "Come with me," he said. "You may be of use to her, Mary, and I am sure I can put in no stronger plea than that, and I fear—but do not whisper a hint of that to her —that there are trials in sore for her when she will need a sympathetic friend." He was right when he said he could, put in no stronger plea than that. To be of use was Mary Walton's first consideration, and in twenty minutes she had dressed, and was ready to go with him. CHAPTER XX. "WHERE AND WHO IS THE , MAN?" If the major could have had his own way, he would at once have installed Mrs Walton and Mary in a mansion, with a full establishment of servants and a carriage complete, but the widow put a quick check upon his ardor by declining to encourage him in any such extravaganre. She gave as one reason that she did not want to leave her friend, Mrs Dacre; and for another, that she did not care to change her way of life while they remained in London. "Until we como to Ravenskerne," she said, "you must take us just as we are. We find more pleasure in our simple habits than we should in idle and wasteful luxury. We have always measuied our expenses by our income, Fred, and contentment comes very easily." "Contentment always does come easily to the well-regulated mind," he said. "I have been content with my saddle for a pillow under the open sky, aiid a handful of rice for my ' dinner, when I could get nothing better; but contentment ceases to be a virtue when it is practiced at the wrong time. You shall do exactly as you please, my dear aunt, under certain conditions." "What conditions, Fred?" "That you live in a station which becumes you as my father's sister; it would not be seemly for you or Mary to ride with your feet on the damp straw of an omnibus, or look twice at a sovereign before you changed it, in fear that it might be }-ur last noe. If you will permit me to make a not entirely original remark, and one which I fancy have made before within the last half-hour, life is very uncertain, and so before sleep tonight I intend to make you independent of the world and me." "We should be that, my dear Fred, with fitly pounds a year." "Very well, then, you shall have fifty pounds a year, and as much more as I like to put to it," he added, mentally. "Self-denial is a very excellent thing in its way, but when it takes the place of uncomfortable economy, it is not to be encouraged. The very sternest code would no 1 , deny a moderate supply of the good things of this world to those who can get them honestly." He was inwardly vexed at having his generous desire thwarted, and was therefore inclined to think Mrs Walton was too severe in her selfdiscipline; and in this he was mistaken—there war- nothing uncomfortable in her system of economy; like her daughter Mary, the widow enjoyed such pleasures as came in her way. "i shall place a brougham at your 'dK-,'';;-ui," he said, as they walked' toward Canon Strict. Miss Walton vvt'-j an exec. I .lent pedestrian, and she told him with a touch of miscine;", that she would rather depend ii| \ h ■-; own ;"<■:;■:t <\v.\n risk the damp :•;!:■;;,> <-\ ;.n ormiihui;. "And you rr ;-l !•/.':•■-■ mdo to come out of Jhu' retirement a little more." '• "I can assure you we have not lived in seclusion," Miss Walton said. "We have more recreation and amiHerncnt that you would think, if yii-.i judge only by our means." ">\ ' :>t recreation and amusement can jmi have?" he asked, with a compw.-'Sioriale smile. "The beet, well-chosen bocks, the !

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t I 5 By WINTHROP B. HARLAND. 5 / Author of "Lady Elgin's Secret/' "A Harvest of / C Shame," " The Elder Sou," " Lord *} Ashton's Heir," Etc. J

perfect music of the leading concerts and the opera, the picture galleries and flower shows. People are very kind to us, and we have admissions for all these in their season. We live so near, you see, that we have no travelling expenses; and Dr. De Vigne brings us as many ticneta as we can use." "Very kind of Dr. De Vigne." said the major, dryly. "He is your friend, then, as well as your medical adviser?" "Yes, he is our friend, a very dear and kind one." "Is he anything more than a friend?" Lugard inquired. "You need not make me your confessor. Mary, but you and I should have no secrets from eac h other." "Why should I make a secret of it, Fred? He wishes to be something more than a friend, and I like him very much; but in our present circumstances it would be unwise to have an engagement." "Why?" "A wife would be a burden at the outset of his career." j "If you loved each other, Mary, you would not be quite so cautious as that. Ido not know much about it myself, never having been in love; but that is my opinion." "There has been no word of love between us," Mary ,?aid; "but we understand each other, and if 1 did not care for him so much, I might not be so cautious. Do you like him?" "I know very little of him as yet, but giving an opinion on my first impression, I think him a fine, manly fellow, more than clever enough to make his way, and if he is only waiting for a word of encouragement, you might venture to give it." Miss Walton shook her head; she liked Dr. De Vigne very much, but marriage was a far-off prospect as yet. She could not leave the mother who had been everything to her, and when the major heard that, he held his peace. He would do his best to make the course of their affection run smoothly, but he would not interfere with it by any direct means. Personally, De Vigne had a strong attraction for him. The doctor was a gentleman by birth, and had more than the average chance of taking a distinguished place in the front rank of his noble profession; and the major wodld have preferred him to any mere moneyed idler she might meet at Ravenskerne. "It seems an odd way of doing business, though," he thought. "They are evidently keeping single for each other's sake, yet there i s nothing more than a tacit understanding between them. I suppose they know best, however. I have had no experience of such things myself." The soldier made a po ! nt of stopping at some of the most attractive store windows on the route to Park Lane —silk mercers and costumiers, milliners and jewellers, evincing an interrst in feminine fashions which somewhat amused his companion; and he was very hard to please, for he condemned most of the styles as hideous, and the jewellery as badly set, or off colour, till Miss Walton softened his judgment by giving her opinion, to which he paid particular attention. [to be continued.]