HER SILENCE JUSTIFIED.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9527, 26 June 1909, Page 2

HER SILENCE JUSTIFIED.

CHAPTER XXXl.—Continued

Leading her into the hall, he was anout to caution her sternly on her behaviour, when his eyes fell on a couple of trunks, and the girl felt his grasp on her arm relax. She was forgotten while he questioned a servant: "Who has arrived?" "Miss Neville, sir. She is witn the general." An exereation burst from the lips of the mortified Laurence. He had so wormed himself into the good graces of Ambra's relatives that he had visted at their house ss often as be pleased, and taken advantage of this to besiege the harassed girl closely. Her own nicer sense of honour had been shocked by such underhand proceedings, and she had expostulated with him with more spirit than he had given her credit for possessing; but when he threw himself on her mercy, protesting that the obstacles thrown in the way of their marriage had made him reckless, and that he intended to leave England forever, she was distressed and frightened, and yielded so far as to promise to try and accede to his wishes. While he held her hands in his, and pleaded his cause with all the fevid eloquence of which he was master, Ambra was scarcely able to resist his entreaties; but no sooner was she alone than she shook off his influence, and felt ashamed of her weakness^ "It could not be right to marry without the consent of my guardian," she argued. "Oh, why is Laurence so impetuous?--why does he urge me to act against my conscience? Is .it kind?—is it generous? If I agree to this marriage, I shall be miserable; yet how can I say him nay when he tells me that my refusal will drive him away from us? "I will go back to the general,'she finally determined, and accordingly, without giving any one warning of her intentions, she appeared before her guardian one morning. It was not til) she weepingly avowed she had come to him to be protected from herself, that he divined how Laurence had been tampering with her obedience to the mandate separating them. "Is it better that you should go abroad, as it appears you have bean threatening to do," he told his son, with sorrowful brevity. "I shall be careful not to yive you any mure opportunities of tempting tnat poor child to forget her duty." "As you please, sir," said Laurence, burning with wrath against Ambra, but as resolved as ever not to quit England without her. "Nothing that I could say in selfdefense would have any effect with you now. I can see that you have permitted the routine of military life to deaden your natural feeling to such a degree that you cannot enter into mine." "I certainly shall never be able to understand how you can forget tu behave as a man of sense and honour should!" was the stern reply. "Nor can I comprehend by what stretch of parental authority I am punished like a mere boy for an error committed twenty long years ago. But I will not protest against it. You shall do as you please with me. lamto go abroad, you say? Tell me when I am to take my departure." "Only prove your regret for the past by stopping away till Ambra is of age," his father began, in milder tones. "My dear sir, if I leave England now," interrupted Laurence, "nothing shall ever induce me to return!" There was a pause; but the remonstrance he waited to hear was not uttered. "Perhaps you are deciding wisely. lam arfaid, sadly afraid, you are not constituted to make a good, loving woman happy," said the general sadly. "Much as it will grieve me to lose you, I dare not oppose your resolution." There was a very ugly look or. the face of Laurence Haydon as he left his father's presence, and it darkened into a positive scowl wben he encountered Nurse May. Yet he forbore to murmur at Ambra when next they met; if he looked reproaches, he spoke none; while Loisescaped the threatened lecture altogether, and was allowed to decline riding with Sir Rollo, till his wounded self-love took offence and made him sullenly avoid her. Apparently Laurence has acquiesed in his sentence of banishment, and he came to the house more frequently than usual, on pretense of consulting the general on his plans. He had some idea, he said, of joining a couple of German explorers, who had arranged a lengthy tour in Japan: and he went the length of proposing that Hal Dartford, whose acquirements he had discovered, should accompany him as his body-servant. But on this the general put his veto. "I cannot spare the lad, nor would I let you have him if I could." Laurence frowned. He knew his father was thinking that such a want of mrinciple as he was continually evincing would be a dangerous example to set before any young fellow who was exposed to his influence; I but he made a careless reply, and

2¥ BY HENRIETTA B. KTJTHVEN. «| Author of "His Socoud Love," " Corydon's Infatuation," h 2* " Daring Doia," "An Unlucky Legacy," X Etc., Etc. /

the subject was not again reverted to.

As for Ambra, she was very unhappy. In vain did she try to console herself with the knowledge that this parting need be but a temporary one, and that she had acted rightly. The glances directed to her when no one else saw them, the deep sighs meant only for her ear, the hopeless tone Laurence always adopted when she was near him, had the effect he intended, and kept her in a whirl of misery. Sometimes she longed to throw herself into his arms, and say that if he would but stay if England she would set aside all scruples, brave all consequences, and be his; but still she resisted the temptation, and endeavoured to comfort herself by thinking that while Laurence was absent she would so devote herself to his daughter that by and by Lois' love for both should be a bond to draw them together once again. It pleased her to find that the young girl already regarded her as the fairest and brightest example she could follow. Lois was losing her bruskness; she was more careful not to revile her father in Ambra's hearing, and, by avoiding all mention of him, there was peace between them. Nay, a very sincere and mutual affection sprang up. Ambra could e.ndure the companionship of this warm-hearted young creature when she fled from that of Lady Marcia anhd Miss Braysby; and Lois learned more rapidly, by watching and imitating the gentle, ladylike Miss Neville, than from all the teaching of the frivolous spinster. Aware that when left alone her thoughts always fiew to Laurence, Ambra courted tne society of his daughter. Together they walked or drove, and together one calm Sunday morning they came downstairs, with their books in their hands, when the bells from a hundred steeples were chiming for service. in the hall they round Nurse May ; not in her suff gown and apron, but attired in a walking dress of black cashmere and close bonnet. It was such an unusual thing to see her thus costumed that botn girls exclaimed at it. and inquired if she was going to accompai.y them to the church they were in the habit of attending. "I think not. I have a fancy to hear the preacher at the one across the square"—-how keenly, she eyed Ambra as she made this explanation neither of them discerned; "but 1 do not care to leave the ger.eral unless one or other of you young ladies will take my place, especially as his secretary"—it was by this name Uul Dartford was now called—"has gone to the Abbey." I TO BE OONTTNUED.! Importers are invitel to send their shipping documents to J- J. CO,, shipping agents, Custom-lie use cpioy, Wellington. This firm will do your Customs work correctly and forwar goods promptly.