When Love Rules The Heart.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9556, 31 July 1909, Page 2

When Love Rules The Heart.

CHAPTER XIII. "I AM A COWARD AND A TRAITOR." "You are not lookiing well. Duncan," Lord Rainhill observed at dinner. "If you have any trouble, I hope that you will confide in me, with the full knoweldge that I shall take a sincere pleasure in helping you--both with money and advice, if either is needful." "Money?" Duncan could not restrain a laugh. "I have not spent half my allowance! And there is my mother's portions of a thousand pounds a year. lam really flush of money, father?!" Lord Rainhill coughed, but kept his cou keen eyes fixed upon his son's flushed face. "Then lam wrong. And lam glad of it. You look worried and nervous. I feared that you had been indcued to touch cards, or to gamble on the turf. There is no particular sin in that kind of thing for a young man. It often saves him from ruin in his old age." He hesitated. "You will not think the assumptiun too hasty, my boy. I have been annoyed—amazed, too, I may say—by the —er —impertinence ot that blackleg Etherw/jjron and young Mountarbori. They called here this afternoon, and sent in their cards to see you of course." * Duncan's face flushed, and his eyes flashed with fury. "Why did you not kick them out?" he said. i

"How excitable you are!" Lord Rainhill smiled. "I should not care to soil my boots on such a man as Etherington, at least. I am sorry that Mountarbon is under Etherington's influence! He is so young! And he was once your friend. Naturally, I felt alarmed on your account. I ought to have known you better. If these fellows call again '' "I will deal with them !" Duncan interrupted savagely.

"The infamous career of Etn°rington is not generally known," the earl resumed, "at,least, to you of the younger generation. He has always been a gambler, a profligate ot the worst kind. Some twenty'years since he decoyed the daughter of his gamekeeper away from her home, and broke her father's heart. I believe that he married the girl, »nd deserted her after inflicting upon her the most inhuman cruelties. You cannot wonder, then, that I object to his presence here—that I wr\i amazed and annoyed at his audacity in calling at my house." It was almost on Duncan's lips to tell his father the story of his love for Zilla—of Etherington's cruel persecution of her—of his violent quarrel with the cynical and revengeful Mountarbon. He and flushed, and compressed his lips. Lord Rainhill was still regarding him keenly. How cold and hard his eyes looked! "I remember that Fbrenca mentioned something in one of her letter about Mountarbon and an entertainment you arranged on the lawn."

"Florence appears to take note of ana! report even Jhe mo°t trivial events," Duncan coldly said. "Matters are so dull during Sir John's absence abroad! And I I'jaVn that he has received Instructions from the Government to prolong hi 3 stay in Paris. I must ask Florsnce to spend a few weeks at Rainhill Cou»t. London will soon be empty, and ' really sigh for the country—the weather is so oppressively hot! Speaking of the minstrels you engaged, please do not run away with the erroneous opinion as regards your sister's appreciation. Everything that you do is right in her sight, Duncan. She was simply charmed by the sweet singing of one of the performers—a girl—a mere child. It is rather surprising, as this class of people are usually the dregs of the profession. They are not good enough for the shadiest music-hall, and open air singing is, at the best, a mere pretense for begging. Indeed, a legitimate bsggar is, in my opinion, far more respectable that the peripat2tic minstrel, who sings for coppers on the sands and in the streets. In the summer-time possibly he thrives; in the winter he starves in a garret, turns to thieving, or lives upon, the credulity of his summer patrons, if they be so foolish as to give him the opportunity." Duncan thought of Seton, the exconvict. / He writhed under his father's biatribe. It was uncalledfor, cruel! "My experience of seaside minstrels is very limited," he observed. "The troupe I engaged was a superior one. As a matter of fact, I did it to pique Etherington. I saw that he was annoying the - the girl minstrel" —his face flushed—"and that is just what we quarrelled 'about." A shade of anxiety appeared on Lord Rainhill's face.

"My dear bov, I am deeply concerned!" he exclaimed. "I suppose that this K' r ' nas a certain amount of prettiness- 'Daisy with the dimple, because I am so simple' sort of thing, eh? You mus t not quarrel with a desperate scoundrel like Etherington and especi a "y about a creature \vhose very associations are polluted. It may be a put up job, you know; and none of these singing women are any better than they should be. Etherington would be delighted to pick a

f BY OWEN MASTERS. S 1 1 (* Author of "Captain Emlyn's Daugater/" "The Woman {, • Wins," "The Heir of Avisford," "One Impas- •» / sioned Hour," Etc., Etc. /

quarrel with you, to create some sort of scandal, if only to annoy me. I have never forgiven him for taking away poor Bessie Hartley, the daughter ot his gamekeeper. Several of us young fellows were great admirers of Bessie's rustic beauty." Lord Rainhill sighed. "And when we heard that she had gone abroad with Etherington. we vowed summary punishment unless he married her. Fearing for the safecy of his own life, he did marry her, but none of us ever saw pretty Bessie again. She died two years later in starvation and in raes, calling upon Heaven to avenge her wrongs. At least that is the story which came to England. One of Bessie's old lovers Etherington's valet—traced her to Palermo, where he found her dying." '.'And would you censure me, father, for standing between this black-hearted wretch and an inno cent girl?" Duncan warmly demanded.

"An innocent girl?" said his lordship. "A street singer! Pray do not let your chivalry run away with your common-sense! These creatures have protectors in the background—despicable brutes!" "Do you condemn a community because one of its members is a backslider?" Duncan asked.

Lord Rainhill shrugged his shoulders. .

"The argument is profitless, Duncan! I have done. By the way, I have written to Miss Howard; I felt it to be a duty. I am sure that you will think that a graceful action of that kind was due to her. I have been so grossly misrepresented by people—by my own daughter." "You have written to Miss Howard?" Duncan said hoarsely. His face paled. "Yes; I have dispelled the poor girls' doubts. You told me of your love for her, her brother sounded me on the question, but she was left in suspense. As I appeared to be the stumbling-block to her peace of mind —to her happiness—l have hastened to assure her of a warm welcome to Rainhill Court as its future mistress. To-morrow I shall humble myself to General Howard. And then let us hope that things will glide onward to the tune of marriage bells." Lord Rainhill laughed lightly. The younu man did not speak. He felt that he was in a perfect maelstrom of perplexities. Great Heaven, how would it all end? I TO BK OONTINI/ED.I