THE DOUBLE SECRET.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9610, 2 October 1909, Page 2

THE DOUBLE SECRET.

V BY DUNCAN MCGREGOR it Author of "Kennedy's Foe," '-Ishmael Keforme T "A Game of Three,'' "Edna's Peril." / Etc, etc.

CHAPTER IV.—Continued. She skipped out of the window, followed more sedately by Pauline. Lord Harcourt looked after them, gave another sigh, and strolled toward his library. There, after a short time, Ins mother found him. "Are you ill, my son, or in anxiety about anything? You ate nothing and seemed in some kind of care this morning." "I was thinking, mother, how the sins of the parent perpetuate themselves in the children—to how many generations is it?" "My son." exclaimed Lady Astraea, startled, "surely yuu are not so troubled about our dear Lina; she is childish, and impulsive, but honorable and true-hearted, I am certain." "Honourable! I have not a doubt of it, and very charming and dear; but. mother, tell me how it is possible for my daughter to be so stamped with the preference of my early youth? This morr ing. in that dress, Lina was the living image of Agnes Clifford," he spoke reluctantly. "Why, my son, you are surely mistaken. Agnes Clifford's hair was darker, her eyes not blue and joyous like Lina s, but stormy, almost terrible her face quite pale." "Mother, mother, hush! You never saw Agnes Clifford as I saw her. And as years go on I am pursued by a feeling that Nemisea follows my steps, and that by some sharp and terrible blow I shall pay for the folly, the crime of my youth." Lady Astraea echoed her son's sigh, and looked away. These were almost exactly the words which she had used to him twenty years be fore. She could not contradict him; she was, above all thing?, just; she believed that sin has a legitimate harvest, and that harvest is sorrow. Lord Harcourt roused himself out of its muse.

"Mother, your ward is a very pleasing young ladv; she shows the Percy blood, and what we may call the Percy style; she has the family figure, which I have to chank you for. Oh, motner, I wish that with it 1 had gotten yuur keen sense of right and wrong to'have ic naturally, and not to learn it by failing." "My dear Thoma.«, you reflect, in so speaking, en your father, the mo&t most admirable of men," said Lady Astraea. "I know he was, mother, but with a man's spice of selfishness and intense pride, qualities which my youth exaggerated. Now you are first of all just, you see straight to the head of things. There, enough of this; folly harvests regret. 1 depend on you and this Miss Percy to improve my volatile daughter." Meantime Pauline had followed this same daughter, the Lady Una, through all the meanderings of her volatile fancy during a summer morning. Lady Lina had decorated her rook with a blue ribbon, which she declared to be the order of the garter; she had then wearied of her plaything, and bestowed it on her devoted slave, the gardener's toy; she had rushed into the presence of her maternal aunt, Mrs Vilthorpe, widow of Major Vilthotpe, of the 42, which aunt was taking her breakfast in be?, a fashion which she had learned in India. Lady Lina shocked this dame by appearing in the antiquated garb which her maid, Rivers, had patiently prepared to suit her whim, and which ceased to charm its owner as soon as it had sufficiently digusted her aunt. Through the gardens and conservatories fluttered the merry butterfly girl, Pauline quietly following her, and finally Lady Lina swung herself into a hammock suspended from an oak, and Pauline took possession of a rustic seat near by.

"Have you any lovers?" demanded Lady Lina. "No, I was never so fortunate, or unfortunate, as you may choose." "Unfortunate, I should Bay," returned Lady Lina, with a plaintive, sigh. "I'm dreadfully tormented with them. I have picked up several on my own account, and all my relations are moving up individual candidates or. their own account. I feel like a queen on a chess-board, which all the adversaries' pieces are being moved to capture. Gandmama and my father have their favourite, Duuald Prohyn—l call him the cascle, partly as he represents Harcourt Towers and all the landed estate of the Harcourts, and partly as he is so upright and correct, a youth for ever moving in the straight lines."

"I have heard from Lady Astraea that he is an admirable young man," said Pauline, mindful of her office as mentor and smothering her own ancient enmity to Dugal 1. "Admirable! Oh, dear me!" quoth Lady Lina. "I don't exactly hate Dugald, but I hate all admirable young men. My ideal of a young man is a gipsy tinker, or a hand some coachman, or a pirate or a bandit. I wish I was heir, or. rather, heiress-at-law of the Harcourt properties, and I would amuse myself by marrying some outlaw and making a gentleman of him." "It is fortunate that you are not the heiress, then," sairi Pauline gravely; "gentlemen are not to be made in that way."

"May you be any age less than thirty?" asked Lady Lina, bending her pretty face from her hammock. "I am two months leas than nineteen," said Pauline.

"I wouldn't have thought it, from the sedate tone of your remarks," responded Lady Lina; "but to pursue my simile of the chess queen. My Aunt Vilthorpe has her candidate, her husband's nephew, who is in orders, and is sure of promotion. In view of his expectations, I call him the bishop, also because instead of straightforward moves, he goes at me sidewise, by letters to his aunt. I have never seen him—he is coming to-day. But 1 shall not be suited with him, that I know. He has a thousand a year, and I have as much; the idea of living on that—two thousand a yoar—fancy!" "The bandit; certainly the coachman would have less." "Truly. 1 had not considered that, as up to this time they are simply ideals, separated from monetary surroundings. But, looking at matters practically, could any family live on two thousand pounds a year?" "I am a poor person to consult on that subject, inasmuch as I have only fifteen hundred to my whole fortune," said Pauline, calmly. She was a girl who hated all pretenses. "Why, is it possible?" said Lady Lina cooliy. "Well, it doesn't signify for women have only to be taken care of, but men, on the contrary, must take care of somebody. Where was I? Oh, I have indicated the bishop and the castle; by the way, they call a castle a rook, don't they? Help me to remember to name my young rook Dugald Probyn, in honor of my rook lover; that will please grandmama so much," added the young wretch. "Shall I never get rid oi my list of lovers? I have an ideal—he's the king, very appropriate, as being still only an ideal, he does not move about much. The king in question has black eyes, curiy black hair, ia aa adventurer, brave, dashing, every way romantic "

"Not the coachman," jjmurmured Pauline, "he would be in top-boots and tight breeches, with a cockade on his hat, and wearing somebody's livety." Lady Lina again bent from her hammock and scrutinised her young , companion. ! "Fifteen hundred or not," quoth she, "you are pruud enough for a \ million. You have the pride of all the Harcourts and all the Percys, of ' my grandmama and of Lord Thomas, i all together—ten times as proud as I | am; you ought to be Lady Lina. or ! Lady Somebody, lam sure. Now. ! where is my knight? Oh, the knight ; is Sir Frederick Bunting; he pur- ' Sue's me everywhere; his attractions are forty years, a • huge estate, a fine figure, a bad temper, and tulso teeth. Lika other knights, he is crafty, capable of crooked move 3, bound to checkmate mi, and lam very much on my guard against nim. After him the deluge, ihe whole race of pawns; Tom Brinkham, the next squire's son; the Curate of St. Martin's, Hastings—very seedy; my Cousin Rupert of the Grays—don't know his own mind two minutes at a time—and so on, down to Ted, the gardener's boy, my humble henchman, lately appointed tutor to my beloved little rook, Dugald Probyn!" "I must congratulate myself," said Pauline, "on not being a chess queen. But now I must go to my room; my maid is very young and untrained, and I must oversee her unpacking my bpxes " "I will go with you," announced Lady Lina. "Where is that Ted? Ted!" and her clear voice rang through tne jhrubbery. The gardener's boy hurried up. "Ted, the rook's name is Dugald Probyn; call him nothing else, so„ that he will know. 1 want you to three small bouquets for my dress for din-. ner, for my waist, my neck, my hair —small cream-coloured roses and pink geranium; and bring some white clematis and very dark heliotrope for Miss Percy." "I don't wear flowers now," suggested Pauline "Yes, you shall. I allow no one at dinner without flowers, if you make Miss Percy's flowers prettier than mine, Ted, I shall never look at you again." I TO BE CONTINUED.!

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