THE DOUBLE SECRET.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9655, 20 November 1909, Page 2

THE DOUBLE SECRET.

CHAPTEK XVII. — Continued. And now Canon Arnolfo, who has blithely accepted the inevitable, ac- j cording to his suture, proceeds with ; the wedding ceremony, and anon j Granitto and Lina are man and wife. ' Then, arm i i aim, they return, in j nearlv the same order as they came, ' except that the court and Arriano | nave exchanged partners, to the . Hall of Arms. ; "Now, wdsriior Advocate," says j Gfanitto to Allan IJird. "I beg you i to make out smiie kind of a writing | with you mur.e, and tiie syndic's, and the canon's, aid the tonic's, to as j sure all men Unit this; lady is my very tru.2 wife.'' And alter that, at one o'clock, there is a marriage feast. But before the feast, b;gan Baptist', denuded of his gay attiiv, v.as sent down the hills ti c;u;y to IVlizzo Kidolli a copy of tin a pane r written by A!hn Bird, and a lclUr from Gianitto, saying that the Lady Lina was wvll and happy, that by the time this 1 tter reached the noble lord, (V'rs Vii thorpe and Allan Bird would be w. 11 on their way back to the French border, and that in the rapidly changing events in Tuscany, Signor Arriano trusted soon to be able to put the Lady Lina Harcourt Arriano in a posftion worthy of her high birth and high qualities. The gue.-ts wero gone. By toe fire in the gloomy room of Count Lattrelli sat Lina b,side Granitto, tne young pair in their joy and beauty making "a sunshine in a shady place." One of the young Italian girls came in. Mrs Bemis was better, ind asking for Lady Lina. "She does not to see you, muttered Granitt;.

"Indeed she dens," said Lady Lina; "there is : omtthing hidden be • hind this morning's strange cond ieL I am sure she will prove our friend." She ran up the stairs, and into the bedroom t.f Mrs rJemis.

Exhausted by ..the passion cf the morning, the woman lay pale and lonely on her pillow. She looked v\ istfully and mournfully at Lady Lina. "My darling, ar«2 your married?" she said, holding uut her arms. _ The impulsive girl ran and hid her face on her breast. Mrs Bjmis bpjke into a storm of sous. She stroked Lina's giddei; hair, and kissed it again and a*ain, w-ispenng: "Heavm be with you, my love, my love!"

Then, as Lina raked her head, she aaid:

"Are yon very sure you love this man?—woi.l.! yon chucse him before all other men in the world?"

"Yes, I wuold—i.cL'ecl I would!" cried Linn.

"But you might have madd a splendid match, di'ld." "I was sick of the tu;e of splendid matches; they did not suit my nature."

"It is well to know clearly one's mind!" said Mrs Berais; then she added: "Are you surd this marriage is legal?"

"¥es, v it is," said the voice of Granitto, who had come to look after his wife. "It ii legal by al! laws; the English lady and the English advocate wincssed it; the canon and the syndic p.rformed the ceremony. Here is one of the papers written for us by the advocate and the other is now on its way to Lord Harcourt I want all the world to know that the is my lady and wife forever and forever."

Mrs Bemis, with eager eye', read tl,e paper drawn up to Allan Bird. S> e cried out at the signature "Mrs Viittorpe."

"Yes," said Lina, merrily, "we captured an aunt for the occasion, and sent her homeward rejoicing." Granitto stood by bis wife and clasped his arm around her waisit. Mrs Bemis looked at the two with filling eyes.

"Pate has conquered!"' she cried; "uh, who can struggle with destiny and be a victor?"

She turned her head away as one weary, and Lina and Granitto went to watch the sunset from the top of the Torre del Pocco.

Below these two, standing in the sunshine on the battleme it of the Torre, ran the road to Florence, and along this road, nearine now the Tower, came a gocdly young man, unarmed and riding on a gallant gray —•it was Dugald Probyn, who had said to Lord Harcourt, when he first heard of Lina's flight:

"My dear lord, I ?m going up the hill to see my cousin. If I can not bring her back with me, I shall see that she U honorably married."

So by eleven Dugald Probyn was I off on the main road up the hills. During the afternoon this path was passed by a little ragamuffin taking a short cut into Fbrence. This was Baptiste, the bearer of tidings. Knowing nothing of this Mercury, Dugald kept on bis way, and as the sun fell low behind the trees, he perceived that he was nearing the home of Granitto Marie Arriano. He was about to beard ; th* lion in his den, but having a good conscience and a brave heart, our Pauline's worthy suitor rode up those bandit infected bills, unarmed, save „by his good intentions, as cheerily and unconcernedly so far as regarded himself, J

BY Dime AN McfiREGGE, A uLhor of "Kennedy's Foe," '-Ishmael Keforme ■'.\. tiiuiio of Tlivoo," "i'Mriii'tf IVril." 'Etc,.i-t.?.

as ever 1m hat! taken an afternoo airing in Pali Mall. CHAPTER XIII. THE PRICE OP THE SECRET. Our pejMio young mr.n had reached {ha plateau or: which ;; o>;l Torre ihl Pocco, known amniy It.Mian Liberalt; hs the linii'ti den, when suddenly as if by enchantment closed /ibout him a band of a dozen atawlart yourg f. 11 ivvs, shouting: "Welcome, Eng lish.nan! Are you so enchanted with hill life as to return unasked?" "And who are you? Where did you come from'?' ai-kod Dugald. "We are the whelps of the old lion of Torre del Pucco. We have had his honor of folia wing your journey up the hill as your escort." and in another irstant the party were within the fastness. Dugald was conducted up the stairway, and his guL'e knocked at a door. Tim voices of Graniito called him to enter. The door fell open an 1 revealed to Dugald Una and Graniito, still in the glory of their marriage costumes. Li;;« gave a glad cry, and springing up ran to her cousin's onus and gave liitn a warmer embrace than he had ever before received from her. "My dear Una," cried his arm around hi* young cousin's graceful form, "is it possible, and— ] and " "Graniito, my darest, come and welcome, my cousin—your cousin, Dugald, shake hands with my husi band." i Gramtto came up smiling, and regaining possession of his wife with his left arm, gave Dugald his right hand. "Your husband?" said Dugald. "Your husband?" "My husband, of course. Married this morning, and we had Aunt Viltnorpc at the wedding, too, and Allan Bird, and got a marriage certificate, | or something of t'lat sort, from All an." j "She ia mine, Signor Probyn. by law and by gospel, and by her free choice," daid Grrmitto, regarding his wife with admiring pride. And, trust me, she shall not long be the wife of an exils and outlaw: frje- ! don. shall triumph, and Lady Litia I Arriano shbll soine in the court of the Kin j of United Italy." "Come, dear Dugald, why are you standing here after your long ride? Grar.itto, let us send Dugal 1 so nowhere. I do not yet know the resources of my castle and it is so full of armed men that I do not venture about ii a one; unci, et hi in brush his coal a: d warh his hands, and come back litre for something to eat. He Will not care to sup on ten and pretty talk, as we were cling, but we can ordtr for him sjmethifig more substantial."

"By all rneass!" cried lira nit to, "but first twe will relieve, the good cousin's mind by showi.-.g him the document of the illustrious Avoeace Bird, who for his pluck and his mineral goodness and widdotr, should be prime minister." Arriano gave Probyn a look at his beloved document. With it came out of his pocket'the sealed and.wellprcttcted packet containing the Secret; he tucked it back as a matter of no consequence, littla knowing ita value, not merely to himself but to the heir at law of Harcourt. "And how is Lord Harcourt 9- ' said Lina, stejipinK back and lookinS down, with much confusion on her fair face "Ah, Lina, he is overwhelmed, distracted, heart-broken." "Oh, poo% dear Lord Harcourt! Dugald, do |.et him to forgive me, and say hdd( ej not feel so very badly,'' said Lina, stirred to sjme tardy pity. j "My child your lack of iilial auction is your worst feature." I "Uenr Duptld, I have filial affec- } tion, but so:ne" ow it has never been developed—i'. is dormant. Lord Harcourt is not iifi proper object." I Dugald I'robyn had intended to re- ' turn to Florence on the second day i after, his departure for the city, but [ such a trivial and absurd accident as a sprained ynkie detained him. He i was walking, the morning after his ariival, on a part of the wall which he t.id no: know was unsafe, when it ! crumbled under him and disabled him. He .'•ent by Baptiste a letter to Lord Harcourt, but Madzo, perceiving that it was not in Artiano's handwriting, and seized with a fancy that it might be a revelation of his own iniquities in serving many hostile interests at once, burned the document. Lord Harourc was therefore in anxiety about both daughter and kinsmar. Whlie Dugald was daintily nursed hy Lina at the castl'% and Mrs Bemis daily marvelled why such a man had not won the heart of the peverse darrsel, and while anxiety reigned in Palazzo Kidolfi, and anana'rchy and r volution muttered in the streets of Flo . nee, Lady Astraea, by an unusually spiedy and easy journey reached London and was conveyed modestly in a hackey coach, with Birkin setcci at her side, to the ollice of Allan Bird, teaching there only an [to be continued. 1