SIR JOHN'S HEIRESS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9669, 17 December 1909, Page 2

SIR JOHN'S HEIRESS.

CHAPTER XI. --Continued,

"And now that you have come, I feel stronger and braver. I need you to advise and guide me. The family lawyer has kindiy undertaken to meet the callers, but he bothers ine with questions, and I should like to hide myself away from it all. Y ">u are unhappy, Victor —I can see it in your eyes! Are you sorry that I am no lunger the shabby schoolgirl?'' "Not for your sake, Hilda, but for my own," he answered slowly. She started erect in a moment. "What do you mean, Victor?" "I mean that there is an impas sable gulf between us now, Miss Carrirgton." • "You professed to love me!*' she said, with a flash of scorn in her yes. "You saved me from misery—from myself; I have set yuu upon a pedestal and I made a hero of you!" Her voice faltered. "And you would let this come between us? Is that your love?" He clutched at the letter in his pocket. "Would you share my infamy and poverty?" he asked. She kissed his trembling hand. "Infamy and poverty! I would share anything with you, my own—l would sacrifice anything for you! Remember that we were to be married this week or next! I have no desire for the ceremony to be postponed. My uncle spoke of the pleasure it gave him; his latest wish was that my lover should be my husband and the master of Woodcroft without delay—to protect me from my father, whom he hated and distrusted." "But public opinion, Hilda." Victor was grasping his father's letter. "Public opinion is nothing to me compared with my future happiness! Public opinion scuffed at the beggarmaid when it condescended to interest itself in her. I have already ex pressed myjviews to the rector, and arranged that nothing shall interfere with a quiet marriage—absolutely nothing! It may be postponed for a week, but not longer, my darling!" She clung to him frantically; he was amazed at her earnestness and passion. A long siience followed; a'c last Hilda murmured: "You will not try to oppose my WJsh6s, Victor? Ynu love the princess as you loved the beggar-maid? Or did you only pity her forlornneas?"

The question was half serious, half playful, and Linton spread out his father's letter before her.

"My Hilda, if I loved you then, I love you now a hundredfold more! While Fortune has been smiling upon you, she has been buffeting me and mine without mercy. Yesterday I bore an honourable name; to day, it is smirched with infamy. If you read this you will understand and be able to judge. In any event, I must go home to-night to I'my mother and sister, and alter ward " He did not complete the sentence, but watched Hilda's pale face while she read the confession of Mr Lmi ton's criminal folly, 'lhen she looked at the map, her face lighted up with keen pleasure and interest. | "Victor/' she said softly, "in what way did you imagine that this would influence me? The fault is not yours, but I am Sorry —so sorry—for your mother and sister! Is it -too late " "For what?" He turned his haggard eyes upon her apprehensively. Was she going to offer him money? It had been the first thought of the rector. "You understand your father's business. His flight need not be known perhaps for some time; and, if the work in the office goes on without interruption, your name might not suffer. It is only a woman's suggestion." She hesitated. "Thank you, but t I am afraid to hope! If there is a chance, our managing clerk will not let it slip I will telgeraph to him." He rose as if to go. "Yes, Hilda, I will do all that you suggest, and my own poor little ambition must go to the wall!'' He laughed bitterly. "The story that was to make my name and fortune has become a pitiful thing—and yesterday I was so full of hope and happiness!" He saw that his words pained her, and continued remorsefully. "What a brave and loyal soul you are; and I had no idea until now that I was so wretched a coward!" She held the mapj of the ill-fated mine toward him, a i,iier_face lighting up. "Victor, there something in this, after all. 1 have seen the place—it is barely ten miles from Llanberis—and| I £have been very angry with the people who had the heart to turn the beautiful fields into mounds of charied and blackened earth; to me it seemed an act of vandalism. Oh. yes, I know the Nant Glaslyn Valley very well indeed, and it is possible that the mine of wealth your father dreamed of really exists below the surface!" He bent down and kissed her lips with infinite tenderness, murmuring gently: "Little comforter!" "Ah, you think that I am only a

BY F. L. DACRE, Author o£ "A Lossless Marriage," "A Change of Heart," ■'Trenholme's Trust," "A Case for the Court," Etc, etc.

foolish girl!" she answered brightly, although there was a shadow beneath | her eyes. "And now, my darling, it is'good-by' for a little while! If I had no plenty to do, I think that my heart would break.She laughed hysterically. "And you will write to me every day, and come back to me before my uncle's funeral, if you cian? It is likely that the house will be full of people—the lawyer says so—and I have to get a maid and a chaperon! Oh, I wish that I had never had an uncle, or that he had let me go on in my own way!" Victor made all sorts of promises. His face wore an expression that was almost cheeriul when he quitted the Castle. "Things may not be so black as I painted them, after all," he thought. "How couid I ever have doubted Hilda's noble and unselfish heart? And her last words were hopeful words concerning that treacherous mine." He shook his head sadly. Then he became conscious that the butler was regarding him inquisitively. Where had he 3een the man before? He entered the waiting fly, and was drivend to Llanberis. At the station he telegraphed to the managing clerk of Linton", Son and Linton. There was a grain of hope, there also. And when he was seated in the train he made a careful study of the map of the mine in Nant Ulaslyn Valley.

CHAPTER XII. "THE PERT LITTLE MINX-I POSITIVELY DISLIKE HER!". The funeral and other arrangements were in the hands of the late baronet's lawyer, a remarkably astute man, who numbered among his extensive clientale many members of the peerage, and was something of an aristocrat himself. His name was Molosen and he was the brother of an eminent judge. Mr Moison had promptly adopted the role of protector and adviser tn the girlish mistress of Woodcroft, and Hilda had acepted his good offices with cheerful thankfulness, though the lawyer was not animated by any philanthropic sentiments. He wished to retain the business management of Woodcroft Castle in its entirety, as heretofore—hence his desire to propitiate the new owner' in every possible way. And she was only an ignorant schoolgirl! "It ia an open secret, my dear Miss Carrington, that every acre -every shilling—is yours, before waiting for the will to be read, and Sir John extracted a premise from me to regard your interests as my own until you fully realised the grave responsibility of your new position. You see, I have been Sir John's legal adviser for marty years, and. we were comrades asboys. Therefore, Ido riot anticipate that you will negative any action or proposal of mine." "Oh, no!" Hilda flushed at the idea. "I am utterly helpless in matters of thi3 kind." "Then. I have carte blanche? I considered it due to you to Bpeak ! plainly; though, after the lapse of two whole days since Sir John's unfortunate demise, little more remains to be done until the body is laid at rest." He coughed behind his hand, and began to pace the room, apparently studying the pattern of the carpet. "And therj are one or two other matters about which I wish to speak, Miss Carr-ineton.'.' Hilda waited. "I have been obliged, as a matter of courtesy, to send out a large number ox invitations to the funeral—which is fixed for next Monday, by the way. You se», Sir John had so many old colleagues in the political and official world, whose admiration and affection have been revived by the news of his sudden death." He glanced at the girl's impassive face, and smiled faintly, continuing: "And, as regards the lady whom I recommended to act in the capacity ot chaperon for as long a period as you shall decide, I have a letter stating that she will arrive at Woodcroft during the day. The matter was so urgent that we have not really had time to pick and choose, though I can thoroughly recommend Mrs StaplesLambert -who, by the way, is of very good family. She is a widow in poor circumstances, but experienced in the ways of the world. You may place yourself unreservedly in her hands, Miss Carrington." The lawyer paused interrogatively, and Hildß said. "Thank you!" in a weary voice. "I am glad that you approve so heartily of my action," proceeded Mr Moison, his eyes again becoming fixed on the carpet, "A few more words and I have done. I desire to reter to Mr Linton, the—er—father of the gentleman whom I saw here two days ago." Hilda paled and reddened by turns: her head was erect and her eyes flashed. "I don't think that anything you can have to say about Mr .Linton will interest me," she coldly answered. TO BE CONTINUED.