FIGHTING HER WAY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9714, 9 February 1910, Page 2

FIGHTING HER WAY.

L CHAPTER XlV.—Continued. } >v 'I was sorry to disappoint you last [ evening, but hope my note came in r time to prevent your expecting me.' k day, Roland: the note only came to [ end, but not satisfy, my expectation.' f 'Yes, I know that,' he says gravely, now releasing her hand which he has only held for a second without other : greeting of the woman he is to f marry. 'But I csuld no! avoid it—l had business oi importance that could . | not be left.' ? 'With whom?' she asked, and a jealous gleam shoots from her black I eyes, rie has evidently learned what k this signal means, for he says coldly, as he seats himself at some distance ' from her: ' 'With a client." k 'Who was the client so important as to make you grieve and disappoint me?' 'Miss Carrol, a lawyer has no more right to mention the names and affairs of his clients than a physician : j has to speak of his patients, or a , j priest of his penitents.' The words were quietly spoken, but with so much decision that one could . easily see how immovable his will ! was. I 'Oh, Roland, how cold and cruel you are to me!' J With a flood of passionate weeping, she buried her face in the cushions. This storm had been gathering for many days, during which Roland's i attentions had not been so devoted as she expected and desired; and this ' morning, to make matters worse, she had received an anonymous letter , suggesting she shonld find out where her lover had passed the two previous evening?, and about whom he was interesting himself to the disgust of those who happened to know ,of his engagement to a woman like j Miss Carrol. ! Roland kept silent for a little ' space till her first outburst should have expended its might, then, with- , out stirring from his place, he said, very calmly: I 'You are talking like a child. How j can you say that I am unkind because i I refuse to betray professional confidences, or because I have unavoidably been deterred from paying my respects to you in the usual manner?' 'Your 'respects'? How can you speak like that to me, Roland, when you know that 1 only live when you are with me—that in your absence my heart starves?" I There was no acting in all this, ! but genuine fiery passion that no man could mistake. She had trodden pride and delicacy under the feet of her wilful love, and jealousy had stung ner into a temporary madness. She could not know how this man's soul recoiled from such a phase of love as this; she remembered but one thing now—another woman's shadow was between them. So her unknown friend had implied, and so she chose to believe.

His answer to her tirade only strengthened this belief, and increased her torment.

'Miss Carrol, do you mean to force me to remind you of the terms on which our engagement rests, or that' I am ready to withdraw from it at an moment that you feel you cannot be content with my most respectful attention and consideration for your happiness?' 'Do you consider my happiness in denying your presence to me in order that some. other woman may enjoy your society?' The words broke from her like a swarm of angry insects that she had been striving to imprison—now that they were loose she seemed unable longer to exercise the least control. On they came in swift confusion. 'Can I, Gertrude Carrol, who might have a hundred suitors if I chose, be content to know that the world is commenting on my neglect at the hands of my lover, who prefers ta spend his evenings with some base She was not allowed to finish this sentence, for Roland's strong fingers were laid gently but firmlyj.over her lips, and his slow, rich voice said, sternly enough: 'You shall not wrong yourself and a most innocent woman by uttering another syllable in your present mood When you are once more mistress of yourself, I will finish this subject, I hope, effectually. For this morning I will take my leave.' She caught his hand and tried to detain him, but he firmly withdrew himself from her, and went out of the house. This unlooked-for climax was like a cold shower bath on the young termagant's rage. She had never before ventured to put her reluctant fiancee's endurance to such a testfeeling the insecurity of her hold on him—but jealousy is a reckless demon that makes a fool of the wisest or cunningest brain when once fairly in possession. Gertrude realised with a shock that made her cold as death, how near she had now brought herself to a crisis on which all her hopes of Roland, Marlow for her -husband hung., It was by no means so clear to her that she could be as successful in retreating

BY ROSE ASHLEIGH. Author of Luck," "The "Widow's Wager." "Pure Gold/' Etc, etc.

from this point. She did not understand a man of this type. Her own nature was too coarse-fibred to feel by sympathy all the fine tremulous sensibilities that she had rocked in him by her wild paroxyism of rage. She took from her pocket the anonymous letter, determined to unravel the clue it gave. CHAPTER XV. HOW GERTRUDE CARROL FOLLOW UP HEK CLUE. On leaving Miss Canol, Roland Marlow returned to his office with a sort of buoyaucy he had not telt since the night he pledged himself to wed this young queen of the 'shoddy aristocracy." She herself was about to infringe the terms of their agreement, and set him free from a bond he had loathed more and more each day, in spite of the fact that Mr Carrol, in his outburst of delight at finding himself with a prospective son-in-law of the genuine 'blue bloods ,' had re' versed the order of things, and declared himself determined to settle three hundred thousand dollars on Roland in fee simple on the day of the marriage. But in his own joy of seeing a way of escape opening to him, Roland could not banish the glad and grateful faces of his family when he told them he was to marry the heiress and make them all comfortable and happy again. 'How they will grieve over it poor things! They cannot know what the idea oi it is to me, and they have built so many hopes on it,' he said sadly to his own heart. He found letters from his home folks that cluuded his previous hope of freedom. They stated that his father's health showed noisigns of improvement, and that his physician had urged on them to remove with him to some medicinal waters. But alas! it requires money to travel, and Roland's heart turned heavily back to Gertrude Carrol's wealth that she literally heaped at his unwilling feet. Why could he not take it and be thankful? A thuusand hearts will understand why the vision of a fair young face with the sweetness of an angel in its eyes may make a man turn away sick and longing from a whole Golconda! Roland thought of the trembling dove he had wrested from the vulture's talons, and the memory of her pleadng eyes, the soft, clinging clasp of her weak little hands, the weight of her beautiful head on his breast, set his heart to dreaming those wild, delicious dream 3 that but one woman in all a man's life can invoke to his soul's enraptured sight. According to his engagement, Roland called at Mrs Goodley's in the evening of the day [he had restored Christine to her own home.

He did not see her, but felt reI joiced to find the girl a temporary member of the kind widow's little household, which consisted of herself and two orphan grandchildren- girls, both. Thither he again repairs after his interview with Gertrude. Before the bright coal fire in Dame Goodley's little parlor, that was a model of neatness, cheerfulness and comfort, sat Christine in a big rocking chair covered with gay-patterned chintz; the glowing colors in the woven flower wreaths made a pretty background for the pale, languid girl whose eyes were pensively gazing into the fire; a weary drooping of the long-lashed lids and corners of the &weet, rdsy • mouth, betokened the weakness of her frame. She seemed quite restlul now, and utterly lost in her own reflections; the two little girls talking over a book of fairy tales by the lamp on the centre table were the only other occupants of the room when the servant maid almost shoved Roland into it. Christine had not noticed either the.ring of the bell or the opening of the door that gave the young man admittance. His voice beside her called her thoughts from their wanderings. 'You are better to-night?' he asked, as he leaned over the back of her chair. Oh, what a sudden flushing of gladness and brightness there was in her face, as it lifted swiftly to meet his look! It is in sudden moments like these that the heart speaks in defiance of all customs of requirement of conventional law, and Roland Marlow saw in that instant that the tender longings th» * had been stirring up the depths * i his heart were dimly repeated in tliis beautiful being's soul. But a woman has far greater facility in controlling her expression than a man has, and the bewildering smile of happiness was quickly veiled oh Christine's face; she held out her hand with a gentle grace to Roland, and said frankly: TO BE CONTINUED