FIGHTING HER WAY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9715, 10 February 1910, Page 2

FIGHTING HER WAY.

CHAPTER XV.-Continued. 'Yes, I am much better thank you. I am sc/glac! to see you, and to tell you how grateful I am, and shall be fortver, for your generous succor in my sore need. 'Do not mention it again. I could have done no le?s for any woman. For you I gladly would have doru ten thousand times more.

That was enough to impose a lifelons indebtedness on me. Can't-you be satisfied with that?' She was smiling now; she seemed to have conquered, or to have forgotten, her nervousness of the day before. Roland drew a chair to hsr side., and, as he seated hirr,self, said:

'I came for a twofold purpose this evening, Miss Castlebar. First, of course, to inquire after your health, and next to get some points from you befora preparing an indictment against Doctor Howard on a double charge of malpractice. Your letter containing all the facts concerning the first affair is quite explicit, and that matter will be easily dealt with. This subsequent business is far more serious. Will you be able to talk about it this evening?' 'Yes, Mr Marlow, either this evening or at any time; but T have decided to take no suit whatever against Doctor Howard.'

'What!' exclaimed Roland, in utter amazement at such an announcement from the lips of this deeply injured girl, who so calmly and resolutely decided to bear her great wrongs in silence. 'I mean what I say,' she went on softly, but looking so thoroughly determined that he could not doubt her sincerity. He almost mistrusted her sanity as he gazed on her in speechless wonder. She added, as if in reply to the question in hi£ astonished eyes: ;

'You are surprised; let me ex* i plain. At the time of writing you the letter that night after your .visit to jmy store, I was not in possession of J some facts that I have learned since. As I told you in the letter, I felt I could write better than speak about what had happened to me, and I preferred to have you aware of all the circumstances before coming to me again to counsel me on what course I might pursue with j the least publicity. j 'You could not have had my letj ter very long before Doctor Howard | called on me to propose indemnifiI cation for any pecuniary loss I may ' have sustained during my absence i from my premises, and to express his regret for all the mistakes which had given me such distress.' *A miserable old hypocrite!' ejaculated Roland, unable to keep his temper a moment longer; his eyes were blazing, and the words came through his teeth savagely. Christine went on quietly: 'I am afraid he is, but, nevertheless, he shall not be exposed by me; let me go on a little farther. During that interview Doctor Howard said some things that made me wild with pain and anger, and so wrought upon my weakened nervous system that I lost power over myself and became so hysterical as to create a most unfortunate scene which several of my neighbours witnessed. I think Doctor Howard fully comprehended the situation and the character ot my excitement, but the others evidently did not, and a very good woman who likes ma, and has often been kind to j me, was the first to exclaim, 'She J must be mad.' This seemed to put a j new idea into Doctor Howard's mind, I tor he said at once that I was mad, 1 j fear my actions confirmed this impression on all around me, for J was beside myself with indignation, mortification, and physical suffering. The hysteria took a singular form. I could not speak a word, or control myself, in any way. Before i regained my composure Doctor Howard, with the two policemen, came into my room and carried me away in a manner most shocking to my delicacy. You know the rest.' ' She paused, too much shaken by the recapitulation of her sufferings to proceed. Roland said, with intense feeling: 'And yet yu say you are determined to let this detestable villain go unpunished? - " 'Yes; but you have not heard all. Read this letter chat came to me an hour or two after you left me yesterday.' Roland opened the letter she handed him, and read slowly through the following:—

'Dear Miss Castlebar: I dare not venture into your presence to make an explanation, or rather a justification, of my action in your regard this morning. After what transpired at the depot, and your sudden, ard to me remarkable, return to a rational condition, so quickly on the heels of what seemed to me and others \he most unquestionable madness, I feel that I have again had the misfortune to make a professional blunder in your case, and (again I hold myself »n readiness to make the amplest amends to you. You shall state your own estimate of your injuries, and so far as money

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

1 and service can recompense you there shall be no lack on my part. 'But I entreat you to let the affair rest between us. For myself I could and would bear patiently the penalty of ray erroneous judgment, but such a scandal as would naturally arise out of a public exposure of the matter, or legal proceedings, would be fatal to the two innocent beings whose lives and happiness are bound up with mine. iViy wife is in the last stages of consumption —such a blow as you have the pnwer to inflict would kill her at once. My daughter, a lovely, gentle creature about your own age, is engaged to and deeply attached to Doctor Alcot, whom you know was my wa2-d, and for years a member of my family. His attentions to you have already made the subject of such gross comment as to afflict the sensitive heart of my child most keenly. Should this case be made public the newspapers would not only make a wreck of my reputation and yours, but the scandal growing out of it would necessarily put an end to the engagement between my daughter and Doctor Alcot. I know ihat your gratitude to him for his devoted and disinterested attentions to you will make you recoil from being the means of severing such tender and long-standing relations with the woman he has loved from his boyhood. 'With this appeal to your honour and your generosity, I leave myself at your mercy. Again 1 solemnly affirm that I have been honestly mistaken in each of the instances that resulted so painfully to you, Again I declare myself willing and anxious to do all in my power to repair the injuries I have so unintentionally done you. And beg to subscribe myself 'Your humble servant, 'CROFTON HOWARD, M.D.' Had Doctor Howard studied the character of Christine Castlebar all the years of her life he could not have designed a more effectual method of securing her silence than by just tbis carefully constructed appeal to her 'honour/ her 'generosity/ her gratitude to Doctor Alcot—and, above all, her womanliness. He had easily detected in her the evidences of no ordinary capability for heroism, as well as a native delicacy and sensitiveness that would shrink from the publicity of a trial and a scandal as much as from the other consequences he had named as sure to result from such an exposure. He felt pretty certain of the efficacy of this letter. But, to make assurance doubly suce, be determined to have Roland Marlow's lips sealed by giving his rich fiancee a hint tha would cause her to make Mr Marlov understand the least what he had ti say of Miss Castlebar's affairs th( betterfor the prospect of marrying the heiress.

Here, Doctor Howard had reckoned without his host, not imagining that Roland was being driven into the marriage, and would be glad or any rupture. The doctor, in his anonymous note, had advised Miss Carrol to keep her eye on a certain very beautiful young woman—flower merchant, No. - Fourth Avenue—at present a guest of Mrs Goodley, No. Street, where Mr Mar low iright probably be found when not otherwise accounted for. Of this letter Roland of course knew nothing. He sat for a long time i:i thoughtful silence after he had finished the reading of the one to Christine, which still lay open in his hand

After a while he looked straight into her eyes, and said, almost bitterly : 'Then you intend to let that infamous old scoundrel and liar dupe you by this hypocritical whining into withholding your hand from inflicting the chastisement cf his crimes—yes, his deliberate crimes have deserved.'

'Oh, Mr Marlow. don't speak and look like that!, What am I, a poor girl, to bring down so much sorrow on other people? And, after all, he might have been mistaken!' 'Pshaw! Miss Castlebar, do hold on to your clear common sense. Can't you see the key to the whole thing? I do.'

'No. I confess 1 only see an unpardonable carelessness and a natural brutality in the ma? which, as you say, ought to be punished. But when the innocent must suffer with him, I will not be his executioner—l owe Doctor Alcot too much gratitude, even if I did c«re io> hurting the others. But I do care. God grant 1 never shall cease to care about bringing misery en other people.' 'Poor little woman! how blindly credulous you are. Shall I read vou this riddle?' As he spoke he leaned over her a little, looked earnestly in her eyes and laid his band on her wrist, as if to hold her attention to him. He was about to speak again when the high, harsh tones of a woman's voice behind them interrupted with: *A charming tableau, on my word! And this, I presume, is the 'important client' who Keeps you from the presence of your betrothed wife, Roland Marlow!" TO BE CONTINUED