"The Chains of Bondage."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10074, 23 August 1910, Page 2

"The Chains of Bondage."

* BY EMILY B. HETEERINGTON. 5 it Author of—"His Colleg? Chum," " Worfchin«;ton's & • Pledge," "A Foe," etc. «/ I I

CHAPTER XXVlll.—Continued, j She had seen much of him; his friendship with her brother had thrown them constantly together; and though he had never been a man to flirt, or had shown her more attention than every pretty woman consilers her due, with her own deepening feelings Sibil had come to be sure that Jim cared, too, and that sooner or later; he would speak. And now to learn that his heart was set elsewhere—that this girl, a mere type-writer—had supplanted her ? The thought goaded her to bitter fury. Jealousy is always unreasoning. Jealousy made this woman feel that, even though she might never win for herself the man she loved, at least, if by any means she could separate them, this girl should never marry Jim. . "If I could only separate them — and I will— I will," she told herself passionately. Sibil had heard of the rupture between Jim and his father on account of this girl-Jiad heard that Jim had left h*3lather's house after a bitter quarrel. , "This is all she has done for him—this girl who set herself to make him fall in love with her— to ruin his future!" .. ' How she hated this g*l who had come between them to take Jim from her, to ruin Jim's career! But she would separate them somehow; then, perhaps Jim would come back to her. There was a subtle plan in Sibil Ellstree's mind, an infamous, unscrupulous plan; but in the grip of her passionate jealousy scruples had ceased to exist for this woman where Jim and the girl he Roved were concerned. Sibil told herself she would hesitate at nothing to carry out her plan. ¥ "The girl shall never marry Jimrob me of the man I love!" sin whispered, as if to some listeniag angel of evil, that night as she knocked at the door of the house. "Even if it does not bring Jim back to me, I'll surely shatter their paradise I" CHAPTER XXIX. A DEAD MAN'S PORTRAIT. Dismissing tho cab, Sibil Ellstree knocked at the door of the house where Elsie and her mother lived, with a passion of vindictive jealousy consuming her. The landlady of this spacious old house in Bloomsbury, Mrs Saxton, opened the door. "Miss Hood is not at home now, miss, but I believe she is expected home at any time. Perhaps you would like to come in and wait," Mrs Saxton sM. Hood is at jhome." Yes, Miss Ellstree would go m and wait. She gave her name to the landlady, who led the way upstairs to a room where a fragile-looking lady f»f middle age was sitting, leaning back in a reclining chair. - There was a «tr»ng look of Elsie in the thiii, sweet face, with its faded charm; it was the face of a woman who had known much mental as well as physical suffering. Mrs Hood looked fraft enough for the first rough wind to blow away. For years she had been a confirmed invalid, compelled to live in the quietest way; and great excitement or emotion, the doctor said, might be dangerous. "I am Miss Ellstree. I once had the pleasure of meeting your daughter, and I hoped to find her at home, to-night," Sibil said. "My brother and I are great friends of Jim—Mr Ralston." xlie apparent slip was doliberate. "I must apologise for the unceremonious hour of my call; but I understand that Miss Hood's duties call her away from home in the daytime. "Won't you sit down, Miss Ellstree? I have heard Mr Ralston speak of you. It is kind of you to call it will be an unexpected pleasure to my daughter when she comes home. I expect her at any moment," said Mrs Hood. Her manner and her voice were full of charm. She talked to her unexpected visitor with the perfect ease of a well-bred woman. It was evident that Elsie's mother was plpased at what she thought was a krhdly impulse of friendship on the part of one of Jim Ralston's friends towards the girl he was going to marry, little' suspecting the insincerity behind the visit, the meditated treachery that lurked behind Sibil's smiling manner. "I'm going to part them—l'll stick at nothing to break off this engagement!" was the whispered thought in this jealous ' woman's mind, as she sat talking to the mo- : ther of Jim's fiancee. "This girl, this nobody, shall not rob me of the man I love!" Sibil had revolved her plans carefully. She was anxious', if possible, not to take any steps that might incense Jim against her. Only if her first plan failed would she resort to more desperate methods. . The first plan to be tried was_ to represent herself to Elsie as a friend of Jim, with no hint of her real feelings, who had called on behalf of his many friends, whom she would profess to be indignant at the ruin of his career that such a mesalliance would bring about. That the ball was at Jim's feet, backed by his father's wealth, by the influence of his many friends—both of which I would be withdrawn if he persisted in disregarding the pressure of their opinion. She would point out to this girl that, if through her Jim's career ■•

was blighted, and he was estranged from father and friends, sooner or later he would reproach her as the cause; that only misery for both could attend such a marriage. On such lines as these Sibil thought of proceeding at first, little thinking that Elsie herself had urged all these objections, and that one by one they had been rulea out smilingly by Jim himself; besides, Sibil did not know the exact nature of the breach between father and son—that in the quarrel Elsie herself had merely become a side issue. If this plan failed, as a cleverer person than Sibil might have known it was foredoomed to fail, then she was resolved to resort to more unscrupulous methods, was going to lie boldly— an ugly lie, that by the aid of certain letters Jim had written to her, sentences of which were capable of misconstruction, could be made seemingly plausible—a certain treacherous lie that this woman cherished in her vindictive heart, to use, if necessary, as a last weapon. With these thoughts ranking in her mind Sibil encouraged Mrs Hood to speak of Elsie and Elsie's engagement, though every word stabbed her jealousy anew; every hint that told '■ Iter how devoted a lover Jim was, made her more determined to shatter the girl's paradise if she could, no matter now. She looked around the room with that is usually to be found in the rather ugly, heavy furniture boardinghouses. Sibil, fastidiously accustomed to the dainty refinements of taste and fashion, repressed a little shiver; how could Jim bring himself to choose a wife from such surroundings?—and a girl, too, whs went daily to bo at someone's beck and call in an office, and no doubt had to say."sir" to some vulgar elderly employer! Had Jim gone mad because of a pretty face? A girl who earned her own living—and that living perhaps a mere 30s a week. Presently their talk veered round to the engagement, just publicly announced, of Sibil's brother to the rich Miss Fairfax. "Of course I am very much interested to hear the news," Mrs Hood said, "since Mr Ralfeton is a friend of Sir Wilfred's, and has repeatedly spoken to him. My daughter brought home a copy of one of the weekly society papers announcing the forthcoming wedding." It was lying on the table, a paper devoted to social gossip. "My eyes, unfortunately, are not very strong, and I am forbidden to use them much in reading; I am waiting for my daughter to read the account to me. I had hoped that a portrait of Miss Fairfax would accompany the announcement, but my daughter tells me there is none.

Sibil politely stifled a yawn. "No; Miss Fairfax seems to have a curioHS reluctance to being photographed,"- . said Sibil, carelessly drawing the magazine towards her and opening it. "She insists that she photographs badly, though I could not have thought that was the case," she added, indifferently, making the conversation with an effort, feeling impatient for Else to return. . "My daughter saw Miss Fairfax at the theatre the other night, and told me what a strikingly beautiful woman she is," Mrs* Hood said. "Yes, I suppose she. is in .the opinion of many—though", perhaps, it is a type of beauty that everyone does not admire," replied Sibil in a tone that seemed to imply she herself did not greatly admire Judith's dark, regal beauty, that Miss Ellstree knew only too well overshadowed her own more insipid prettiness. she opened the paper at the page of the announcement of the forthcoming wedding as she spoke. . "I think there is some likeness to Miss Fairfax in the face of her uncle from whom she inherited those millions," Sibil added uninterestedly. "Mr George Craven—yom have seen Id's portrait of eourse?" Mrs Hood shook her head. "No; I suppose that his photo-graph-appeared in the newspapers at the time of his death," she said. "But I seldom look at the papers. "Mr Craven's death was very sudden and tragie—to die within an hour of setting foot in his native land. I understand he died without leaving a will " ''Yes; though, no doubt, m any case Miss Fairfax would have in-, herited all he had to leave. Mr Mr Craven never married, and Miss Fairfax was his only surviving relative." (To be Continued}. ■- - i