A Daughter of Mystery

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10241, 18 May 1911, Page 2

A Daughter of Mystery

OUR SERIAL.

BY F. L. DACRE, Author of "Was H» the Man?" "A Phantom of the Past," Sir John's Heiress," "A Loveless Marriage," "The Doctor's Secret," etc.

CHAPTER XL— Continued. Ho dropped limply in his chair, his chin on his breast; then he buried his face in his trembling hands and groaned. "Elneth Tynda.ll, 1 wanted to r,paro you until you wero older — stronger —more responsible, but you forco tho truth from me. I can see that I have been to harsh in my kindness. Oh, my child, you must forgive a wretched man I Do I forget what you have done for me and mine? No, nc! Y,ou ( have been to us more than a daughter, and the thought of losing you terrifies me. Go to your room, and in a day or two we will have a thorough understanding. Look I I am ill —I am trembling! Not for myself, but for my wife and child-. ren. We are on the brink of eternity. Forget -this lover "of yours for a little - while and remember thoso who have been good to you. These investigations' you speak of will reveal ma to the assassin ! God! —may you never find out the truin about yourself, cither! Now go, and in a day or two—a day or two—you will understand." .

Elneth was white and speechless. Her limbs totered under her, and she vent to her .room to spend a sleepless night. Paul Morosov's halt incoherent threats and pleading? had completely unnerved her. Had she really been horrid to everybody? Ungrateful —thoughtless—selfish? What would the Coopsrs think of her ? Ronald had pretended that he didn't care, but she could not forget his astonishment —his pain. But she could make amends for that little bit of willfullness. She would call ai the vicarage before Ronald came bade, and be very nive to ivir Cooper and his wife. And Paul Morosov had promised an understanding in a day or two, although he had warned her that the truth about her parentag) had better- remain unspoken. So she lay all night, her hsart cold, her brain throbbing. The wind moaned fretfully in the trees. Once she dropped into a short, dreamless sleep, to wake up with a half stifled scream. She thought that Roff was bending over, her, a long, shining knife pressed te her throat. She jumped out of bed, and lit the 'lamp. Ths torture was unendurable. ! She bached her face in cold water, ! dressed, and Raited for the dawn. At last her thoughts were diverted by the first shrill note of a thrush calling to its mate, and soon the little wood was; ringing with the song of birds. ' Elneth put out the lamp> and drew up the blind. In the east tho sky was dappled with grey cloudlets. She opened the window, and the eweet cool air was like a tonic. In the brightnera and beauty of the morning, with the smell of the growing things «f spring in her nostrils, and the bustle of bird life in her ears, the trouble of the night was not so dreadful, after alt. Sitting there she planned her day's work, and that day's work was to be the beginning of a new life. In this breathing spaoe she realised that the girl had become a, woman, with a woman's responsibilities. As a child Paul 'Morosov and his wife had been kind, enough to her, but in actual money she had cost them nothing. She could have had a good home almost anywhere for a, hundred pounds a year. For a long time her life had been a humdrum affair —a mere nursery governess without an acquaintance of her own age. She had not been permitted to correspond with her. old school friends since the political troubles began, and there was ever that haunting fear that something terrible was going to happen. Paui Morosov had been hunted like a wild beast, and every waking moment was full of horny. Such a state of living was intolerable. She would make an end of it, for better or for worse. Since she had known Ronald Heseltine she had tasted a little of life's sweets, and the thought of him thrilled her like a draft of wine. Elneth went downstairs earlier than usual —it was barely six o'clock —and swept out the breakfast room. "Heartbreaking and disgusting,"' she muttered, with reasonable anger. "I don't believe the carpet has been up for years. The more it is swept the dustier it seems to be. The whole hateful place is worse than a piggery." From the breakfast room she went to the nursery, and so the day's monotonous round began and finished without Paul Morosov showing himself. : He was hidden away in his lib--1 i 1

. rary. Next morning Elneth watched for the postman. His visits to the Rookery were few and far between, and he rarely brought more than circulars from enterprising tradesmen. The letter box was on the little gate in the wall, and Roff carried the key. Jusit beforo nino o'clock the bell rang sonorously, and her heart gave a tremendous leap. She hurried into the garden just in time to see the Jew taking a letter from the box. '.'That is mine!" she said, challenging him with her eyes. She held out her hand. "All letters first go to Mr Morosov," |Roff snapped, with an en 1 scowl. "Give it to me!" she sto-.nicd at him. •; r ; With a laugh of derision he was moving away, when she snatiMied the letter from him, thrust it betuud hei, and faced him, pale but ■ determined. "H'ml" snarled ihe ,Tevv\ "boginning to fpel your feet, eh f And developing a devil of a temper. H"m!' * * * * * That !«me morning just befoi-o noon, a magnificent motor brougham drew up at the vicarage gate The door ope led, and a tall young fellovr stepped down. His handsTve face was wreathed with a good-hu'rioureo 1 . if lather lazy, smile as he u-Mres<»)<! some one in the car.

"Hurry up, Eva, my girl, ioun do not need to bring all that track into the vicarage. The Sportsman, the Field, a couple of novels, and a bull terrier. Why, in the name of fortune did you bring that brute of a dog?'' ''Don't exasperate me, Charlie. You [ know very well that Dick followed tho | car for miles and miles before we disI covered 1 im. Go ahead and b.' it M<: j Cooper. If Ronald's ou* wp'ii g 1 to this precious foundry of hi.* ' Charlie started up the garden path. . ''See if there are any cats about,'' his sister called after him. The vicarage door flew open, and , Basil Cooper was shaking hands with his visitor. "Why, Charlie, you'vo made a peri. feet viking of a man. I got your wire from London, but as it contained no address I couldn't let you know that Ronald was in London himself." "The deuce!" exclaimed Charlie Lorington. "Pardon me, Basil. I forgot your cloth. Now here's a devil of a mess! Women are enough to Eva," he turned his face to the car. "My sister, Lady Eva, Basil —, half sister to be correct. Her mother ,was a peeress in her own right, with tons of tin. But you know all about it. Here we are." Basil Cooper thought that he had never beheld so splendid a woman as Lady Eva Lorington. He caught a flash of her white teath, and heard a ripple of her good-natured laughter. "Mrs Cooper is out; but she won't be long," he said. "Come in; iji does not matter about the dog." "Oh, he's very good and obedient," Eva apologised. i ' "He is a beastly nuisance," growled | Charlie, brushing a cloud of Dick's hairs from his coat, !

When they were in the sitting room Charlie hlurted out the whole story. "It's like this, Basil— we've made a fool's journey, but it is none of my doing. It's; the first time since I left Oxford. What am I doing? Well, not much. I have dabbled in a lot of things, and the governor's given me up as hopeless. I think I shall turn to politics; all the ne'er-do-wells seem to go in for polities. But even that takes money, and I'm tied up on six hundred a year." "Six hundred a year," sighed Basil. "That's all. Lady Eva has got all the cash. And that's why she takes mean advantages of me. Bustled me up here without warning, to see what Heseltine's at. They've been engaged for no end of years, and I believe she is going to rush him into a wedding knot, hotfoot!" The vicar gave Lady Eva a swift, half-furtiv9 glance. Shfe was smiling serenely, and patting the dog's head She intercepted his look and nodded.: "This going into trade is a surprising bit of nonsence," Mr Cooper, but Ronald isn't the man to brook opposition. If he must be an ironmaster, I want him to make a respectable showing." Sha laughetT softly. "I thought to catch him unawares; yet he is in London all tho time!" "Unfortunate, very," tho vicar murmured absently. (To be costumed.)