A Daughter of Mystery

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10258, 9 June 1911, Page 2

A Daughter of Mystery

OUR SERIAL.

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

1 CHAPTER XXV.—Continued. Charlie Lorington glanced Lti tie direction of one of the Park chairs, h.s brow darkening. "Miss Tyndall, do you recognise th-it: .w\u over Here?" She followed the point of his cane, and her face whitened. "Yes; I saw him in Mr Foxer's office." "He was sent to watch you. Do you care?" "Not in the least." She was at a white heat now. "I shall soon hat* l the man I loved so dearly," she thought. "I believe you are a little bit afraid," Charlio gritted between his teeth. "If you fear no consequences. I'll pitch i'im into the lake." "I am rot afraid, but I am very angry." She stamped her foot, and two spots of >ed showed m her cheeks, "f am going home, Mr Lorington." He walked beside her, and the shabby man with the red hair looked after them interestedly. Presently he rose from his chair and strolled the same way, pretending to be engrossed in the sporting column of an evening paper. "'He's coining, Miss Tyndall," Charlie said; "shall I question him?" ■Ho griLted his teeth together wickedly.' "Let him come; I don't care." "But .-oil are shaking like a leaf This is beyond a joke."

sently. "I was just thinking of Aub-rey-Smith's submarine. Wonderfully clever chap. We are building the new model at our works."

! "Disgusting little cad!" Eva said. j with strong irritation. "I thought j you had quite enough on your hands, Ronald. Do you know that you are ! making an old man of yourself?" "Lots of people tell me that."

One touch of her fingers restrained him, and ho curbed his wrath. He hailed a taxi-cab, and Elneth stepped into it. .

"Streatham," he said to the driver; then he jumped in himself, saying: "I'm going with you, Miss Tyndall.''

CHAPTER XXVI

LO VE, THE ENN OBLING

"But is it fair to me?" she 'reproachfully asked. He turned his face away. "I had i.ot thought of it in tint light," he mumbled. "Ronald, dear one. your mind is becoming so absorbed in business matters that you seem to have no though: for anything else " "I have put my hand to the plough. Eva," he said peevishly, "and I can••ot draw lack The bank people have loaned me something like thirty thousand pounds, but it's safe—the money is safe," he added, in a tone of exultation. "And I have had to sell railroad shares earning 12f per cent!" she thought rather bitterly. "I am-sorry you don't like AubreySmith," he continued. "One would never think from his outward appearance, that he had a mind of marvellous subtlety." "Don't praise the little wretch. He had the impertinence to make love to me." Ronald laughed. "Just like him. He never knows when he is beaten." His apparent callousness was heartrending, and to hide her pain and anger Lady Eva rose and hastily left the room. Suspecting nothing, Ronald merely glanced at her vanishing back, lit a cigar, and strolled through an open French window on to the verandah. 'Three or four men were lolling about, and among them was Lord Lorington. He jumped up, and linked an arm in one of Heseltine's, saying :

To all outward appearance the Phoenix Foundry bade fair to be one of the greatest commercial successes the iron trade had ever witnessed. Experienced men had at first wisely wagged their heads. The scheme was altogether too big for Castle Claydon; Heseltine was young and utterly destitute of practical knowledge. He was a dreamer—an idealist, and lived in the clouds. But long before the works were completed the orders flowed in so steadily that every department was taxed beyond its capacity. Good sound orders, too, and no cutthroat, prices. Then the experienced wiso ' acres who had grown hoary in giving advico sneered at the luck of fools! They said it could not last. Bad debts, slack times, and up it would go in a puff of smoke! The success of the undertaking was due to the abundance of capital and its splendid organisation. The general manager was a hardrheaded Scotch- j man, who knew the business from A.;! to Z; he enjoyed a handsome salary, j and a percentage of the profits in addition. The works were divided into "departments,''' and the man at the head of each department understood that he had to make it pay or quit The result proved good—decidedly good. And now that everything was ir full swing, Ronald discovered that he had plenty of time on his hands. He ran down to Sussex every week-end, and spent a day or two with his mother at Warden Hall. As he hsd to pass through London, these visits were punctuated with "a dasfr to Lord Lorington's house in Park Lane. Ha could do nothing less than this after Lady Eva's desire for an understanding and her startling confession c c love. Oh these occasions he usually : stayed for tea, and listened to tho , chattering of people for whom he cared nothing The end of the season was in sight; the prospects of tV Goodwood taces were being discussed, and Lord Lorington had hinted th?.t his daughter's marriage with Heseltine must be announced before they left town.

"A word with you, my boy. You will make one of my party at Goodwood? Nay, I'll take no denial —i insist!" But Ronald shook his head ly"No —quite impossible. Besides, ' don't care for that sort of thing. Never did." "But, my dear fellow, you must consider the likes of other people a little bit. It would leap up so nicely in the % announcement of your forthcoming marriage with Eva. My girl would be delighted, and you owe her some con-' sideration.. If you have any affection for her at all you disguise it remarkably well." He spoke with some asperity. Ronald's face was ghastly. He jei"ked himself free, and answered, harshly: "I can't submit passively to all these arrangements, and I prefer to make my own announcement, or have the ruling voice in it." He tried to say more, but his voic* shook to such an extent that his words were unintelligible. "Heseltine!" Lorington was almost stupefied. "My God! You are the last man I would have believed o be a contemptible shuffler. See here, this thing must be settled within a week. Bo you hear?" "I'll see that it is 1" Ronald gasped.

The very idea of it made Ronald'-, brain reel. The love-making had all been on one side, and Lady Eva pre tended to be satisfied, though his passivity was gall and wormwood to her proud spirit. But she never dreamed that his heart was elsewhere, and was satisfied in the belief that he was wholly absorbed in the progress of his business. She was alarmed, too, by his changed appearance. His face was drawa, his eyes strained, and tho gray in his hair was deepening. His manner was preoccupied, and whe.i spoken to he would ofter start like a man disturbed in his sleep. "I shall be so glad when the Goodwood races are over," Eva said. ""I promised papa to go home ver.y soon afterwards." She glanced shy'; at his downcast eyes. "You haven't tasted your tea yet, Ronald, and ♦he others have left the room." "Have I not?" he answered ab

He turned upon his heel and reentered the drawing room. Straight across the floor lie walked, passed into the hall, and, seizing his hat and cane, left the house. He went to Victoria Station at a furious pace; his mind was raging. The earj;had calledhim a contemptible shuffler,'-and he 'tiad a .strong suspicion that the earl was right. He ought to have told Lady Eva that he had no love to give her—that his love was given to another woman. The story had once been upon his lips, but he had shrunk from telling it. He could not bring himself to humiliate Lady Eva—he dared not do it while she was facing him, her eyes alight with this new, and 'unfortunate regard.for him. He had passively accepted her soft blandishments, her. endearing speeches—even Irer little can-esses. Yes, he was a shuffler—a coward! In the eyes of just men, he would be regarded as a very mean sort of a villain. Poor Eva! The playmate and friend of his boyhood. Loyal and true as steel he knew her to be. He paced the platform, lashed himself into, frenzy. Home! No, he would not go home. He dared not. The same thing over again with his mother,- he did not belong to himself. His torture was ai- , most unbearable. Back to Cast'e Claydon, and to-morrow he Would write to Eva a full confession. (To be Continued). j