PRIMROSE DELORAINE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10288, 17 July 1911, Page 2

PRIMROSE DELORAINE

OUR SERIAL.

THE MISER'S DAUGHTER.

By MAISIE PENDEiNNIS, Author of "Sir Reginald's Wihim," "The Forgotten Heir," "Rival Beauties,' 'etc,

; 'i i '»l'TFi'J, Xl.—Continued

"';; (!:;- m'! n>:<tter what you want," j j; ( . ;;■]■/•. "V-in're to do what I tell vmi t.i, .!■•■ :<ini f can't have you here v..,-,; ; ;JV ,. j- ' ~,.. .: letters to write." Am-;!.' Iv '•.'••v.cliing, half frowning. Vi'in'ii !'■' h:\:\ ; ',ono Mrs Vivian went l.arl. v., '; ■ !ii- • but she did not sit doc. ii ;i-/.' ; i. only stood with both i lir.iiii- '■!■':.jiiii;; the arm of the chair, Im'v !';):•,■■ i r;v!;_;cly white and drawn. "(Viiiii'.i; Uk k to-night!" she said,] in -i !•.!■.',• ri.iu'. and her big, bright ey.-- gin. J with a dreamy light as j , ihec n'-.-ti-d on llie blazing logs. "Com- I ilig l.:ick i:.-llig!ltl" j Am! iii;\i', hci tone changed suddenly. ;im(! -!'(• look one or two hurried Mop.; nil ;mhl down the room. "Thai :-'.4! Ics it," she went on. "That strides it once and for all. Ger- I ard mu-ii marry Primrose now. He < .sh.nil marry hoc at all costs. I must I I burn ii o;i as quickly as possible, and ■ ! -f.}K'n--vii!.-| then " She broke off. , ■ "Bui .-.upjioso she.won't marry him, ' what; vh-VT?" i T-H-r oyoc shone with a strange, brilliant fire. i "But she ;hall marry him," she j added, the words coming with a hiss , through liar parted lips; "I'll manage that!" ' Moon while Sir Gerard had made his way, slowly and reluctantly, on to the j stone terrace, down the steps, and a- ' cross the lawn to Primrose. j She was standing by the lake when she saw him, and she waved gaily to j him, and then waited for him to join her.

ish enough to wish that nothing may spoil my happiness."

She sighed as she spoke, a shadow falling on her face. She knew as sho said it that she was not quite happy, and knew that she could never be quite happy again until —until But sho must not think of that. It was so very unlikely that she would ever meet Captain Jack again. It might bo years before she would see his face, and hear his voice, and feel the touch of his hand on hers. Perhaps it would be never. Perhaps—perhaps Sir Gerard was still looking down at her.

"You like the manor, Primrose, do you notp" he said, "and you like being here? You're happy here?" Primrose looked up at him again, a puzzled light in her eyes. "Oh, yes, I like being her© very much," she said, avoiding answering his last question! / "I think that the manor is a dear old place. But what about it ? Do you mean that we are going to stay on here some time longer?"

'I mean, would you like to stay here altogether?" Sir Gerard said gravely. "I mean —I mean "

He hesitated, and Primrose looked more puzzled than ever. What did 'he mean, she wondered? What could he mean P •

Sho looked very pretty as she stood there, in her black coat and skirt, and the beautiful, black fox furs that encircled her throat and contrasted so becomingly with her delicate skin, the wind just stirring the thick waves of her glorious hair, and bringing a sweet, glowing colour to her pale cheeks. Very pretty and girlish and true and tender; but Sir Gerard's heart was full of the little butterfly he had just left, and her beauty seemed less than nothing to him.

"Isn't the lake lovely," Primrose said, as he stood by her side. "I wonder if we will get any skating while' we are down here.' Ido hope so."

Sir Gerard shrugged his shoulders. "It will be good-by to hunting if we do," he said. Her face fell. , ,

"Oh, of course it will," she said. "I had forgotten tfhiat. I hope that it won't freeze, after all, then, in that ease. I don't want the hunting to go." •

Sir Gerard looked down at her, looked long and earnestly at her fresh j charming /face under the soft shadow ! of the black hat she wore; and as h&\ looked has heart misgave him. He' did not like the; idea of asking this innocent girl to share his life, when he knew that he had no love to give her. He did not like it at. all. It was very wrong, and he knew it was. But 'needs must when the devil drives,'' and he was driven very hard just then. Debts .and mortgages and other .difficulties combined to make marriage with an heiress almost a necessity.

It would not bare mattered so much perhaps if he had beenfree to deirote Hhe whole of his time and thoughts to making Primrose happy, and possibly then in time he might hare learned to ]sr& her j but, ha faiew that'that arald fceverbe. fie : knew that he could nerhis lovre had been bestowed long ago upon the : fyiYolouß woman he had just left; and ao—well, (ihart could not be helped now. / If Mrs Vitian had not hurried him into it he knew that he would hare gone on Indefinitely putting of the evil day, but she had poah#rely toemmanded him io propose to Primrose —and as well Pnmrose a* anoCher In fact better for she w*» lonely and unprotected, and if he could not giro her loto, he oould. at least e#r» Mer affection and care. He bent toward the girl, and t«*k her hand in his.

'■( V 'Primrose!" he said, ia hfc Tow, grave.way, I bare something I want to say to you, something Twaht fcotellyoa. May IP"

Primrose looked up at him, and her beautiful eyes met his with a question in their depths. "Yes, of course you miay," she replied, and laughed the happy, unoonsoious laugh of a child. "I hop© it is nothing very dreadful, because I feel so happy this morning, and I am self-

"I don't think I quite understand you, Sir Gerard," she said wonder- • ingly. "Do you mean that Mrs Vivian and I are going to stay here always?" 1 Sir Gerard's mouth twitched a little at the mention of Mrs Vivian, but \ his voice was even gentler than before when he answered her.

"I mean," he said again, slowly, "that I should like you t ostay here always if you wish it." And then he took her little, soft hand in his own again. "Primrose," he went on, "will you stay here always? Will you you be my wife?" He paused abruptly, and looked anxiously down at her, waiting for her answer, and there was silence. It was out at last, the all-important question on which so much depended, and he held his breath. For a moment Primrose could not speak, she was so taken aback, so intensely surprised and bewildered, that she did not know what to say. She had never regarded Sir Gerard in the light of a possisble lover; she bad only thought of him as her father's friend, as her guardian, as some one who stood to her in her father's place, and so thinking of him she had liked him very much. As a friend he was everything, that she could desire, but as a looser —well, ho. could not be thought of as a lover even for a moment.

33jere was only one man in the world who could be thought of as a lover, and that one man was far, far away. The sea lay between-them, and tho chances were that they would never meet again. At the thougM her eyes grew dark and troubled. "I'm sorry," she faltered tremulously. "I'm awfully Borry, but—but what you ask is impossible, Sir Gerard. It can never be. It isn't to be thought of for a moment." Sir Gerard frowned a little.

i 4 he asked quickly. "Why is it impossible, Primrose P Perhaps you don't love me now, but I titink I can ,m»ke you happy/ and you may irust me. [ Yidflr father left you; to My pare, yon know, and you. may trust

She turned to Mm impulsively, and put her hand on his arm. "I do trust you," she saM. "T.% isn't that, Ido trust yon, and* like , you, rery, Tery much, but—-but-Hoh, I can nerer love you. Never 1" He put has hand on hers as it restedonhisarm. "People aren't always in 1ot« when they marry, Primrose," he said, *but sometimes lore comes afterward, and I would do my best to make you happy, Primrose." She looked up at him, and her eyes were rery soft,' strangely wistful. 'T know do eyerythiug that is kind, and goodj andigenerous/' she said. "But. oh—oh, it's imjiossible." ' '""■■",-■'.■ And then *he flushed a little. (T» i»e CM*i»aed).