PRIMROSE DELORAINE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10297, 28 July 1911, Page 2

PRIMROSE DELORAINE

OUR SERIAL.

THE MISER'S DAUCHTER.

By MAISIE PENDENNIS, Author of "Sir Reginald's Whim," "The Forgotten Heir," "Rival Beauties,' 'etc.

CHAPTER Vll.—Continued

"And you nro happy —content, Primrose?" Lord Eversdene asked, and his face changed suddenly, growing very j grave, oddly sad, in the dull, Shimmer- , ing light. "Content to come to me, to be my own sweet wife, knowing what | mv life has been in that other place? j Here in England I- am just Lord Ev- j ersdene—nothing else—and you alone , know my secret, know that in Austin j lia T was Captain Jack, the outlaw, i with many a dark deed laid at my aoor —sweet, knowing all that, you are willing to como to me? lam not worthy of yon, Primro~e. The best man that ever existed isn't worthy,of such a treasure, and I am far from the bast, Heaven knows. Yet, if you will come to me, if you are happy to come, rvo man in all the world has ever been to the woman he loves what I shall br to you No man has ever loved us I j love, t-hall leve you always." His deep, rtassion-shaken tone br.--l'.o , suddenly. The love blaze in his eyes' sank deep into her soul. -.,• "Will you come to me. Primrose?" he r.isked, very low. "Sweetheart, will you?" ' .- ■"'?-'•' • ; S'i'3 dro»v hk face down to here «»-■ gain with a shy. swt-et gesture. "Ah, so gladly!" she said softly. "£o f-ladly!' "Even : bough you know 1 have bron an outlaw?'' he quest half whiuin'cally, half sadly. "A bushranger, a d~ eT )erado, a " She interrupted i;im. laughing a little, with her soft hand again°t l> ; s 'dps. ."What does that matter?" she murmured. "Oh. my dear, my dear, why do-you talk like that ? What doer:; it matter to me whether you' are Captain Jack or Lord Eversdene? I love yon. and—and " Her warm arms drew him closer. "And," she whispered. "I loved you first when you i ■••'ere Captain Jack, and I don't mind if you were an outlaw, a bushranger. • and a desperado. You are just the man I love. That is all that matters to me."

And a Pireat. mighty ioy ■purp , °d up ir> Lord soul as he listened fo her tender words. Ho bent- 'his "head, and kissed her white arms with | passionate reverence. "My little girl!" he said, "my little I girl!" Then ho turned her fair face ;' up to his. "Won't you kiss me. j Primrose?" he asked. "I havo kissed I ™u and now I want you to kiss me. ; Ki?'! mo. Primrose, and say, 'I lovo i you. Jack.' " I There was a hint of command in his .'voice that rang fascinatingly in. ■ tin? girl's ears. For a moment she herita£ed, blushing in shy confusion, and her drooped beneath the fire of his. Then slowly she lifted her face, and rested her lios on his. and kissed him. giving him in that simple action all her thoughts, her dreams, all the trensure of her tender woman's heart. • "I love you. Jack." she said, her voice athrill with soft, tremulous passion. "Ah, how I love you, my dear one, my sweet one." He held her for an instant in a pas- ■■■ sionato embrace; then his eyes darken- ,, ed, with s a look -ihafc her. Hjs face grew strangely stern'••and set.; : ; "Poor child!" he said gently, , and his voice rang with bitter sadness. "Some day your love-may be put to the test pretty strongly, sweetheart. It's only fair to tell you that. There is just the off-chance. I don't think it is likely, but one never knows, that things may crop up from the past, as things that one would give the world for not to crop up sometimes have a • nasty way of doing. You see, child, tho future doesn't come from before to ', over our heads. And if "

odd look crept into his eyes. What they had held, thoso hours, iio musol. If she had only known! ifc seemed to him, looking bade, fluit they had been crammed with half a lifetime of strange tilings —perils, deadly perils, excitements, adventureo, risks, Hangers, and reckless, foolish deads, wild exploitseven the dread shadow of death, and now —no \v "Lesbie wasn't telling fairy tales," ho said reflectively, "when he said I was a connection of yours, sweetheart. My mother was a Deloraine, and it .s from her and her family that I havo got my wild love of roving. We are very distant cousins, you and I, and that is why I looked rather queer when your father told me his story and name that night in the hut. Of course, I had heard all the story before, but I had little dreamed that Hugo Deloraine and the miser of Red ' Tree Camp were one and the same person. Ididn't say anything then, or i let you know that I knew anything, because I didn't want to tell you who i I was. **! wanted to keep the secret of my two lives, as I had always done, and I have kept it till now. But now'yoti I know my secret.- Primrose, you alone, and you won't betray it, will you, my heart's dear ? I couldn't answer for the consequences if it came out that Captain Jack and Lord Eversdene were the same! It would mean dangers that you do not dream of. Do you know, child, I am' not sure that you don't hold my life in that little, soft hand of yours. Yes, my life may be in your hands—a worthless life. at best, a poor thing, but mine own. And after all, a man might well l>e content to leave his life in such sweet keeping, knowing that it was safe." Hia voice was very tender, yet held a reckless gaiety, a resolute defiance; but Primrose's sensitive ears caught the faint note of gravity that underlay all. She pressed close to him, and shivered as she slipped her tender arms about his neck agai> ■ . "Yos, it is safe, your secret," she said, and her pretty voice was full < f a sweet, tender gravity that answered his. "You know that, Jack —safe m the keeping of the woman who loves you —tho woman who> would guard it with her life if need be." And the man. seeing the lovely radiance that illumined her face, held her in .the strong closenes.3 of his arms and kissed her with a reckless passna and intensity that left her trembling, breathless. After all, ho was only hu-man—-only a man —and all the l<ot heart of him was crying out for her — [ for her, his white flower love, who had I brought the roTe tint of into

He broke off, and lifted his shoulders ■ with a lazy, expressive movement. And as Primrose looked at him, she saw that his mouth had set itself like an iron band across his faoe, that his eyes gleamed with a dare-devil, reckless light. What was he thinking of, she-wondered? Where had his thoughts wandered? To what? Instifle]biy©ly she reached out her hand, ; <and| ; Touohed his jfaee with ]s.,tie,',''tender - \ - : i%-sMy^dear, !i never mind;?' shemurmured. ''"Don't think of tilings that trouble yoti. ~.We have, one another now, and if trouble comes to ybji I f-hall, be with yoitto .shareit; aixd to' help and.comfort you. all I can, .Always remember that,- Jack, «l«'ays remember that." He caught the little hand and held the oink palm to his lips. Heaven for that!" he answered gravely. "Thank Heaven for your love, my Primrose. My dear little love.',' . * Then he drew her ruffled head down on bis shoulder and stroked the jwaves of her hair with a light caress; and she ?.ighed a little, tremulous sigh. "ItV all so hard to realise," she said childishly, with w vague, puzzle 1 wonder. li l can hardly believe even now that Captain Jack and Lord Eversdene are the same, and Sir Gerard said tha# you were a, connection of my own. L don't understand. It seems, so strange." "Life is full of strange things,' Captain Jack assented reflectively, in tones half amused, half regretful. "The more you see of. life the stranger the things you find it holds. Yes, I suppose, you were a\ bit surprised at finding me here, and I should be surprised myself when I think of at, only that I have eiven up being surprised at anything." As he spoke his thoughts flashed -r.i his last hours in Australia, and an

his life and shown him the gold of love —the maddening sweetness (if love's Eden. - To-night he would be happy—he intended to. be happy. Not one thought beyond this mad, sweet hour", that was all , his own would he bestow. ,He hod wandered into Paradise as he had looked into Primrose's lovelv eyes that .evening, in .the crowded ballroom. But, as mortals will, at first he' had lingered near the rose covered gates, fearing; dreading every; moment to find himself beckoned out. Now lie had forgotten that anv cruel f?ates were there: he and his Eve had Blunged right into this fair .wonderful srar- | den, leaving the entrance far behind I them. J "Afv life, ray love.'my everything." hf\ whispered against her parted lips. I "Oh. my lady, sweet lady of m.r dream*! The day will never rime when I shall oea c e to love vou with :. love that will last until the world's end. and after, beyond, my heart's beloved." And as they stood there, locked in one another'«,arms, "the forgetting, by-the wrold forgot." neither of them saw n face behind the tangle of greenery'that screened their ncok—a pale face with pet lips and gV-amins*-eves—the face „of, a woman who w th" love dre*>m of her life lying in n ruin at her feet. Though ,tlwfy did not know it, thorp was a evgn th() A serpent, whose venomous, nowvn. 6us sting was destined tr> work the wreckage of two lives; plungi g them ; into a, situation., so ' aopnllvno-. ,so, ghastlv. so. terrible, that the -'W+.Wof death could not be more bitter .

CHAPTER XVIH

CIRCE

; Lord Eversdene looked meditatively l at Primrose as they made their way j back to the ballroom. I "It wws lucky that T turned un when j I did yesterday, wasn't it," ho remark-', «d. and his voice, for all its lightness held an undercurrent of mravitv. "I •was just strolling along the park, yon know, smoking' and thinking about .things, when aU at once I saw vour car coming down the hill like wi. flash of lightning. I know what would happen, so I ran. for all I was worth, and managed to get in.just after the smash. X°« were lying on the grass, Primrose, when I found you, so white ;&nd still'that I thoughtfyou were dead, and then I saw ,it was you. Perhaps you;can imagine how.l felt. I oan't tell you." ... % \(To be Continued).