TO THE UTTERMOST FARTHING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10426, 18 September 1911, Page 2

TO THE UTTERMOST FARTHING.

CHAPTER XlV.—Continued. Mrs. Moorfield hurried from tho room. Lorraine left alone, slowly raised her hand and held it outspread before her. She spoke as though to recad •the exact words to her memory. There was a dreadful smile upon her face wihich made it ghastly. ; " 'The person who helps on Clares marriage with Sir Derek will be Clare's worst enemy.' lam to do my best to break it off for Clare's sake! ' And she loves him!" She gave a low, mocking laugh. J CHAPTER XV. Tho drawing room in Hill Street, which previous day had been a scene of heat, chatter, and confusion, was delightfully cool, pleasent, and quiet. In her especial chair, with cushion, shawl, smelling bottle, and foot rest, Mm? Throckmorton reclined. and languidly read a novel. At the further end of the room, as absorbed and motionless as though she were alone, sat Lorraine, deep in a volume of verse. And on a coach by the window was blare looking up. at a fourth, person, who--was leaning; Over the coach, and who had made his appearance then, was scolding him. "But I don't at all sse why I should forgive you," she said. "Not when I apologise so prettily?" "You should have come yesterday. I was awfuly disappointed." "Then I won't forgive myself." "You knew I should expect you?" "Yes, but wouldn't you rather have me to-day?" Sir Derek "VVilloughby was the speaker. For no one else would Clare's fair face have been so tremulously flushed and radiant; under no other eyes would hers have drooped so shyly. \ The saucy archness' was a very poor disguise; the fond, innocent secret of her heart was proclaimd in every look and word. If it had ever been a secret to its inspircr,_it certainly was not so now—his look showed that. There was an amused triumph in it. Clare rose from the sofa; only a bashful side look from her eyes had replied to the question to ( which he knew the answer already. "I shall ring for tea," she said, "although by right you don't deserve any, sir. But I want mine, and so does Lorraine, I should think. And don't you, mother dear?" Mrs Throckmorton, whose main occupation in life was to discover that she wanted something, acquiesced. The tea was brought in, and Lorraine quitted her seat to pour it out. dare took her mother a cup, standing by her side—even tea must be administered to Mrs Throckmorton as though it were a draft to save her life. Sir Derek seized the opportunity to approach. Miss Jya,t«mK».h« awhe bent over tho trav. •

"Clare has been scolding ce L-iV mendously! Did you tear her?" "I was reading." "Because I did not turn up yesterday. I think she vowed she would not forgive me. Will you?" "I am always ready to pardon your absence, Sir Derek." Tjhe tone of the words and tiho look which pointed them made their meaning unmistakable. Some nten would have started from them as from a blow in the face, but not Derek Willoughby. The smiling, courteous composure of hia gipsy face did not change in the slightest degree./

"You are always kind—a thousand thanks! If my peace is made with you, I regard it as made with Clare. : But I fear you did not pay me the compliment of missing me." She disdained to reply aven by a look. Clare turned back to the table. "Give me a oup, Lorraine i dear! lam so thirsty!" Taking the cup she glanced at her fosetr sister's face. "Oh, you are looking so much better tihis afternoon, darling! You have quite a color, hasn't she, Derek?" Sir Derek glancing , across iwith sleepy eyes at till© proudly indifferent face, probably knew? what had.! caused the.unworiited. soloiy '•; * '/' ' ; (certainly must, cpmpiimont Miss ; u^n, looking her best this a«fternoon." he .'said/ : . % ! •v; "Her. But she to been too pale lately, and it has.quiite..worried me., '.'Oh, added Clare,,glancing up gayly and looking quizically at Sir Derek. I am going out ot tea to-morrow afternon." "Are you? Is there anything remarkable in that?" "In.itself, no. But guess where I am going."" "That's rather beyond me, I'm afraid." "Well, I believe in keeping up family ties—it is only proper. lam going to drink tea with my cousin." "Cousin? You don't mean Severance? You don't mean that he asked you to do that " "Yes, he did." "A very pool proceeding on his park I ., - "Do ! now?" Delighting in thfe idea that "she was teasing him—-it was so seldom that, she could succeed, "n doing tihat—Glare leaned back in h.er' chair and smiled. "You don't know anything about it!" she affirmed coolly. "The truth, is I went as near as I possibly could to asking him." , . "To invite you?" ■ \

"Justus©. I luad always a curiosity to see his chambers. We are promised unlimited strawberries and cream, which he was afraid would be about all tihat the limited resources of the establishment would be equal to. If it were not so warm I would make him put on bis wig and gown. I

(OUR NEW SERIAIi.)

By CARL SWERONA, Author of "A Mere Ceremony."

i should love to see him in them I" I "By jove! It's rather a good idea.'' \lf Sir Derek had felt any irritation it was past now, and he laughed. "Three is an awkward number, and Severance is not by any means a lady's man. But, I think, by your leave, that I'll come too, Clare." Clare looked surprised; her smile faded. Lorraine slowly raised her head. "Don't you think it would be as well to make sure of your welcome first, Sir Derek?" "Oh, that is all right!" He was quite unabashed. f "I am happy to say that Severance and I made up our little difference long ago." He spoke to Lorraine and looked at her, but it was Clare who answered as she bent forward eagerly. "Oh, have you, Derek? I am so glad! I was afraid that you still " She broke off, flushing. "I never really did understand what it was," she said, with pretty diffidence — "only ifchafc tlhere was some some unpleasantness between you and Mr, Severance. You—you told me so, you know." "Exactly. A very small difference —(merely a matter of opinion—and a very small unpleasantness," Sir Derek remarked lightly. "Ajs for the blame, such as it was, I frankly confess fthait it was quite as much mine as his —anore, perhaps, for I fancy that I may have the better temper of the two. That Severance should feel a little ■stiff with me is only -natural, and I acknowledge that. If he said something that vexed me, I need not have retaliated, but I'm afraid I did. I didn't feel satisfied to leave things as they were. We had both been, hasty, but I didn't wish to quarrel.- I went to him and said so, and we shook hands, and there was an end to it. A very proper sand satisfactory one, don't you think?" He had delivered the little explanations in his gayest and easiest manner, touched with a faint tone of selfdepreciation which was adorable in one pair of eyes, at least. Lorr!aine did not make tihe response of even a look; she rose, took up her book, and withdrew in silence to her former seat. Clare, rising, too, put ia shy little hand upon her cousin's sleeve. She could not tease him now that they were virtually 'alone again. Mrs Throckmorton, dozing after her tea, was of no more account than her empty chair would have ibeen.

"I'm so glad that you did that, Derek," she said, vltLspering. "Are you, aaa-iinsr Th P n I am repaid a thousand times T" He kissed the trembling little hand. Clare would live for days on that caress and that fond word, and he knew it. He had, often reflected that she was wonderfully easy to satisfy. And the next - few minutes' sil-' ence did for her quite as well as a speech—'better for him, for it was less trouble; ihe could amuse himself by looking at her. She. was wonderfully pretty! Was it a fact that that low Severance fancied Iher, as he had often "thought?. He would know what his chance was like if he could look here. Jit .would be „a most richly factory way of. paying -tihat debt—that offer of assistance which he had hated him for making, and hated him for yet. The fact (thai the tables had been turned ©o swiftly, so mercilessly, might have contented most men, but ! not Derek Wdlloughby. It was not personal enough. He did not feel tWt I he himself, of his own act, had "got | even" with Bernard Severance.

"Well," he said presently, "what is the verdict?" I'The verdict?" "Yes. About to-morrow. May I come?" "Certainly you may, if " "If what?" "If you care about it." "You know there is no 'if ! I may call for you then. Your shadow willnot object?" "Lorraine You are not to ,call her fthatf" Glare couid rebuke even him" on this subject. "You know' 1 don'rt like it, Derek," she said reproachfully. "It is, not nice, some*how." "No?" H^lwked"acrossfa* the figure on the distant couch. "But she is not nice to me." "She'does hot understand you." "Perhaps not. I must he resigned to the imisfontune." She did not see his smile. "She goes with you to-morxow, I conclude?" "Why, certainly she does! I should not care to go without her. I never do, you know." (To .be continued.)