TO THE UTTERMOST FARTHING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10427, 19 September 1911, Page 2

TO THE UTTERMOST FARTHING.

CHAPTER XV—Oontinued. "There or anywhere else? Yet you will not navo ner called your 'shadow'?" bii- Derek taid jestingly. He was half whispering; it suited his soft, musical drawling voice and pleased his listner. "Did. your prospective host include her in the invitation i "Oh, yes! He most-especially and formally asked her if she would honor mml " . i „,i "Ceremonious, was he.'' "Well, ju.t; a little bit. But then—- —" She checked herself, looking up at him with mischeviously sparkling eyes. "Ah, if I liked, I could tell you something, Derek!" ; 1 'Could you ? Then suppose you do. "But you must keep it as a solemn secret." ' ~ i "Must I? Very well, that's understood. What is it?" " "Well, then, bend down!" Witli her hand on his shoulder, die glanced across at Lorraine. "I wouldn't have her hear for the world! I believe lie is in'love with her, Sir Derek!"

"What?"'/ ■ The word was so roughly loud o so utterly unlike the speaker?s usual tone, thai) Lorraine for an instant raised her head, .and even' Mrs. ■Throckmorton sleepily opened her eyes and stirred in her chair. Clare stared, puzsded; the gesture with which he had removed himself from her was almost as rough as his word. He met her look, recovered himself and laughed. "That's rather a good joke!" he said coolly. "For the moment I thought you were in earnest,-childl" ."I am in earnest!" Clare was indignant.. "As though I should make a joke in reference to Lorraine of all the people in the world! Or of Mr Severance, either, for that matter. I've watched, and I'm quite certain that he's in love with her."

"Are you?" Once more his eyes turned towards the distant figure, and once more his look was strange. "Upon my word I did not give you credit for such magnificent powers of imagination," he said. "You are downright disagreea/ble! I almost wish I hadn't told you. I've heard people say that a man can never believe that another man can be in love with a/ woman unless he is in love with her himself." Clare was really indignant; Iher cheeks were red. "I think it is simply abominable of you to suggest that no one can be in love with Lorraine f If you had said that nearly everyone must be I should not have wondered."

"I beg your pardon. I had ho intention of annoying you. You surprised me, that's all." "Oh, if that's all 1" Clare was mollified. "But why should you be surprised? And why shouldn't Mr Severance be in love wiitfr her, pnay?" "For an all-sufficient reason j he dislikes her."

"Oh, does he?" She was quite appeased now, and nodded her head wisely. "Perhaps he did once, or thought he did—which doesn't say much for his judgment—ibut now he never takes his eyes off her.. That's one sign, isn't it? His voice has quite a different sound when he speaks to her. That's another. He brightens and changes and starts when lie catches, sight of her. And he scowls and can hardly keep still whenever Mr Rosenthal—*who is awfully in love with her, too, by the way — is with her. Oh, he downright- hates her, I have no doubt! ; ' She laughed triumphant"You are a goose, Derek. Did you speak, mother dear? What did you sav?"

Mrs Throckmorton had querulously called for her daughter, and with her usual affectionate readiness Clar,o went to her. Once more Derek Willoughby's gaze turned slowly to Lorraine's bowed head. There was a flame in her eyes, and his teeth bit on a whitened lip Itwas half an hour later when he made his adieus and left tlhe drawingroom. He was so familiar in tlhe house that no belkhad to be rung to announce his departure, and so the hall was empty when he reached it. His hand was'on the latdi when a door opened, and lie involuntarily turned. A woman appeared, carrying in her arms a pile of lace and muslins. She was iihe new lady's maid, Alethea Ventry. Not seeing him, she slowly mounted the stairs. > Sir Derek watched the movementof the tall, finely-proportioned figure with a stare of amazed and incredulity, and- as she vanished drew a long breath, wiping his suddenly damp forehead with a hand that shook. .

"In the name of all that's .horrible," he said aloud, "what brings her here?"

CHAPTER XVI

Bernard Severance's chambers had never looked so bright. The table, spread witlh, all the elegance of which an accomplished waiter is (capable, bore not only great glass dishes pileH with huge, luscious strawberries, clusters of hothouse grapes and generous jugs of cream, with half a dozen other of the choicest products of Covent Garden, but two exquisite bouquets of roses. Clare liad laughed and blushed very prettily wihen her host, with \a polite little speech, had begged her to honor him by accepting the pink bouquet. It was as though he had known she would be all in white, ishe told him gayly; and as for the white roses, which were lovelier still if that were possible, he must have found out that they were Lorraine's favourite flower

(OUR NEW SERIAL.)

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

Clare merrily insisted on taking one of tho loveliest of the creamy buds to fasten in the thick knot of Lorraine's chestnut hair, and tucked a pink one under her own dimpled chin. Why had he never been nice enough to ask them before? she demanded. It was ever such fun having tea in this queer old smoky, out-of-the-way corner. Wthy had he sent the clerks away? She rather wanted to make their acquaintance. Where did he keep his wig? Miss Throckmorton, in fact, was in the highest spirits, and her tongue ran at its gayest .and liveliest- speed. It was perhaps well that it was so; but for her the little entertainment might not have been, in its earlier stages at least, so cheerful and emphatic a success. Lorraine was rather silent, and although Severance had greeted his unexpected (third guest, Sir Derek, with sufficient ' readiness and courtesy he had not attempted' to conceal the surprise with which he saw him there.

But Clare's gayety and naive enjoyment of a novel situation bore all before them triumphantly. She demanded of her host his solemn promise to invite them again, to a dinner or a supper, when he moved into the , new chambers after the Long Vaca- j tion. She and Lorraine would both solemnly pledge themselves to come to. town specially. "Will you? I shall be honored 1" Severance said, laughing. "But I'm afraid that in point of roominess my new chambers, wherever tlhey may be, may not have much advantage over ] these, Clare." It was some weeks now since he | had asked leave to use her name, and she had readily recorded it. Why not? They were cousins, she said, or at any rate nearly enough cousins to use Christian names if they liked, i But she had not offered to use this name, and he had not asked her to do so. To 'himself he had said that ho would wait for that, and had inwardly resolved that he would not wait long. There was no reason why he should wait. Has prospects at the bar were becoming rapidly more brilliant and more assured; and each time :he saw Clare he thought her brighter, kinder, and prettier. Today she quite livened up the dull room as she deaned back in her .white gown in the great dingy leather chair, with the pink rose under her chin. Then slowly his eyes .turned to the figure beside her, the perfect figure in the filmy black gown cut low on the full white throat, the splendid istormy eyes and grave mouth, and the .white blossoms shining in the red-brown hair. Derek Willoughby saw the look and his lips were tightened involuntarily. His hands were still clenched when Lorraine raised her eyes and ispoke. "Larger or smaller, I, at any rate, | hope itihat they may be pleasanter j than these," she said, with a slight i smile. "We have seen the brightest, ■', side of them to-day, you unust remember, Clare .dear. .At ordinary times I am afraid they must he dismal enough. I don't suppose that Mr Severance feasts habitually upon strawberries and cream and roses." "Indeed Ido not, in any sense!" answered Severance with a laugh. "The law does not know much of such viands,. Miss.'Latouchg,, in my experience, of it-r-or of anything else that is* especially pleasant, for that matter." i "Except the money, I suppose you mean?" Sir Derek struck in lazily. "You are doing well just now, judging from all I hear."

"Indeed? What do you hear?" Severance asked diryly. "What? Wihy, that you bid failto be pretty near (the top,of the tree by the time you are forty! That's good enough, I should think." "Too goodl lam not so sanguine."

"Not? Why, your special friend — what's his name?—Moorfield, says that nothing will stop you df things go straight!" He laughed, and his eyes shot a searching glance at the other's grave, composed face. "<Severerice, I'm half inclined to call it a toss-up between us after all. Which will die tQie richer, I wonder, you or I? What's your opinion now —honour?"

"It's a question I don't discuss with myself. I think I said something to that effect on a former occasion."

His tone was cold, his look annoyed; Sir Derek chose to ignore both. He went on with no change in his own negligently placid manner. (To be continuedi)