TO THE UTTERMOST FARTHING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10446, 11 October 1911, Page 2

TO THE UTTERMOST FARTHING.

CHAPTER XXVn. 1 It was Harry who reeled under the blow ; the young man fell back with a gasp of horror, involuntarily repeating the grim words. Severance's face had become livid; he stood for the moment as though stunned. Harry caught at his shoulder and drew him aside. "I say, Severance, don't look like that!. Don't anticipate the worst, old fellow 1 . She —she's alright—she must be! Very likely it's nothing muchtrain run off the line or something. Those telegrams exagerate so!" He pulled out his watch with a shaking hand, glancing at it. "Look here, the train will be up in three minutes! If it has happened this side of Mennington they'll go on as far as Lyohet Morton, anyhow, and that's only three miles away. We can be there in half an hour—less. CaLm yourself, for her sake!" /

With a strange look Severance stepped backward, putting his hands to his head.

"The express train is wrecked," he said, "and she wasi in it! That was her last look I saw at the door!" A violent quiver ran over his whole body; he.looked at the other's agitated face with eyes that seemed gradually to recognise him, "Thanks, Seton !"'he said, in almost his usual tone. "I've got it into my, head now, Ithink. Her© comes the train I Go back to Clare!"

"You will go alone?-' cried Harry. "Yes, alone! Living or dead I will find her 1 Go back to dare I" , ...' # The train started, and the station, with,all its moving figures, was left behind. Severance saw but one thingLorraine's as she had stood at the pic-ture-gallery door and spoken her last words to him.

The train stopped at Lyehet Morton to go on no farther, and he got out and questioned the officials there. The men saw nothing odd in his appearance or manner except an extra slowness and distinctness of speech, which they commented upon when he had leathern;v.fh,© ;accident mijlw&y between there and Mannitig- ' ton/,they, told 1 him, a little over a mile dofwn the line. It had .been caused by some blunder with. the points as far as could be made out *at present; an ordinary train had run into the express and telescoped it. So far only three deaths were reported —a gentleman and two ladies, all first class travellers. Severance looked at the man and stopped him. - "One of thosk ladies was to be my wife!" he said. " "I want to get to her as soon as I can. Is there any one here who will show me the nearest and quickest way?" A jisten,er, hovering on the edge of the group, Volunteered'eagerly. The shortest cut was along the embankment. He would show the gentleman if he Severance nodded and followed him.

He. walked mechanically, keeping close to the guide, but so lost to all sense of 'his surroundings that he gave a violent start when the man stopped, bewilderedly aware that they had arrived at the scene of the disaster. To the-right he had a vague impression of the huge bulk of: tftie gine and of broken carriage mixed in dreadful confusion. _ ,Many figures •tverfe moving about themi Severance heiard vague, inarticulate; voices, broken now and ..then with a groan of pain or a cry of relief and ecstasy. But he did not loolfthat way,, for she would not be ther£.;, He watched the figure of Bis guide, who had joined someone and was speaking, to him with gestures toward himself. This man advanced . to him presently. ' "You fancy, sir, I understand, that you maybe able to identify one of the ladies?" ho said gently. "One of the two ladies?" .

"Yes," Severanoe said. "Where is she?" • -

The official pointed to a shed a few yards away, and as Severance made a movement toward it checked, him. ."•Wait a moment, sir! It is possible, X hope, that you are mistaken. One of the ladies is elderly—it should l>e the other you expect to recognise. I helped to carry her myself, and can desoribe her. Rather tall, dressed in black, and with auburn hair ?"

"That i$ quite right," said Severance. 1 ■ ,v

He spoke without emotion, and fol A lowed the man. They entered the shed together, and he saw something stiff and straight lying on (the ground. Why 'had they'covered her? He put. loiit his hand toward the concealing folds, and the man caught it, looking flthjtti[compassionately. "TDou't look at the face, sir," he said gently. "It's better not. It' is very much disfigured I'm sorry to say; tihe injuries are to the head. But you will recognise the hair no doube." He drew the covering partly away, and Severance looked down. Yes, that was Lorraine's hair —the chest-

(OUR NEW SERIAL.)

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

nut locks that ho had kissed and stroked and fondled as they lay on his breast last night. He looked at the man. "It is quite right," he 6aid. "You' can trust me to be quiet. Will you leave me for a little while?" The man went away and Severance gently replaced the covering and hid the bright, disordered hair. "I won't look at you, Lorraine," he said. "Your beauty was part of you. I'll keep it 6acred as I'll keep your memory. Mine only last night, dead tonight, and all that misery in between us. Fate is rather hard upon us, my poor girl!" He spoke no more and moved no more. He stood as motionless as the dead figure beneath his eyes, looking down, upon its shrouded, rigid, lines, lost in the agony that as yet could find no outlet in moan or cry. He would have been able to make Lorraine mistress of Redbourne after all, he was thinking, if —if she had not lain here, j A great sob broke from him, and he j dropped on his knees with his head on her shrouded bosom. 1 I A shadow darkened the low doorway of the shed. It halted, tremulous and wavering, advanced, drew back, advanced again, ghostlike in the growing gloom. A hand touched him lightly, tremblingly. He started to his feeJt, and tihe cry he uttered was like' the hysteric cry of a woman, "Lorraine!" , (To be Continued.)