A DEEP GAME. OR THE HONOUR OF THE TREVELLANS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10535, 23 January 1912, Page 2

A DEEP GAME. OR THE HONOUR OF THE TREVELLANS.

OUR SERIAL.

By Mrs De Winter Baker, a.u f <. T u a q:- ot Carine," "Sir Blandford's Protegee,'! "For Author oE "The Sin or or . Woej » e tc.

CHAPTER IV—Continued. "Oh—l am so sorry, Lady Trevcllaii!" J>cg*n Lcttiee a* onco mi her sweet, silvery voice. "I fear I have infringed one of your rules to begin with!" .„ . . , , "Lady Trevellkm will forgive you, I nm eoululent, Miss Lascelles, it 1 intercede on vour behalf," swd iHie chaplain , «-i tfli an oily .smile. "1 have been . escorting vour secretary to the ohapai, ] Ladv TrevuHain. She-greatly admires , all 1 lave shown her.'' . . , Ladv Trevellaii smiled forgivingly on the protitv ffir.l. Then Grace Omer arrived and '-helped Mark Jason to wiheel her ladyship through the polosdhed na.li j to the magnificent dining-room ontto- I site. Sir Eric held out has arm to Let--IC"Wlhy didn't you let mo show you the chapel?" he Whispered in her coral pink ear You must beware ot that fellow. He is more serpent than man. I haste him 1-1 will tell you «£y later. I shall be terribly upset if I think \ou are coins: to succumb to has influence. It was only d short distance to £he dining room, and -Lattice barely had tdime'to reply- r .* , , •„_■ "Please don't be agitated on my account, "Sir Eric. There is no., .one living who could compel submission from me against my will. We mb such Strangers yet, but if you^ge t to know me better lam sure you .viil believe wtot lam telling you The prassure given to the small hand lying so confidaitfbly vnrtftun'feif Eric's arm carried its own answer. It so positive y: to know you better witlhout delay. .

conservatory. "And now that wo are out of earshot —. a difficulty in this rambling old place —" began t'ho young man, "let mo speak very plainly. If there is .anything I say to make- you shun that detestable snake, Mark .Jason, I mould say it. 1 f you could feel one-thousand-th part of the' aversion I feel, you would not wonder at my warning. Why my mother still swears allegiance to him is beyond my comprehension." He spoke in a soft, low voice, little rooking that a dark, venomous face . was pressed against the .screen on .the side opposite wlhore Ihe sat. "Sir Eric, we've only known each, other such a short time," said Lettioe gently, "but I feel I must confess my ouriosity, too. I cannot understand why your mother puts up with Mr Jason, if he is such ah objectionable man. I know how this dislike must spoil your visits to the castle." Her 'hand that. Wiais stretched on tlhe reclining ohair, went frankly into his, and' her lovely eyes looked into 'his full of sympathy. . "Indeed it does,' 'he replied with ardor. "I am sick of both Grace Omer and that shake Jason. They form- a regular barrier 'between my mother and me, that I never sem to be able to overstep. But when, my mother dies all will be different. I slhall come into my own, and my first act will to rid tfhe castle of these toadies, who have preyed upon her in such an unaccountable way."

CHAPTER V. Dinner that first evening of Lettice's arrival was a long, wearisome business —.at least for two of the party. Lady Trovellan sait at the head of the table, o-Mttering with gold and silver plate. " But most of ithe conversation wds carried on by Lady Trevellan and her chaplain, the Mter r ,assumingsiich important manner and airs that Lettice wondered how Sir Erio controlled himself. But he did, though .mwardTvhe j was fuming, as he passed dish after ( dish, that he should have ito sit down I at all with this interloper who had wormed himself into the dowager; s good graces so ftrm'ly. But dinner came to an end at last, and after coffee had been served in exquisite cups of purest" Sewres' pqreei lain, Sir Eric asked his mother to excuse him, as he had letters t*> write and would go to the library. . Lettice's heart sank within her. son* To her delight and relief, however, she (heard Lady Trevellan speakYng at that moment. ' "Eric, dear, would it not be pleasant to have a game of billiards tonight? Miss Lascelles, can you play/ yes, .a little," faltered Lattice, a blush rising to her cheek. ? "Might Ibe permitted?" oame from the chaplain, but he was interrupted. "No, Mr Jason; I wish to speak to vou in my private room upstairs, isaid Lady Trevellan. . "Where is Grace timer'? I will go up at once. Goodr night, Miss Lascelles. To-morrow at ten o'clock I shall require you hi my room. Pleasant dreams. Now, Mr. Jason, wheel me. away if yon please.?. lain obeyed her peremptory command, i and Lettice secretly rejoiced .that the man for whom she had conceived such si strong aversion was to be kept out of her way that evening:

"I feel for you witih all my heart and soul," said Lettdce softly. "I am <dad I may count on you as a friend while I am here. T will be dull at times, I expect, but I will keep <as far as possible from Mr Jason. I can promise you fthat. From the very first time he spoke to me I felt an instinctive aversion to him." ; The lips of the listener .behind the screen (twitched ominously—his 'fend, i wihidh was thrust loosely into the breast of his coat; clenched fiercely. [ He (had not crept from her ladyship's turret to the conservatory for nothing. But if it was in his power, he would bring that proud .nature down—he'd humble in the dust the man Who had thought to win. this girl's love. Yes —and more —this lovely girl should be his —his I Ever since he had set eyes on her that afternoon in the 'half,' passion had,dominated him, the love of power and possession had come over him. • Ho crept away now, while he could do so with safety and a few minutes later Lettice said good-rnight to Sir 'Eric and went to her own chamber. She.was excited with iher first experience, of the castle, .and"was unthe newly a,wakened feeling'in ;her. heart for the lonely nian who was divorced from a. mother's love by a barrier he could not understand. And -tfhe pity ttet Lettice felt for

Sir Eric ripened into a very much warmer feeling. Even as she loosened coil'after coil of glittering, purest suneibine from 'her head, and let it fall ps her feet, she asked herself what was the portenij of. the subtle feeling in 4ier heart. Why should she Mush, even in the privacy of her own room, when she. lingered over Sir Eric's tender "good-night," and recalled the gentle, x sweet'pressure of his hand. She went to hed.'but sleen would not be wooed that' night! Her brain was was whirling with these a.nd other novel delightful and some, especially those connected with Mark Jason, anything but pleasing. And as the remembrance of Ms sinister face flashed across her, there came also a recollection of the words he had itfctered in the. chapel. - Were they. a> threat or,a warning? What Ihad he said ? ' 'Take my advice and keep your windows shuttered at night." Bad he thought "to play upon-some childish fear she had shown.? 'What secret could there he within the castle walls that necessitated iher -shutters being closed? At this point she sprang from her

Not knowing where the billiard room was situated, she asked the butler to show her, and amused herself with a practice game till she heard a step behind her that sent tixcf rich blood to her cheeks, It was Sir Eric—she recognised the firm tread. What more natural than that once in each other's company the young couple would soon forget all about •balls and cues, and stand talking looking iuto one another's face, each deeply admiring what was to be read there.

"Sir Eric, I'm so glad vou 'have come here," said Let-ice frankly. "I do want to tell you something. I would not have gone into the chapel to-night but for Mr Jason's request. I agree with what you say, and I don't like ham. ATI the time he was speaking I felt as if some slimy thing was crawling avt my feet. Whv is he here? Why does your mother like him, and depend on him so much?"

"God only knows!" cried the voun# man, worked up to-a pitch of excitement quite unusual to him. "But let' & leave the .billiard room and go into the conservatory. We can chat there without being disturebd. Ido long to tell you something that lias been on my mind for ages." - Without hesitation Lettice put her hand into the. arm he held out, nor did she stop to wonder why she should feel so perfectly at ease with a man she had known only a few short hours. But every instinct of her sweet woman : nature told her that she could trast •implicitly in and rely fully on Sir Eric Trevellan.

bed, and putting on* wrapper, walked over to the window. Without giving herself time for reflection she pushed back the bolts of the window and opened the shutters. The flood of silvery moonlight that flowed into the iroom made (her golden hair shine like an aureole above her head. "What nonsense," she said. "As if I'm not free to open my windows if I choose? What an equisdte moon, and ■a full one, too, to-night! The very time for ghosts to appear,'if there aro any , —at least I have heard so!" (To be Continued.)

"I'd love to go into the conservatory," she whispered. "I'd love to talk with you above /anything." "With something in ihis heart amounting .almost to worship, Eric led the beautiful girl, so strangely thrown into his path, to the conserrjatory opening out from the further end of the drawing room. Here, in a. perfect bower of greenery, with rare ferns and palms growing in evoiy nook and niche, the whole illuminated hy a. soft electric light with an. opal-tinted shade, he found two easy chairs, and vside by side they seated themselves. Before them stood an Indian screen, securely , cutting tihem off from tube rest of the