A DEEP GAME. OR THE HONOUR OF THE TREVELLANS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10540, 24 January 1912, Page 2

A DEEP GAME. OR THE HONOUR OF THE TREVELLANS.

OUR, SERIAL.

By Mrs De Winten Baker, A .1 „P »Tk Clin of Carine," "Sir Blandford'a Protegee," "For Author of The bm ot of Woe> - ete „

CHAPTER V. —Continued. The windows of the young secretary's room looked down, into the Lime Tree Walk, and the ground .henea'ch was chequered with a curious network of shadows -traced by the light of the 'T.i'dclenlv Lett ice caught her breath with a. little stifled sob, whiloa thrill, Iha If alarm, half awe, seized her. Beneath, gliding slowly along the Lime Tree Walk, was a woman s form silhouetted against the opening of the avenue, and Lettice saw that it was a slight, graceful—almost girlish form, 'the head was covered with a 'hood, the face was white and elnsh, as much of it as was visible. _ The ghostly figure stood immobile now, and seemed to' be staring up at Lattice's window. Petrified, Lettice scarcely breathed. With a. sudden movement the ngure glided among the trees, wind faded out ° f Lettiee sank into the nearest chair;, and covered 'her-face with trembling What have I seen!?" she muttered,and' her voice quivered. . . • "Is that what'tlie chaplain -warned me against? How her eyes glitteredl What was she gazing at? Who can she lie?"

CHAPTER VI. LETHCE'S DREAM. j Sir Eric Trevellan sat long in the conservatory after lattice had bidden him good-night. > JHe asked himself many tilings as he. "sat back in the deep, comfortable chair, puffing at his fragrant But the question that presented itself more frequently arid insistently than arcv other was a human one. " Here wis « little girl—a, perfect stranger a few hours ago—who by her wonderful sympathy of manner and tenderness of heart, had wrung from liiin' a of his family troubles, had listened with close interest, and had given him the sweetest condolence and lied expressed in words that he could never forget —words that at tins very momnet were ringing in his brain. • "I feel for you with all my heart and soul,"—how sweetly, yet simply, withal, and naturally she had said,it! , And what : a world of true sympathy her eyes had revealed! Her hand had crept into ihis, imparting a sense of 'comfort - arid "■ abiding confidence such as he had never 'before experienced.; "Dear little soul!" Eric murmured softly to himself, gazing through half- • closed eyes at the rings of blue smoke he was blowing. "And she .meant it, too. She was speaking from the depths 1 ' of her*true woman's heart. It was no mere formal expression of sympathy. But fancy me letting myself go like that, filling her up with all my uninteresting troubles and affairs.. Yet somehow ishe seeir-.ed to drag it from me all unawares. It all seemed to he so .natural, so wonderfuly natural." ; He heaved <a deep sigh as he rose and. thrfew;. ! his cigar away.- Fleeting visions of a dozen other girls he had I met ia the whirl -end swirl of Limdon | society —girls he had danced and supped with, and flirted a- little with, maybe, came (back to him in a moment, to Jbe,instantly dispelled by the remembrance of one sweet face —one supple, slender figure in, purest, softest white, one confident little hand, with skin of smoothest satin, thathad only a few moments ago lain in his. ,

Lett-ice Laseelles ! TJie name was j sweet music in -his ears. • J Crossing the 'ha.ll, lie lit si candle and i ■slowly mounted to his room ill the west wing of the castle. The butler, who was locking up for .the night, bade the young man. "good-night" twice before receiving a. short, distracted answer. "Something on his mind," thought the butler. "It isn't like Sir Eric to ■be uncivil'. Something on Jiis mind—-tbat-'.s what it is."' Trevellan Gistle w-a.s wra.pped in deepest silence. Outside the moon still flooded the country with its cold, radiance / Lettico staggered to 'her feet from - the chair by her window. A little shiver ran through 3ier slender frame. With averted eyes sihe closed the shutters and shot the bolt home. Groping her way -back to the lx?d she lay with wide, sleepless eyes,.;staring through the darkness. What was it she had seen down in the Lime Tree Walk? Was it this, then, that Mark Jason had' so mysteriously warned her against? Confidence and courage returned to her as she grew warm beneath the blankets. She began to scold herself for harbouring such giirlish fea.rs. "How childish of me," lier thoughts ran. "It must Jiave been one of the maids out for a breath of fresh air, of course. There surely must be a huge staff of servants to keep a large establishment like this going." But try as shetwould, Lettico found herself quite unable to account for the apparition. She remembered the e3iaplain/s extraordinary advice to keep lier shutters closed a.t night. Over and over again she repeated his words and recalled the odd look in his yellow eyes. "If you valuo your peace of

(To be Continued.)

mind " In this respect, at least, his warning had certainly come tme. Lettico'found her peace of mind rudely disturbed. She wondered if she ought to make any mention of the white, luminous figure that had, at first so startled her. Long and long she pondered as she lay there. All -sensation of alarm had now left her. A sensible, healthy girl, without an atom of nonsensical superstition about her, she instinctively accorded a mundane rather than spiritual origin to the figure in the Lime Tree Walk. The only thing that puzzled her was Mark Jason's warning.' It- somehow did not seem to fit in with, the explanation tliiat Lettice would otherwise* have been satisfied with. Mark Jason, she thought. would hardly take the trouble to warm ther against come kitchen or scullery maid who might .be roaming about the grounds of .the castle "after, dark. • . Filially, she came to tlhe conclusion that Mark Jason was in possession of some secret that he was anxious to conceal —some secret that might perhaps explain his absim" domineering attitude toward Lady Trevellan—some mfystery with which. Grace Omer was probably concerned as well. Lettice wisely determined, at present to make no allusion to what she. had seen. But at the same time she determined to keep her eyes wide open henceforth. • • And tffc this point, the upright, stair figure of Sir Erie Trevellan once more occupied her thoughts. He had spoken to her of the barrier that Mark Jason and Grace Omer formed ■ bej tweeu 'himself and his mother. Jlow splendid it would be if she codd find a wav to destroy it for ever! How giand -if she 'herself could be the means oi: trampling it under foot anod clearing his. path to that/'happiness that he so sorely missed. < With a yearning that set her iutle heart tliumiping ..wildly : within her bosom, Lettice already longed to see bar Eric Tiappy--—to "know tlxat he really enjoyed his mother's confidence and love! And in tlhe silence of the night she made up her mind to do all she could on his betoalf. ' Yes —she could /wait and watch; for * Sir Eric's sake die woulld match herself against Mark Jason and Grace 0mer, and wrest their secret from them, whatever it was. .. Tiie prospect thrilled Lettice with a novel sensation. She was going to be Sir Eric's champion ;'to fight for ihim.: to restore to liim the-true peace and ..happiness' that he had lacked so long -—to smooth . out the creases of caxe and anxiety from/liis hrow—because— haid been revealed to her tiiat nigfrt—something that set her cheeks burning with glowingJire, tliat set her heart throbbing wildly, and' her brain whirling. / Deeper'and deeper she thrust her pretty face into the soft pillow. A golden, glorious effulgence swam before her as she closed hei-. silk-fringed oyo ,s. Li the midst of the radiance stood the manly, athletic figure of Sir Eric. Grayelv he seemed to be looking down at her—but there was a light of ( womanly tenderness in his eves, a soft smile on. his quivering lips. A malignant, black-cloaked .figure seeded to be crouching at his feet --she could make out a tiny silver crucifix attached to a button of his coat. It. was Mark Jason —— Lettice was dreaming-

/ CHAFFER VIIT|WC DROPPED, HANPKI^CHIFJ'" ''A thrush was shrilling Ms merry-sons as Letti.ee unbarred Iter shutters to let, in the morning sun. She looked at her little wrist watch i and saw that it wis just seven o clock. I At- this moment Mrs Parfitt knocked 1 aft the bedroom door .and came an with I kind inquiries and a tray. I "What a heavenly morning, I Parfitt," Lettice greeted the smiling housekeeper. "I am. simply longing to go out into the garden. "To he sure, miss. There is plenty of time before 'breakfast. I've brought; cup of tea, .thinking you are an. early riser. Her ladyship doesn't stir nmch before half-past eight, and gets down for prayers-in the chapel at nine. Breakfast is on the table by ten minutes past nine."