A DEEP GAME. OR THE HONOUR OF THE TREVELLANS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10550, 5 February 1912, Page 2

A DEEP GAME. OR THE HONOUR OF THE TREVELLA NS.

OUR SERIAL.

By Mrs De Winter Baker, a.l f a; n nf Carina " "Sir Blandford's Protegee," "For Author of The Sin of Oarme,

CHAPTER XVll—Continued. "Aii, dear heart, It was a bad omen after all thin afternoon, you see. And it lias como so quickly, so terribly soon , too." Lettice bard ceased crying now. j Her golden head was pressed close to her lover's heart, and she spoke 'n «. , fai-awav voice. "Bad*omen ? Lett-ice, heart of rano —what do you meairi ?" | "Can't you see, dear, that if La ay ; Trevellan Objects to me as your aifi- ' auced wife, I must go away from here. I I cannot occupy tho post of secretary to your mother—l must resign before din' dismisses me." The beautiful young girl gulped down the lump hi her throat and sighed deeply.

"Resign., go away!" Sir Erie uiiteed hor words with utter despair. He had never thought «f this contingency before; while with a woman's unorring instinct sho had gone to the crux . ■of. the tiring, in, ft .moment. And alas! 1 she was right,' of course. It would be j impossible for her to remain.under the j roof of Trevoflau Castle in her present : position. - : I "Yes; I sec," he went on more quietly and with resignation, "I never thought of that. ' But it would not bo for long, dearest. Yon would go back to your sister for a few days, and then I would come up'to town and marry you there." "Against your mother's will, though; that is the most horrible part of it. Ah! I know how you love me; I would do anything in the world for you, my strong, handsome boy. But it seems so sad that the brightness.of this love of oi rs should be always dimmed by the thought of your mother's disapproval. Is there any chance of her reconsidering 'her decision?" " I wouldn't lower myself to ask her, dear. Her words to-night have for ever planted the seed of estrangement between us. I had once thought to re- j move that barrier with your sweet j assistance, as you know dear. But I j •have now no longer any desire or in- j ciination to do so. I have you Let-' tice, darling and you are the only one in the world that I ever loved. Listen, dearest, you go away to your sister tomorrow. Don't bother to wait to resign your post, I will make that alright;' When you are ready for me, all you have to do is to let me know, 'and thenyinside of a few hours, 'you'll find yourself married to one who loves every little bit of you, and is going to try his hardest to make you happy for ever after." ' The ardent passionate words of her young , lovJefe, thrilled Lettice to the very core. She loved this handsome, young man with every fibre of her young body, every beat of her swiftbeating heart. Why should Lady Trey-. eHan J s disapproval stand between her and him? Was it not natural that she should resent as much as her lover the slight that the dowager had oast upon her? Yes, she would do as he asked her —would go back to her sister. She wouM esplam things to her. Then, when everything was ready, she would let Eric .know, and he would, ■come to her^alh! tlie.uiispcafcaible. joy 'of, the very thought!-—would take her to be hiiown little wife, to protect I her for evermore. -

•"Very-well, deal'—l will do as you wish,' she murmured, and.was instantly caught '.and held in a fervent embrace. Hot kisses were showered;;on her upturned face, upon her lips, eyes and fordhead". With dlosed eyes she lav /motionless in her' lover's arms, drinking in , sheer ecstasy his. sweet passionate caresses. Forgotten was Lady jection—forgotten too,were Jason and his iassult—-forgotten all save that this •wonderful man loved her —'and that sho loved him. Felt canpet slippers make no noire.. Mark Jason congratulated himself;on litis forethought as he crept away from the portioms a moment later . Eagerly now; he'mounted tho snurs to the Black Room.

CHAPTER X VII!. THE LIGHT IN THE CHAPEL. It was a very bewildered but happy viittlo.Lettlce that placed A small head. adorned'with two long plaited tails of shimmering gold, upon the pillow cf 3ier bed that night. I In /the 'silent of her room [she lay with wide-rpen eyes. I'-roont-im; all the incidents of the past day, and wondering to hcrsc-lf if even thing .really could be true. Was it herself — nineteen year old Lettice Lascelles—or some dream-child of her sleeping hours tliat was engaged to be manned to the best and handsomest man in the world —Eric Trevellan? ' » How rapidly everything had taken place—-and yet how .naturalyl! Was it true, after -all, that there was such a thing as predestinationr—affinity of souls ? Surely there must be, since her love and his had both been awakened at their very first meeting in the train. One by one the crowded events of her life since that meeting in the railway carriage—a, meeting whose distance could still be measured in hours —flashed -across her busy mind. Her first encounter with Grace Oner —-and Mark Jason's warning—the ghostly figure in the Lime Tree Walk —the finding of the handkerchief marked "Margaret" (now safe in Eric's keeping)—the drive to Smuggler's Coveits glorious sequel—the chaplain's inMilt on her return from that drive—and finally Lady Trevellan's objection to her son's engagement, and the tetter's suggestion that she should return to London, on th 6 morrow —all 'these things returned to her as they

had occurred. And as her errant thoughts brought he.r to the present moment, Lettico remembered that-she had not told her lover of the chaplain's insolent behaviour in. the corridor that evening. P>;:t what mattered it now? .She was going .away to-morrow, and Travel Jan Castle and its mystery were as nothing now in the new rapturous sensation'that had come into her life —the sensation of loving and being loved in return. Lettice wondered if it wiais very dreadful of her for feeling no remorse at the estrangement between Sir Eric „and his mother. True, she had been a 'little frightened when her lover had told her the result of his interview I with his mother—.but somehow she could not feel very sorry for it. Was it, after all, a very awful thing lor a son to quarrel with his mother — ■nay —rather for a mother to quanrel j I with her son about the woman he j should marry. Why had Lady Trevl.cllan objected to her, Lettico wondered ! —7-aud again that feeling of resentment | came over her. Lettice was a proudspirited,- well-born girl, and it was only natural that" sho should feel a- little piqued at the dowager's disapproval of her as a daughter-in-law. Ah —well—Sir Eric wias a man,, and master of Jiis own wishes. She loved him dearly* and would not' give him * up for all the objections in the world. Smilingly she recalled his final injunctions as he kissed her good-night a few hours ago. * *Sho'-was to pack her heavy boxes and leave them to be sent on after her. He would be waiting for her in the stable yard at seven o'clock the next morning, and she could slip out with a small handbag. Then he would drive her into the station and see her off-in ihe London'train. For a. little time-they would be pari-ced-nand then —ah/then! . . . . Deeper and more regular grew the girl's breath as she nestled her rosepink cheek against the snow'whiteness of, the pillow. A happy smile still hovered about the corners of her mouth as she slept.

Thero was only one thing that troubled Sir Eric that night—-it kept him awake for sdme little time. He had never given ; 'Lettice an/ engagement ring. Anil how there was no chance of being able to get one in time to place on her finger before she left Travel lan Castle. It worried him. but of course the dear little girl wxi/.i understand when he explained matters to her. i

Of a sudden, however, an idau oc- ' ci.tred to him. There was'that little .polo''ring set with a. Burine>e ruby' that his father had-worn. —it was down | in the drawer of his writing desk.in.j hl& reading room. " This would at least serve as a temporary makeshift until he could send "her a ring worthy of her.'lear hand. But would it fit? That was the-ques-tion.; It woa'.J probably be too largo.;. for the third finger of her left hand," itvoouM 'be'' made-smaller, by winding sortie wool around it. Sir Eric was now seized with a consuming desire to fetch the ring then and there, and endeavour by trying it ,on his own finger., to guess how nnucli 'smaller it would have to be made to fit the finger of;the girl he loved. He rose from his bed and lit a candle. Donning slippers'and a dressing gown he left the room and made for the main staircase leading down to the ground floor. The reading roonr< room opened 'into the hall almost at the foot of tile stairs. He.found the .ring without difficulty, and was about to mount the stairs to his bedroom again, when, happening to look toward the chapel, ho..noticed that the iron gateway was ajar. Mentally animadverting on. Jason's carelessness, he approached the imussive screen. His hand was already laid upon it to push it into its place, when suddenly the interior of the chapel was lit up-with, a mysterious, unearthly glow. ' The light seemed to come-from the ■very ground itself, and was brightest at "the foot of one of the,tall pillars. Light must have, some origin, and SirEric craned forward to see if there was a'candle on the floor of the. chapel., In his anxiety he overbalanced himself, and his weight falling on the massive gate caused it to swing to with a loud clang. Instantly the mysterious glow was extinguished, and all was dark within the chapel.again. , Sir Eric's heart beat a little quicker as he waited for a few seconds, peering into the pitch-black darkness of the interior. ' The iron gate had closed with a snap lock, and the only person who could open it now was Jason. Should he go and rouse the chaplain up ? He had almost decided to do tins when a footstep on the staii-ca.se above . him made him look up. Jason, carrying a laghted candle was staring at him. He seemed out of breath'as though he had been running fast. "What is the matter, Sir Eric?" ho , asked. "I though* I heard the chapel J gate slaim?" "It wouldn't have-banged if you had not left'Tt' open, Jason!" retorted Sir Eric. "There was a funny sort of light, inside. I "saw it as I came out of the smoking-room" "A funny sort of light, Sir Eric? Whereabouts?" Jason now descended the stairs and stood by Eric's side peering through the iron screen into the darkness of tho chapel beyond. (To be Continued.)