AFTER RELEASE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10597, 1 April 1912, Page 2

AFTER RELEASE.

OUR SERIAL.

By VIOLET M. FLINN, Author of "The Master Passion, "What Shall It Profit?" "Veren-." "By Devious Paths," Etc.

CHAPTER i "Because it ees convenient to me. Why should I not place myself whereI wisfii to? -It is not Belgravia, J ail-mit,-but L am Bohemian, ami so—l live in Soho. It cesmorc entertaining than Belgravia, and even wo have our aristocrats. The Lady Flo j* has returned from .Nice, hein?" "My aunt? Indeed, she has not • I had n, letter the other day reproach-ing-mo for not going there." "So. Then I haf a, .mistake- made. I ooukl not believe that I saw her in that street the other day." "I'll take my davy you didn t, Ludworth answered, Ijaughing. "Even if she had been at home, you would never have seen her slumming. Goodbye, you old curmudgeon. I will see you on Saturday." J "Auf weidersehen, mein Junge! , the old man answered. "But it was , Lady Flora." j Smiling at his obstinacy, Ludworth | ran downstairs and into the street. At ( one time it might have been a pleats- j ant neighbourhood, but now only sucii men as Von Markheim, whose roots j stuck tenaciously, lived there iron-, j choice Strange scraps of polyglot ; language reached the oars on every ■ side. The eye was arrayed by for- | eign faces, for the most part very mi- ( possessing. He might be -misjudging . them, but the. duke fancied th|at the • residents, in the mass, had reason to shun the light of day, and were not over-anxious to open tiheir doors to casual visitors. And Von Markheim had imagined that Fluff, of all women, had gono alone into a street lik? Gold- ; en Street, which w|fis, if possible, even | less inviting. It was a dingy, r.-.ore to be shunned than his own. Ludworth glanced at> his watch. He had at least ten minutes to spare before he could cut by various familiar -bywavs into Kingsway and intercept Eldyth returning from a lesson .she gave to some young Jewesses w ( hose lather-was a draper,in Holborn, and V-hose ( ainbitions for .his children -haying* "advantages" was only.limited oy his" extreme ruluctance that the acquisition of them should cost him anything. It was a lesson that Eldytn particularly disliked giving, and Lud- - worth had discovered trjit she was always in a more chastened and responsive frame of mind after it than at any other time. - "It will not do for me to- be too early, or she will see mc ; loitering," lie mused. "She was inclined to be a little suspicious that I should again be in Holborn the last time. Ffency Von Markheim fancying that anything could ever persuade Fluff to come out here! She would die-of fright at —-- Ah, vou would, would you?" A mean street, somewhat deserted, in Soho, on a dull afternoon, is not the placean which a gentleman, well dresoed and obviously out of his right place, can walk with impunity. As Ludworth sauntered along, smiling at the incongruity of the image raised by Von Markheim's absurd mistake, a man suddenly cannoned violently into him and, with the action, made h grab it his inner pocket, apparently incited by the young man's careless lounge and absorbed manner. He had leckoned without his.host. Ludworth could, always rise to an emergency, and his left hand shot out almost with the blow the would-be thief £five him. The offender fell on the pavement under the unexpected onslaught, but as quickly recovered his footing and disappeared into tho increasing gloom, leaving Ludworth alone with his watch and chain intact. Only the. driver of a, four-wheeler turning the corner just then saw the little encounter and halfchecked his steed. "Any damage- done guv'nor? he •asked.' "That was a'.neat one you

gave him." '"None at all,, thanks!" Ludworth answered cheerily, buttoning up his coat. "Yes, I think ho has only gamed a''black eye by the ntt&mpt, poor beggar!" There- was a. little stir in the depths of the cab; a woman's face, thickly veiled, peered out .of,the shadows, "Why are you stopping, driver?" «, nervous, thin price asked agitatedly. This is not'thc house. Oh, please go on!" ■. "All right, Hdy,' the man replied, and whipped up the beast. "Glad there was no 'arm done, 'guv'nor." 1 "Thank you," Ludworth replied mechanically. Ho was staring after the clumsy vehicle with puzzled eyes. "It's an impossibility,' he said, "but on my word I could have sworn that was Fluff's voice!" -*i • fw strong Was th 6 Impression that it I ' wils Flßra's VSiee that he had heard; that ii was Flora who was shrinking back in the shadow of the cab, that he , was even tempted to take a. step forward in pursuit of it. But the impulse passed, and he laughed at the folly of it. His imagination had heen worked up by Von Markheim's -hare-, ■; brained assertion, and in the gloom 'and-dusk of the dingy street his eyesight had played him a grotesque trick ' Even supposing, for the sake of argument, that Fluff was in England, what earthly reason was there for her to.be dodging about in seedy streets in Soho in a hired cab. The thing was too absurd, and to be thought of no longer. Yet he could not dismiss the unpleasant' impression as easily as he desired, and it had not wholly left him, when, loitering carefully on the opposite side of the road, he saw Eldyth emerge from the private door of the drapery establishment, looking pale and ,jaded,with her portfolio under her arm. Then all else went to the wind, as dodging circuituously across the street, he came face to face with her at

tho corner of the street where their j rirsfc walk had terminated. : Eldyth looked .gravely at him as he held out his hand with a surprised exclamation, yet she could not restrain a little gleam of pleasure in her tired eyes. "I am fortunate!" Ludworth said, with a .beaming smile. "Are you going home? Let me carry your portfolio. Oh, yes, I have business in this-neigh-bouKhood." ! "You seem to have .business here rather frequently," Eldyth said, and tlio low, deep voice had not lost the power to enchant him. "I really don't think' it is necessary that you should come will me. You—you have other things to do." • ! "I have done them," he answered ' cheerfully. "I've been with Von I Markheim for over an hour, and lite ! old wretch did not even ask me to ' Imve tea with him. I am dreadfully : thirsty and hungry, too." I "Then don't let mo detain you," she 1 replied, holding out her hand. j "Won't you come and have tea with me?" he asked softly, with a look at her weary face. "Please do, fori hate having tea by myself. I am sure Mie daughters of Sarah have .been little beasts." ■,,„.> "They have been unendurable!" she replied .briefly. "But—but— I had tea. With you last week because it was your birthday. I can't make a practice of it." j She-spoke with a stiff smile, but a ( i little* unconscious longing came into her eyes. She was tired and exhausted, her nerves wrought to a strain of tension that made her feel fiat tea in solitary lodgings with only depressing thoughts for company would not j be worth while. She was in that state of nervous overstrain when tears were i very near to the surface, and Lud- ' worth's suggstion came as a halm to soothe her ruffled temper. A sudden revolt at herself and her surroundings 1 came over her. What .Tid it matter to ! anyone save herself if she pleased her-, self was the aet/ofva fool ~to"i'e- - fuse the kind, well-meant offer for foolish scruples that gave her nothing in compensation. Ludwort'h saw the'jsigns of wavering in her face. Ho stuck up his stick and hailed a passing taxicab. ' 'We'll argue it out on the way, he said gaily. "You said you would have tea with me on a birthday, ana to-day is" sure to be someone's birthday, vou know. Where shall we go.' I think vou like thosq rooms in Kensington best, or wha+ v do you say to H'ampstead and a drive across the heath? You look as if you wanted lots cf air after those dreadfud children." ■•' ... "They aro fond of white rose and opoponax,' I admit,' she answered, teann,G back with an unconscious sigh of ielicf. "Kensington, pleas:. 1 have | a carving class to-night." Shn hardlv knew how it was tiiat sli'i and Ludworth had grown so friendly that her being in his company was taki'ir as merely :. matter of It seemed to date back from :wr Jnrtti,h\y when, greatly to Connie s loudly expressed surprise, they had met as ■ th"V were going to celobrte tho occasion by cakes and chocolate ni a restaurant reserved by them for mgn javs and holidays, fno duke h.y> been told by'the-'irrepressible CJonnie that Ifcwas a birthday, and he had begged to bo allowed to take part in the proceedings: At first she had hold back. -her common sense telling her that but Connie had looked so disappointed 1 and iho duke had appeared soJiurt, and after all, she was his equal, and »Sa was young, and "treats' were few and fac between. How she hacfenjoyed herself. She «S^ dfr « in lire at the thought. They had motored to Richmond ,and had tea at a fine hotel there. It had been an afternoon of unalloyed pleasure > Ludwapt'h heard the sigh and tmifc ed qui Jy. He looked into the dreamjr 6y "of what are yott thinking?' he asked,.-half jealously. She smiled softly, "Of my birthday treat. _ "Ah'" —ho drew a quick breatu "it was the happiest day of my Me,; ho declared fervently. The tea room attendant ■ smiled.-.a. welcome when they entered the qmcc littlo room that had been decorated in cottage fashion. She drew out to armchair by the fireplace and shook, up tho cushions"of the settle, . (% lie continued.)