AFTER RELEASE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10624, 1 May 1912, Page 2

AFTER RELEASE.

OUR SERIAL.

By VSOLET M. FLIMN, Author of "The Blaster Passion, "What Shall It Profit P" "Vfirea-.," "By Devious Paths," Et®.

Ci LAl''! KiJ XXVI] —Continued. "Foi•<■;.!'vc me, grandmother, but I e«i!:!;)!■ do that. I think i may say th? whole story is kiicfivn to me now. I j was In ainio.b total ignorance of it< five months ago. .bllfc .VUIC.e then i have >!KMMi much enlightened." She .stared at him frowningly. ■'How did it all .begin " die asked, ajifl iis;en:d with tcnec face and burning c;.,s, as lie told her as concisely us lie could all that 'h:ul occurred. "That John Tresidder was always a -illy meddler!'' .sho exclaimed con- j tcniptuously. She was still very while ; and agitated, yet there was perceptible ' in her voice as if she had not heard what she feared. There was even the scornful smilo in her eyes that he could remember from his ; earliest days. It always made him j I'eel sma.ll, and lie reflected that it | had not lost the power to do so yet. "My dear Ludworth, it is as well I came home. You are clearly not to he trusted by yourrselves. I am obliged to Mr Welldon for having let nie'know that this man Neall was l>eginning to be troublesome. Olio, would have thought- he had had a lesson!" —and the gleam in her eyes was not plieasa.ib Mi ,ses. men will r.iever learn, and lie was of no breeding, a clever upstart, who repaid kindness ;by iba.se ingratitude, and who overreached himself in tho end. Come,

tell mo frankly, do you believe in this j absurd story of changed children?" "I do not know why, if Aunt Flora | did. as ho says she did, she should have j bolted as she has clone!' he answered bluntly. He did not like the sensation of being laughed at. His grandmother looked up quickly. "What do yoy finy ?' she demanded. It was clearly a, blow to her, but she would not admit it. "Flora was always three parts imbecile, and a -word or a look from a man invariably made her lose what .senses tsho had. I dare .say he professed to bo in love with her, silly fool! Ho used her as his go-between often enough, I make no doubt, and she would never suspect it.' Her voice grew cold and very bitter. "Why should we ever have been saddled with this incubus?' she. demanded passionately. "As false as Jto was clever—deceiving, tricking everyone, and turning round like a craven dog on the hand that fed him! Was it not sufficient that ho ruined Marcnaduko and Charles, without his baleful influence falling on their sisters?" Sho was white with passion. Some old, neverforgotten wrath was stirring in her voice. "Why should such men bo allowed to live?' she exclaimed. "For my part, I could almost have wished that he had died in-prison, The boys;" Afliaia, Flora, wo were all his victims!" _ _ There was a despairing ring in her voice that he had never heard before. He stood silent, not knowing what it was better to do or «ay. But very j quickly, she recovered;herself, j "i do not believe Flora was capable ] ofr-how ooaild -she. do such a thing?. j She did not leave my roof. She was much attached to Alicia., but when she —went away—l forbade Flora to have any commuuic-atio.n with her, and I have 110 reason to 'believe that sho was disobeying me." • "Tresidder thinks Alicia is dead! Ludworth .said abruptly. "So she is!" Lady Ludworth answered .sharply. "A girl who could run away from her homo to join her lover 'u "You must forgive mo!" Ludworth interrupted, "my mother did tiliat, and I allow 110 reflections to bo cast on !ier\" "Your father married her," the duchess said, "but Alicia —who knows, what become of her? Truly, I liavo been blessed in my children and grandchildren ! There is not one who.has not repaid ino with the basest ingratitude and treachery. As to Herniiono " She patfsed and sighed unconsciously —perhaps in that moment she realised that she had not gone tho light way to win faith and gratitude for herself. But she would never have admitted that sho had made a, mistake. Sho sat for a time, pondering deeply. "This claim will not hold water for a moment,' she said suddenly. "Oharl- , es did not marry that girl. Why should ho have done? Sho camo with a child , and claimed to be his wife, but she had no proofs and could tell mo nothing. Sho had long, rambling stories of enemies, and pleaded ignorance of everything. It was the usual tale. : She soon saw she had made a mistake ill coming to me. Hven if it had been true it would not have made any difference to you. Tho child was a girl. ' Ludworth started, his thoughts dying instantly to Eldytli. His voice grew stern. "But the marriage was a true cue ' ho said. "I have seen the marriage certificate and have had ifc confirmed. My uncle Charles did marry Mi.*j Grainger there can bo no doubt ol it. But 1 am nearly absolutely certain that her child was a daughter, jet 1 Neal swears that it was a son. That is where the story breaks down." Tho duchess ma do a gesture oi despair. •"'* 'You are certain there ;vas a legal marriage." "I am absolutely (Convinced. It. would hold good in any court of law." "If I had only known" the duchess mnrmured under her breath. "He i knew they were married, and f played into his hands." Her thoughts v.ere evidently busy with the past. She

] was reviewing events in tho light of J j ncn knowledge. "If I had only l<uo<vn. J She came to ine for protection, sn«> ua., ! in terror of him, though he was in ; p; : v o;i. She said —oh,! cannot leireniMjcr now all she said, but I thought ' :-Uc* was his creature, that it was a ! fresh move on his part to —to ''.jure j me, and 1 would not listen. Honestly, (Ludworth, 1 did not think that 'Jhar- ! les had the moral courage to many j her. She had been very ill, she said ■ 1 thought she was crazy." j "She was dying!" Ludworth broke in, indignantly. "By some means or other, sho got down to her votive place and died there, and all tbe-'c years her child, her daughter, iias suffered unjustly for-a sin that was never , committed.' Bo was very angry with ■ his grandmother. "It was a great wrong you did. She came to you, her husband's mother, in her necessity, and you drove her away like a criminal." Tho duchess bent her head. Cld cmotions, old memories, were stirring. Her face flushed pale, and she spoke in a humbled, extenuating 'voice 4 '*'that few had ever heard. "I did not believe Charles' wife, but I thought — I was certain she was Neal's wife, and that he had sent her to me with that story in the hope that I would tako her in and be deceived. He was so bitter against me, even as I " , 'Why should there have been this feeling between you ?"Ludworth asked j with brutal directness. "It .vas not 1 [ only because ho had been tho means of 'that you moved heaven and earth to have him punished. I know that." Sho did not answer. "It is not my business, I know, but in a measure. I and one I hold verydear to ,me to have suffered for past doings; but, all tho same, one cannot have, one's thoughts, and surely —surely—lie did you no such great wrong that your revenge should have gone so far.' She rose to her feet. All her inflexible pride had come to her aid. She was herself again, after moments of weakness —tho proud, hard, selfish woman he had always known. It would never be from her that ho would ! learn the. secret of hatred for Stanton Neal, "I don't think we need prolong this interview, Ludworth,' she said, with cold haughtiness. "You and I have always boon opposed in- our views. I regret that you should continue in [countenancing this absurd claim, but then you were never alive to tho honour of the Duko of Ludworth. I shall have to ask you to give a room to-night, since my own house is uniii.habitaiblo owing to your interference."' "Most certainly," he answered almost mechanically. After all, what did her influence count now ? Sho was a ( toured and embittered old woman ; her authority was 110 longer paramount. Whatever the result of tho coming interview, her long tyranny was -at frit Ho had totally forgotten that the inquiry agent had not left the house, but whence her the iiceessary instructions, and handed his olcl grandmother over to the maid ar.d the housekeeper, lie suddenly recalled Mr Smith ho had asked to wait. Me sent for him, apologising for ins tardiness. '.TIL 'lt doesn't matter m the least, yov grace.,' he answered graciously. 1 took tho liberty of using the telephone white I was waiting. There re no news about Ladv Flora Blagg. Ono of my men tolls me that Stanton Neal has eobo 'Jack to his rooms m Golden Street. He lives there under the name of John Bovill." (To lie continued.) =======- I