Lady Marjorie's Love

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 11 February 1913, Page 2

Lady Marjorie's Love

(01R SERIAL

By Carl Swerdna Author of "To the Uttermost Farthing," "A Mere Ceremony," "A Fight for Honour," Etc.

] (..'MAi'TEU VI. (Continued.) I iJiii'jijrii- did not notice the old jiiiiin'.s'oiivif.iii limitation, agitation, j embankment—all of which would at J another time have struck her m.-dunt-I ly. Now .she looked from him to the joo'kl, clouded face of t!;e counters, ] and did not catch alarm. There was onlv a vague perplexity in her eye* 'as she !< oked hack again at the law-

toward tlio pale, severe face of her [stepmother; alarm appeared in her 1 eyo> for the first time. "Kenella .•said ' something about misfortune, that she : was sorry." Slit' faltered confusedly. I "Oil, Mr Petherick, is it-r-is it very ! bad?" | Mr Petherick, meeting the inrge, entreating eyes, feeling the cold clasp in which her hands had caught and clasped his, faltered, helpless and : dumh. The countess uttered a sound of impatience and rose, rustling in her crape-laden skirts. ! "Mr Peth-orick is doing you no , kindness in postponing what he has to tell you, Marjoriiv' she said. "1 ! confess 1 am surprised that he does I not .set' it. It will he far hotter to tell i you the truth in the fewest words pos- , sible. Since he shrinks from paining | yr;u—very kindly, of course—l must take the duty upon myself. The unfortunate truth is this —your father died a ruined man !" "A ruined man!" Mariorio repeated the words and fell back into her chair. That as yet they conveyed no clear impression to her was plain from her blank, bewildered look. With a glance toward the countess as though he by no means thanked her for her remarking decisive interference. Mr Petherick broke the breathless pause in which th girl stared at him speeehi less.

'•] would have come down before ii 1 had known that you wanted mo. Mr Petheriek,'' she .-aid simply, "lint I. did not think tk-ro would he any bus-ino.-s thai you could want me for yet. And. if it'is about the castle or the \ I'm afraid I shan't understand. Mr Beni. the haiiiil'. knows about the tenant.-, and al! that be-t. My father left, almost everything to his management. And you know that he seldom told me anything." The mere alitivoa to her dead father although she purposely made it formal ami short, almost broke, her down. She hid her filling eyes against .lack's .sleek hack as lie jumped to her knee. .Mr Petheriek, with a helpless |t..nk at Marjorie, glanced appeaiingly at the oountos<. Lady Marlingford made a movement which was certainly not responsive to the appeal. 'T hog to remind you of our agreement, Mr Petheriek," she said steadily and coldly. "It was your own suggestion that you should communicate to Lady Marlingford what it is so unhappily necessary that she should know and the task, painful as it is, could not be in better hands. You are her old friend, and I am sure will understand that delay can bo no kindness to her. I regret the necessity, I am very sorry, but unfortunately matters of feeling do not alter fact?." Lady Marlingford's cold tones had never been colder or clearer ; there wns no flush upon her handsome, pale face, no softening in her fine blue eyes; she ceased and sat .stately and composed like a statue in her crape. Mr Petheriek, with a deprecatory murmur, bowed uneasily; lie. had always stood a little in awe of the countess. Marjorie raised her head, glancing bcwikloredly from one face to the other. What had Fenella said about something being unhappily necessary—about being sorry? She looked at the lawyer. "1 don't understand," slio .aid. 'Ms —is it anything you don't like to tell me. Mr Petheriek? Tf it is. don't mind, please. Tt can't matter." She •sobbed suddenly, forlornly. "Ah, how can it matter now? I don't feel that anything will matter to tne over again!" She hid her face again on Jack's ! 1 neck with a little moaning sound, jMr Pethericlc, not without another I glance of entreaty at tH cuntoss—who refused to see it—sat down by her and took her hand. Even had he not been fond of her from the time when she was a tiny, toddling creature, the kind-hearted old man would have winced at the task before, him now. But lit had to be done; that : ooberg of a woman would not help him, it was plain ; she was far too incensed and indignant on her own .score to care with what a crushing force the blow must fall upon this sobbing, unsuspicious child. He cleared his throat and tried to begin. Marjorie's own words to him had furnished himwith an opening ind he caught at them. "My dear, you said just now that it was not your father's custom to tell you much —I think I may add, anything of his business affairs. It was so, I know. In ordinary circumstances he was perhaps right not to trouble you with things so far out of ? ?•■••>'>;>?. girl's province, but of late there has been something which I thought you '.■ light to know, and which, in my capacity as his legal adviser, I' urged bim most earnestly to tell you. But for the unhappy circumstances of Ids sudden death T have no doubt he would have done s-\ Indeed, en the night whin I saw him last I o'otain,ed from hiim a promise that you and Lady Marlingford should be told the next day."

"Most unhappily, Lady Marjorie, most unhappily, my dear child, what her ladyships says is the truth. You know your father speculated, hut ynu do not know that of late, within little mere than the last year, Ids veni turps have been going steadily wrong, steadily from 'bad to worse. If he would have take?i my advice, if he would have, realised what capita] he could, and-have refrained from further investments even so short a time as six months ago, his position- at least ! would not have been desperate: earei ful nursing of his resources would hiuc redeemed his position in a few years. Unfortunately he would not listen. The gambling mania had firm hold of him. -for one, thing, and-he was desperately anxious to retrieve himself for another. Hp lost heavily, disastrously, ruinously—lost, T deeply grieve to tell you, all and everything that he , had to lose.' - I The lawyer paused. .Marjorie siow- , ly put hpr hand to her head, looking at him fixedly. She was deathly white, hut quite calm ; ho almost thought he had stunned her. Fo waited for her to speak, feeling miserably guilty of knowing that as yet it would be useless to continue: she must have time to recover herself, to realise the im- ! port of what he had already said. | ".Ruined?" she repea-tedslowlv. A piteous, wild, uncertain smile broke over her face; she put out her hand ,to him. "T-—T think T understand. Mr | Petherick. Don't look so shocked, «o dreadfully sorry for me. You mean that T shall be noor instead of rich, don't you? Quito poor, perhaos?" I (To Be Continued.)

He paused. Marjorie was looking at him fixedly. "He would have told me," she said slowly—"he would have told me, Mr Petherick. I had forgotten, hut I remember now." She stopped, steadied herself, and went on. "The very tost words he said to me were that he had something to tell mo when T came back from my walk. When I did come hack " She stopped again. "He never told me," she said. "Xo, no, my dear, just so!" Mr Petherick murmured soothingly. "So I understand from Lady Marlingford, whose authority I have for stating I that he certainly tried to make the 1 communication to her. Indeed, I be--1 lieve it -was half made when, imhappdon, my dear, T won't distress you. Let mo ask you—you had no idea of what this communication might be?" "No." She shook her head. "T i thought it was not much',, Mr Petherick. I couldn't understand. If he had not seemed so strange and excited I should have thought it was a joke, perhaps. But T'saW ho was ', dreadfully in earnest." She glanced