Lady Marjorie's Love

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 18 March 1913, Page 2

Lady Marjorie's Love

(OUR SLRiAL

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

CHAPTKR XVI (Continued.) "l\rha:>N. I will sec. You will never get all tlio.se letters written that yon spoke of. Good night!" "Good night!" Barrnigl.:.u. after -shaking Marjorie by tin- ha.id, went off toward the passage which l.'d to his sanctum, the oak par!.-;;-. Marjorio turned toward the .sU-ps and the curtain, and the counted-; .showed .'herself. "Oh. Fenella! How daro you startle mo!" "Did I? You are extreme!:- nervous, niv den;-. So you have been out of doors'?" "Ve.v" The countess turned baen into the drawing-room, the girl, felt con.stiained to follow her—a. thing sin; had not meant to do.. A dressing irown and a novel in her own room while Alien brushed her hair and .Tackslept at her feet would have .suited i her far better than Lady . Marlingj ford's company or conversation. She I followed reluctantly, wondering- how [ long it would bo .before she could get | away; she felt even less inclined to j talk ' v* ith Fenella than usual. "It is such a lovely night!" she said, ex- ! plaining carelessly. "The moon j makes it nearly as bright as day." "Does it!' ] have not noticed." The counters looked down from her givator height at- the pretty iosv fa-no with the trace, of a hard, cold smile about the mouth. "Mr Harrington was with you, I think?" 'Yes. He suggested gt.ing"—indifferently. "Trideed J How was that?" "Ho knew I had a h-eadachc"—still more indifferently. ''Brought o:- by your being on the river this afternoon, po-ss'blv 9 " Lady Marlh.gford's smile showed itself a little more. . . ■'WV—I did net go this afternoon. For, ell a." ' ' 'No? I -supposed it was a regular thii'L'." "Certainly not!" Marjorie srlaneed up swiftly, suspiciously. "I like the water," she said coldly, "and as Mr Barrington lows well- and has plenty of time nn lii.s hands T don't mind going with him. lb amuses us both." "Admirably—l do not doubt it, my dear!" Her ladyship was smiling still: >satiric amusement gleamed frostily in her fine eyes. "I am not suggesting any objections —far 'from it. I will only express my hope that Mr Chad'burn's interests do not suffer." "I'm sure I don't know anything about them, Fenella!" .Marjorie replied. "They concern me as little as Mr Ghadiburn himself does. He can j say so, I -suppose, if things are not managed to suit him." Her voice rang sharply, her eyes were still searching, bright, doubtful, suspicious—her look and attitude vaguely uneasy, defiant. The countess laughed] a little cold laugh—half indulgent, half contemptuous. "My dear chid," ehe said calmly, "you need not trouble yourself to be out of temper. I have not the lea.st idea or intention of objecting to your conduct. On the contrary, I am glad to see —and I confess surprised to see —that you are sufficiently sensible to accept the very marked attention which 'Mr Bariington pays you.'-' "Attention?" The manner and tone had Given the word all the weight and meaning that it could possibly bear. Marjorie started as if she had been stting; the rush of color that dyed her face was the.•wrathful scarlet of amusement and indignation. She scarcely thought that she had heard aright; she stared at the cool, pale, handsome face with wideeyes of doubt and incredulity., "Attention ?" She repeated. "The re-, petition 'of the word's in her own bewildered voice steadied bei;, brought back her wits; she threw up her -bead, facing her stepmother. "I don't -know what you mean, Fenella!'.' she said haughtily. "My dear Marjorie!" The countess smiled again her coolly sathiie smile with a touch of incredulous impatience in it now'. "Really," .she said, "you are too old to pretend so much innocence as all this! It is alusurd, mere affecattions. quite childish. You mast see .as well is I do what Mr Barrmgton's manner to you means. He shows, it plai; ly enough. and neither you nor a.ny ether girl could fail to understand it. The man is quite ridiculously in love with you." Lady Marlingford paused, possibly" to give her stepdaughter a chance of replying if she would.. Marjorie could not—slie only stared ibewilderedly. "I have seen it from the. start." the countess proceeded, with tranquility, "and 1 ; as I said, my dear, -1 was pleased to see that you were accepting and encouraging 'Mr Barrington's

I attentions. Now pray don't look so j indignant—of course you have on- ■ couraged him. And very j so." Warming for a moment, ' she sank back into her tranquil manner , again. "I hesitated as to whether 1 , snoukl speak of it 'while telling you my planis this afternoon," sho resumed, "but thought it better not, as I had no doubt that you would yourself coniide to him all, or essentially all, that had passed. You have done so, I see. Just as I expected. And I fancied it very probable that your doing so might can.se him to speak out. I have no doubt he only awaits a good opportunity. But I suppose he has not done so. Has he?" "f—l think you must be crazy, Fenella!" Marjorio gasped out. "You can't know what you are saying, or if you do you only say it to make me anjrrv. to—to insult me!" she cried, kindliniT more and more wrathfully as sho rallied from her stupefaction. Mr Barrington—just because he is attentive to me, because he knows I am lonely, just because I am friendly with him. because there is no one else —ho attempt, he even think of—of such a thing! And for you to pretend that I Oh, it is -preposterous—it is y.-orso than absurd!" She put her hand up to her heaving tlroat, fighting to quiet herself, to he calm. "I .should suppose that you were joking. Fenella," she went' on. "if I did not know that that is what vou never do. I can only say that I don't know haw you fell into so extraordinary a mistake. You have a. very coutemptiblo opinion of me, I know, but I thought you gave mo credit for knowing what is due to myself. And even if you -did not, if you thought me capable of forgetting—everything, you might at least have recollected that I am engaged to Loft;:.;.'' "Oh,"my good child!" The countess made an irritated gesture of disdain. "Do drop all pretense of thai most ■ridiculous farce, I beg of you! It is really too ludicrous!" "And even if it were not «o," went on the girl, unheeding, "anything of —of that kind would be just as utterly impossible ; just as—just, as outrageous. Mr Barrington would not so far forget himself. He would not s, far presume, for he at least remembers who I am, and would not insult me!" She rose suddenly into scorn as passionate as cutting. "T should thank you, I am sure-," she cried, "for your suggestion that I should marry —marry the—the servant of the mail who has bought my home! For that is what he really is, although I have , been foolish enough to almost forget it sometimes. Yes. lie is—he is " —repeating the words with a fierce , little intake of breath. "And now you say this to me—this! Oh. ft .ts horrible of you! You only do it because you hate me! You only do it to 'make me a thousand times more miserable than T was before I Yes. you do! And it's all those horrid, ridiculous blowing up books that vou have road. And T loathe anl detest the sifht of them! And—and I think you ouffht to be ashamed, of yourself, Lady Marlingford—there!" 1 With a stmo of ho" foot, on the floor, a istamn of wrath and defiance. Mar lor ie collapsed after the hurling of these arrows and sank down into a chair, sobbing wildly, .with >Eer hands over her eyes. (To be Continued.)