Lady Marjorie's Love

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 6 May 1913, Page 2

Lady Marjorie's Love

(OUR SfcRIAL

By Carl Swerdna Author of "To th» Uttermoit Farthing," "A Mere Ceremony,'-' "A Fight for Honour," Eto.

CH A PTRR XXXl].—Continued. "Of course von did!" said Marjorie with conviction. "Naturally you did. You know Lol'tus loved you and didn t care For me, and why should you euro about a girt you had never seen?" _ "But 1 had soon you, dear':' Don't you i\ member I told you so that day j saw you in the park? I followed him down here one day when lie carao to sec vow, and listened and watched \vh,Mi v'ou were, whether in the wood. That 'set a most miserable, doubt at rest I'o rme, Ma.rjo.rie—l saw you did not care for him." "Oh, not a bit!'" agreed the girl readily. She hositat.d. "And when were you married, Xorah? Oh, ] do l lo p t ._l] do—that it was before I lost my money?" > "No, my dear!" No rah hesitated in her turn; lier colour deepened a little. "But you must do Loftus justice i:r this, Marjorie. He pledged me his word that he would break the dUfugement and do me the justice, and T know "he would have done it if nothing had happened to your fortune, dear. But for your fathers' death and all that followed it he would have told you the truth and asked you to release him. Do you recollect the last visit he paid to you ■her?? He came down then with a fixed resolve to tell you, but you were! Iso unsuspicious, he said, that al-j though he tried he could not do so. I We were married just a week after that." j "So long ago as that?" Marjories' eyes widened with wonder and reproach. "Oh, why didn't you let them know—Gerard and Mr Chadburn ?" "My dear, I could not!" Norah flushed painfully now. "I had promised that until he gave me leave I would keep it a secret." "Yes, but why? Why should not everyone have known?" "Easily told, my dear, unfortunately!" XoraJi shoop her head sadly. "You know Lotfus is poor, Marjorie, but I don't think you quite know how very embarrassed he is. Things were tolerably oa&y for him while lie was engaged to you, a great heiress; they grew much harder when it wag known that you had lost your fortune; they would have grown very much harder still had it be?n kmown that he had married a penniless woman." "Penniless?" Marjorie. echoed the word with wondering eyes again. "Why, Norah, you said just now that you were to be rich!" "Yes—were!" Norah assented ■quietly. "But could lor -my husband, Marjorie, even if our marriage ne nvdo ktr -u '"'". Val-' la + - • oi. nj }r ~\ x ••'**» 'ling rat. i th {.' ~\\ 7 deceiv- ) ".ia'i "But ho will—l am sure he will!" cried Marjorio confidently. Inwardly she thought this extremely high-flown. Of course Mr Chadburn in forgiving Norah would forgive her entirely ; ho ivas too fond of her not to do that .

I sivo!" She laughed again. "But | ho doesn't mind her—not a bit! You j should have seen the scene there was I in this very place yesterday when they—both of tlu-m— almost—almost caught us. you know!" ' "Was there?" asked Norah, amused. I "Oil. awful! But he didn't care. i T think he tried to make her as wild jas he could. But he didn't pay any I more attention than when I talked ! the same kind of stuff to him myself. I did ,yau know! Did he tell | yon about it?" ".Something, J think." s-aid Norah, smiling. "Wasn't. J a little idiot? But I ■suppose I. really did think that he j had taken an atrocious liberty in daxI ing to propose to nit" —or, at any rate, I tried to think it. And I knew he 1 was laughing at me all the time. If he had only kissed mo, or 'boxed my ears, or something, it would have been all right, but he She laughed again; she was as rosy as the sunset behind her. "Norah, I suppose you don't thinvk anything' of that sort of thing?" i "Of the privilege of birth? No, I cannot say I do, although I can ] understand that it is-- very natural you should. It is foolish enough in itself, no doubt; and, now that you have thought yourself out of it—" "Thought? * Oh, 1 didn't!" She laughed and blushed again. "I—l loved myself out of it, I think! We women don't think ourselves into or out of much, do we? We just feel, most of us! Isn't Loftus coming?" "Presently, I suppose, dear. He is talking to Mr Chadburn." "Oh, I see! Where can Gerard be? I shall put on my hat and go and look for him. Perhaps the dowager— Oh, here he is!" She s'pra.ng up on the low ledge of the window, as Gerard advanced and took her hands ,and jumped lightly down beside him. "Oh, what an awful time yon have been!" she cried reproachfully. "I declare I almost thought the* dowager had swallowed you! Have they both gone? Really? Really and' truly?" "Really and truly!" He laughed. "Do you suspect either of them are in my pocket?"

•'I thii.-'k 1 understand, Norah. You would not lot any one know because of Leftus' creditors—J don't see what ho wants with .so many creditors myself--nil waiting until lie could settle things a.nd get something to.do- that post he was telling mo about? That's it, lisn't it?" She stopped, looking up into the beautiful grave face. "But, or ,my dear, it must hav-e been hard for you! wonder you could bear it!" "I was lii-g wife," said Norah quietly. "I could bear anything, ■knowing that." . A silence ensued—of surprise on Marjorio\s part; slue, was beginning to believe it was remotely possible that Norah might roally lovo Loftus as much as she herself loved Gerard! Amazing, but apparently possible! She left it to be thought over at some future time, and spoko again. "I've plagued you enough with my bothering curiosity, Norah, but there is one tbing more I want you to tell me, please. That time—when you ran away—like a little fool as 1 was'' —she laughed amd blushed—"l sawdirectly that, although Gerard did not know Loftus—had never, seen him before, I mean—that Loftus knew Gerard. How was that?" "Easily explained, dear. When I was down in that country place Gerard came twice to see me. Loftus saw him there." "Oh? And Gerard didn't see •Loftus? I see. And—and when he followed me. Loftus did not know anything about his being at the .castle or why he had come there, did he?" "Nothing at all. He had no idea of it." "I see. That accounts for his looking—well .scared. He thought Gerard had come about you, of course. I did wonder how that was." There was another silence. Marjorie sat with her chin on her folded arms, looking out of the window. Norah roused her with a touch on the shoulder.

"Gerard is a long time gone, isn't ho, my dear?" "Awfully lons —isn't- it a bore?' She sprang'up with a laugh, childishiy stretching her arms over her head as she, too, sank down cv.v the window seat. "I'm sure I don't see," sh<? said, pouting, "what he wanted to go to the station to see those two off for. Fenella is quite able to look after herself, goodness knows; and whoever is likely to dare to say anything to the dowager?" She laughed. "Oh, No rah, it is a tremendous relief to get rid of her, hut I do wish you had been able to see something of her! Fenalk's ihad enough, hut. as Gerard said to .me last naglit, the doweger'a a corker! That nnay be vulgar, but it's delightfully expres-