"Pretty Penelope,"

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

"Pretty Penelope,"

(OUR SERIAL

By Effie Adelaide Rowlands, Author of "A Girl's Kingdom," "A Splendid Man," "The Interloper," "A Kinsman's Sin," "Brave Barbara," ©to.

CHAPTER XXl,—Continued

Marcia gave a short, low laugh; all suffering as she was, struggling with some almost overwhelming pain, fighting for breath, her purpose was not one iota lessened. "You are very clever," she said,, in that halting, ttneertain way, "but we are not going to wait —yon and I. You take me for a fool, but you are mistaken. lam no fool; lam an injured woman, and I will have my just revenge. You shall not live to slta over me, to sit and. laugh at your work. You got my husband away, you shall answer to me for it — do you hear? Answer to me I" "I will answer to you must certainly, Marcia, for any wrong I have done you," Penelope said gently. The spectacle of the miserable wreck of womanhood before her sent a pang through her. "Do not think lam trying to avoid an explanation; I only want to postpone it." Can you not see how bad all this is for you? You are ill —in pain 5 I entreat you to let me help you. If you get into bed and rest, it will perhaps do you good, Marcia." Marcia stood silent an instant. The expression of her face showed only too plainly she could make no answer for a moment.- * Penelope put outlier hand;'.'once again, arid tried to lead-Iter. 'There was no blow in answer time; she was conscious of a distinct thrill as some swift spasm of pain swept through the woman's frame' before her. ' She began, to plead, to argue.

j Marcia. made no sign; but all at once she began to speak; Her voice "%is little more than a. whisper, but it went direct to Penelope's already overweighted heart, and made her chill with a feeling not to be described. . I am dying! When they come home they will find me dead, alone with you—-you who have killed me!, You love my want me to die! You are my murderer! Go to Denis now, if you dare take his love —you, who have killed his wife! May you be happy, you wicked, wicked—" Penelope's arms went .about her cousin. .''•■''

"Oh,} Maraia! Marcia! may God forgive you .find help us!'' she cried wildly. , - Hgr strength, her courage/ her endurance wont from her; she was trembling inf. every limb, yet her sense of womanly pity did not desert her.'-- ■'.;.■/■ ' '''■%"' , / Dearth .indeed-«eemed written on Marcia's face and in her eyes. Even, as Penelope's whole strength was put out to support hei\she gave- a; gaspirig sigh—and a horrible moan of pain —and, slipping heavily from those slender arms, she sank in a huddled mass on the ground at the feet of the girl she had called her murderess. v CHAPTER XXII. "Walking steadily up the dark avenues of Thicket Croft grounds, a man, enveloped in a, -sensible rough ulster and cawving a Gladstone bag, arrived at the old-fashioned entrance to find another man, younger than himself, smartly arrayed in "immaculateevening dress, ringing lustily at the J bell. A'dogcart was waiting for this "young! man, with.a groom at the 1 horse's head. The last comer stopped abruptly andjooked keenly at Doctor Gregory, I 'young man in the evening dress was he. "Can't make yourself heard, eh?' he inquired, in a short, curt way, which belonged exclusively to Doctor, Westall. ' "Everybody gone to this dance,' I suppose. Pull again,sharply." * Philip Gregory obeyed, not without irritation.

"Everybody can't have gone," lie observed testily. "Miss Dosborough, I know, had no intention of doing so in any case; and now that she has an invalid —"

"Some one ill?" Doctor Westall inquired quickly. "You can speak freely to me,!' he added, seeing Doctor Gregory's hesitation, "I am one of Miss Desborough's friends, and I am a medical man into the bargain—my name is Westall." The younger man immediately showed his appreciation of a name that was well known to him and honoured accordingly. "We are.of the same profession," he said, almost diffidently. "I, too, am a; medical man, although only a humble individual at present; my name is Philip Gregory- lam glad to meetyouj and doubly so on this occasionfi as I shall refer, if you will allow me, to your superior knowledge, for dnstanoe, in this lpresent case. I confess it has both puzzled and troubled me." He told of Marcia's accident, and then showed a packet he held in his hand. "I have driven into —," naming the nearest town, "for this, and thought on my way to the ball I would just run in with it myself and see if I could do anything to relieve the excessive pain Mrs Latimar complained of." Doctor Westall said nothing, only gripped the handle of .Ins bag more olosely. "Ring again," he said tersely, after a. moment's silence, and then he gave a quick, short sigh, almost of relief, as the big door swung back, and Downs was revealed in the opening, with all the evidence of being aroused suddenly from deep sleep. Him, Doctor Westall began questioning immediately. "Where were the servants? Where was Miss Penelope? How came the house to be so deserted?" and a dozen such questions. Dpvvns, of course, lost hia temper. "You wasn't expected; Miss Penelope said you wasn't coming," he said surlily; but Doctor Westall took no notice of his ill I#mper.

"'Come in, Doctor Gregory/' he said; "as you are here, we had better ascertain if Mrs Latimar can see you—" Then Doctor Westall pulled up short. "Hark! what was that?" "I beard nothing," the younger ( man said, a little startled by the sudden transition of manner. He came into the hall obediently. Doctor Westall stood listening, his brows contracted; then he turned to Downsswiftly, his face full of an expression it would have been difficult to describe. "Where 1 is your mistress? With Mrs Latimar, you say—yes; but what room —which floor?" Downs, electrified by this curt questioning, ' gave the information reqtured. "Doctor Gregory, I shall be obliged if you will follow me," the elder medical maan said quietly. He led the way to the broad staircase. "Thank Heaven," he muttered, under his breath, "I decided to come, after all, to-night. Who shall say there is nothing in presentiment, after all?" IHe paused an instant, and, leaned forward one's again. A faint sound as of a woman's voice in pain came to the ears of Jboth men. Uttering an inarticulate exclamation, Doctor Westall ran hurriedly.up the stairs; PhiUp Gregory just behind him, his. face filled with a look of vague alarm and anxiety. , Doctor WestaE's manner communicated this 1 to him more eloquently than words; j there was something, too, in the whole atmosphere of the quiet old house that seemed to speak of gome unusual event —something .almost mysterious. The sound of the voice calling feebly for help guided their steps as they paused an instant on the first landing- - " ■".-, . . "This way," Doctor Westall said.

(To be Continued:)