THE DEMAINE DYE.

Waikato Argus, Volume III, Issue 164, 31 July 1897, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE DEMAINE DYE.

" TKLb," the girl pleaded, coaxingly, with her cheek agunst his. "Ask me anything but that, and I will grant it," answered her lover. " That is a matter which concerns my honour, and so not even for you can I " ■

" Oh," she interrupted, pettishly, " I am sick of hearing that cant about your honour. You only promised your father, and I am sure if he had known mo he would h ive told me ; but you—you are as hard as adamant. You can't c ire for in s properly, or you would do whit I ask you. The very first thing 1 have ever asked you," she ended, pettishly. Alan Domiinn smiled at th-j pretty exhibition of childish wrath ; than he said gravely, yet (irmly : "it is no use. Elsie ; you are causing both yourself and me needless pain by constantly teasing me on this matter. Once and for all, I cannot tell you ; so now let us talk of something pleasantly. What is the last new gown like?" ho ended, smiling lovingly down at her.

The girl looked at him —a curious glance, . half menace, half malice ; then, veiling her eyes, drooping be fore his ardent glance, she allowed herself to be coaxed, flattered, and petted into a—seemingly—forgetful mood.

" 1 wonder why the little witch is so eager to know the secret—a trade secret, too '!" thought Domaiue to himself that night, as he smoked a quiet cigar. " A childish whim, I suppose, or woman's curiosity."

And, so thinking, he dismissed the subject from his mind.

But he would not have dismissed it quite so easily if he could have looked into a distant chamber in another part of the house and seen a little fury excitedly pacing the floor, and murmuring to herself : " I wi'l get to know it yet—whether by fair means or foul it matters little ; but I will get it, and then " " I must bo off to the works at once," Alan said next morning to his mother and sisters. " Tell Elsie, when she comes down, that I am awfully sorry not to be able to take her a drive, as we arranged yesterday, but something unexpected has turned up, and 1 air compelled to attend to it. No eye like the master's—eh, mother?" he finished, laughingly.

Mrs Damaine looked fondly 7 at her son,

" You are just like your father," she said, proudly. "It was aye duty before pleasure with him ; but I'll tell the lassie, Alan, and maybe you'lly be home by dinner-time."

" I can't say, mother," he answered, cheerily. " Only don't wait for me."

And then they heard the hall door close, and knew he was off. The clay wore away. Elsie declined Enid Demaine's offer to drive her in place of Alan, and went off for a long walk by herself. Enid and Cicely looked curiously after her as she walked down the drive, and then Cicely said, half dreamily : "I do think there is something odd about Elsie. I wish Alan had not fallen in love with her. Do you know," lowering her voice to an awe-stricken whisper, " I'm afraid she is not trustworthy."

When Alan came home that evening ho seemed in uproariously good spirits. Ho laughed and chatted and joked and teased, until his mother declared that he was '' fey." After dinner he invited Elsie out on to the terrace, to " see the moonlight," he declared mendaciously. Very fair and sweet the girl looked in her pretty white gown of some shimmering material, and so her lover evidently thought, for he suddenly caught her to his breast and rained passionate kisses on her brow and lips. Then, just as suddenly he thrust her from him, and stood facing her in the moonlight. I'he girl was half-frightened at his manner.

" What is the matter, Alan ?" she asked, timidly. '• Nothing, my pet," ho replied, in his old m-.inner. " Only y (JU looked so bewitching I think .1 lost my senses." " I think you did," she retorted, coquettishly. " Alan," she continued, earnestly, "do you really and truly love me ?" He looked at her curiously ; then, recollecting himself, replied : " What a foolish question to ask ! How many hundreds of times have 1 told you the old, old story." " But," she persisted, raising her face to bis, " I never, never can believe it until you tell mo that secret." His face darkened at her words.

" Did I not tell you last night that your persistency was worse than useless V he retorted, looking coldly down at her. " Well, then," she answered, passionately, " until you do tell me 1 will never marry you —never !" There was a long silence, between them, finally the man broke it. " Do you mean what you say ?"' be asked, in a low, tense voice.

" Certainly," she responded, in a bard, determined tone. Then, changing her manner to one of winniii" sweetness, " But I know you will tell me. You could never, Hover be so cruel as to refuse." He turned away, and began paoiu" the lawn in an undecided, wavering fashion, quite unlike his

usual firm step. The girl followed him, and laid one liana on his arm.

'' Tell me," she whispered, be seechingly ; then she raised herself on tiptoe and kissed him. " 1 cannot resist," he murmured : then stooped suddenly and whispered something in her ear. " Is that all ?" she asked, in evident surprise. He nodded.

The next afternoon Elsio refused all offers of companionship, and went off for a solitary stroll. As she approached a little wooded copse, about half a mile from the house, a young man sauntered slowly towards her. "Well, what success this time?" he demanded, without troubling to make any preliminary greeting. " Wait a minute, Hugh," the girl answered. " I am quite breathless with hurrying. That tiresome Enid wanted 10 come with me. And I wasn't at all sure of Alan not coming too."

The man stood for a moment or two in silence, then glanced at his companion impatiently.

" I have got it," she answered quietly, returning his glance. His whole face changed and glowed with triumph. " You little darling, you clever little darling !" be exclaimed, and then took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. She lay quite passive in bis embrace, her dark eyes gleaming with tenderest love. " Now we can marry," he whispered. "But you have not told me yet, Elsie. Are you sure you have got the exact details ?" " Tt is all written here, word for word, as Alan repeated it to me," she replied. J [c read the paper greedily' which she handed to him, then placed it in his pocket-book and drew a deep breath of relief. " Ho that is all the secret of Demaine's wonderful purple dye," he said. " Well, I rather think now that the monopoly is destroyed. Won't the old-fashioned firm be astonished when they find them-8-dves undersold in the market by a dye exactly like their own ?" And lie laughed a cruel laugh of triumph. " I always hated Deniable," he continued—■" always. This will be splendid revenge, besides making all our fortunes. But como, Elsie," he added, " it is time we were moving. I'll see you to the Park gates, and then 1 must get back to town." A month passed away, and Elsie was still visiting the Demaines, still, outwardly, engaged to Alan, of whom, nevertheless, she saw very little. "Hugh," Els : e said to her lover one evening, " don't you think" and then she stopped in confusion. ' Think what !" said Hugh idly, without looking at her. " That it is not very nice nor pleasant for me to be staying at Alan's home, when I have—betrayed him ?" she ended bravely. " 1 don't see what else you can do," retorted Hugh, lazily, "unless you go back to your aunt's."

The girl crimsoned to her brow. " Couldn't we be married now ?' she whispered in shamed tones. He looked at her sharply, then replied, " Look here, Elsie, it is best to be straightforward so we may as well end this farce at once, lam engaged to my cousin Marian, and we are to be married next month."

There was a long silence. Up in the bright blue heavens a bird was carolling merrily, and in a strange mechanical manner Elsie counted five daisies which were in a cluster at her feet. Then she spoke :

"So you just used me as a tool, Hugh?" '• Yes," he acquiesced, shamefacedly. She laughed—a strange, hard laugh, "It does not hurt very much, after all ; not very much," she repeated piteous! y, and then without another word turned and left him.

When Alan Deniable reached home that night his mother and sister met him with the news that Elsie had been suddenly summoned to meet her aunt. " Though when she got the bitter I'm sure I don't know," added Enid, suspiciously. Her brother made no reply, but went straight to his own room. And there, on the toilet tabic, lay a tearstained note.

" I have been a wicked, deceitful girl," the letter ran, " and now the

greatest punishment I have to bear is the knowledge that I have brought ruin upon you," Then followed an explanation concerning her curiosity about the dvc, and the note ended with a plea for forgiveness.

In reply Alan wrote as follows : —" My forgiveness you have fully and freely, and 1 sincerely wish you every happiness in the future. You must not distress yourself about ' ruining me,' as the secret (?) which I told you concerning the purple dye is no secret at ail, but a very ordinary chemical preparation well known in the trade Forgive me for deceiving you. I over-heard your conversation with the scamp who used you as his tool, and I could not resist my little piece of revenge. The Deniable Dye is a seciet still, so you may cease fretting alout that. My mother, who knows nothing, sends you her love. In a clay or two I shall simply tell her that the engagement is dissolved." Three moid lis after the despatch of this letter Alan's mamiger ceased

from troubling, for the new firm failed irretrievably. " Hang it all :"'.<-aid Hugh to his confidential assistant. "We have «ot the correct ingredients, man. ft must be in the mixing that we fail."

And when his speech found its way to Alan's ear he simply laughed. "It was Delilah who failed,' he said to himself, " not the mixing." And then with a new glad hope springing in his heart, lie joined hia sisters and his sisters' friend Monica in the drawing room.