Men Were Deceivers Ever.

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1032, 5 July 1904, Page 4

Men Were Deceivers Ever.

BY EDITH PEANCIS

CHAPTER 111 (Continued,) In fact Captain Neil Denton felt himself an injured man, and felt a personal grudgo against the absent Jack, However, it was impossible to imbuo Alino with such ideas, So he contented himself with railing at the fato which threatened them, and declaring that ratbor than give her up to Jack ho would carry her off in spite of all tho cousins and fathers in the land, Ho played his part very, well, and Alino was quite deceived, How ho loyed her, alio thought, How tenderly, yet passionately, ho love;! her, Surely kind fato could never separate them. If Jack returned she would not consent to be engaged to him; und if their futhcr was furious, she would go duwh on lior knees and tell him the tiutli. How sho and Neil loved one another and how she ccnld never think of marrying someone elso, Tho days and weeks stole 011 after that, and but for a little anxiety with regard to Jack's return, Alino wns perfectly happy. So happy that sometimes she wes friehtened. Would it itlwnjs be Itko litis V "Would Neil always be so Under, and never think of other girls ? But 6uch (tars woro soon silenced Alino wns conlonted to livo in the present and not meet trouble half way. As for her lover, lie could do nothing but-bido his time, * Perhaps tho obnoxious Jack wns dead, . Again, if he did not write soon tho bsro* • net's anger would get tho upper hand, ntul then would be the moment to declare his own passion, ' Mcanwhilo he and Alino met daily; sometimes at the cove, a retired littlo bay on the outskirls of the Abbey little frequented by boats on account of a shifting sandbank which jutted out almost to the centre, and secondly, becnuso of certain rocks which only showed their heads above water at low tide, Many days, however, they had not to go abroad to meet. Tho young bora? proved a godsend in disguise, for it gave Neil Denton a con - atant oxcuse for coming to tho house. He told Alino that he was breaking it in for her, and many ut timosho lookod on, trembling for hie safety, whilst its toons were in progress, This lifo was pleasant enough. For Neil Denton told himself that his only hopo was to" play 11 wailing gtuno," and to make the best of the present. He had discovered enough to mako him preity suro that, though Sir Godfrey liked him na a companion, he certainly would not approve of his marriage with Aline, aud therefore he did not want bis lovemaking to como to her father's ears. If the equiro knew of it, it would at onco put on end to Denton's welcome at tho old house, and that by no moans suited his ' book, Ho would huvo persuaded Alino to elope with him, and then have begged her father's pardon for his daring, if there had baen 110 such person ns this cousin Jack. But, ns things were, there was the chance that Sir Godfrey in his anger might wholly disinherit her in favour of his nephew, a possL bility rot to be risked for n minute. .And, on the other hand, this Jack might silonce Bcemed in favourflrWt, and, onco definite news oame to that effect, Denton felt 110 might hope to woo and win Aline openly. So for tho present ho was content to bide bis time, laying siege to her heart, winning her love, and caiiufj nothing for the possibility that in the end should things torn out adversely, ho might rido away J and leave her for ever, breaking the vows that ho swore so passionately now. Another reason why ho did not want ] tho engagement, known lay in his en* j tanglement with Alico, Again acd again 1 ho onrsed his folly for ever bavins been! caught by her pretty face, but ho could not wholly escape from tho girl now, and j every day which passed seemed to see him | moro deeply entangled in tho rniro of falsehood end deceit. And in ihe meantime ho managed to mako himself wonderfuiiy comfortabloand at ease, considering tho uncertainty of it all. Very often ten o'clock found him creeping to the ui'll to visit poor littlo Alice, but in the daytime he wandered through tho woods with Alino, his lips drawing castles in the air of tho enchantod future they would spend together, while for tho rest of the time he was the squiro's guest, Sir Godfrey Kept an oxcellent cook, and had a nico tasto in wine, but tho day at length oame when Neil Denton found himself possessed of onesolitary five pound note and some loose silver. Writing to friends and relations, he knew, was in vain ; his only resource was the honest Hebrew, who is always ready to lend as long as the interest charged is in proportion to the risk. So tho oaplain determined to run up to London ond see what could bo d.wo, He told Aline of his resolve, eomforling her ivith tbo assuranco that he would only be away a couple of days, Important family business was tbo exduio, and Alino belioved it, as shobaliovod , Id everything he snid. On the day of his departuro she walked alone aoross tho stretch of common which lay betweon the village and tho railway* station, and, as sho had expeoted, saw Noil carrying his Gladstone bag coming towards her. The mooting was not qnlto an accident -he bad asked her, indeed to bo there—and aftor their first greoting, which was just a handshake, for tho place was very public, sho waiked with him to tho station to see him off. Not any very tender words wore said, but his eyes seemed to speak to hors, and the m\ glance of his dark eyes was eloquent.:: Miff , The train came in, and ho ltamng from the window, took her hand in a farewell pressure that was in itself a caress, Thon the flag was waved, tho whistle sounded, and the train moved away, bearing him .. from her sight, , , Ttii'to was a little mist of tears in bor D7OS, but she dashed them away as she left tbo station. "How foolish and exacting I am to fret beoauso ho is leaving mo for a fow days," she thought. "In such a littlo while ho will come back." She had cmergod out on the common again, and at tho other ond of tho open space the train was still in viow. Aline naturally lookod towards it, and go sho did bo saw tho figure of a girl standing on a hill which overlooked tho ,iD Bbo reoognised Alice of tho mill. The girl was waving a handkercbie, and was answered by a flutter of cambric from someone in tho almost vanished train. Aline paused for an inßtant, wondering (0 whom Alice was biddding good bye, but ft never crossed her mind that it might fc# Theinoident was so trivial that it slipnod from her mind at onoe, though in tho aftertimo it was to bo remembored and to i-. f or m a strong link in tho chain of retribu. |i tion fate foould forge, At ilint, howor, went slowly home, her

Authoress of " Sinned Against anil Sinning," " Love in Idleness," etc., etc.

thoughts still full of her lover, ntul even at once she began to count the days until she would see him again. It teemed very lonely when lie was gone. She visited one after another all the places where they had met and walked together, and finished the day by going to bed with a headache, The next day s-lie felt almost more lonely, and it was quite a relief when, an hour or so before dinner, Sir Godfrey, meeting her in the hall, proposed a walk for tbo benefit of the appetite. Without any apparent reason, and, as it appeared, solely by chance, their steps led tiiem in the direction of the lonely cove, As tho? advanced, tho trees grew wider apart, thick bushes took the place of elm and beech, and presently liitlo patches of gorsc appeared, and the grass grew more sparsely on the sandy soil. Astlioy gained tho lip of the sleep desjont, gullied, streaked, and scarred by many a storm, they stood still to watch the sotting of tho sun amongst a muss of purplo cloiitb with odgos goltMipped. It was a beautiful sight, the fur slrclched oeonn whilened by little, created waves, stirred up by a fresh sea brcekc. Tho two of cha'!; cliff whi"h clasped the cor in their embrace, the one side cold and in sliud >'. v, tho other nil aglow witii the slanting rays of llio sun, and on its summit a yellow streak of the enrse from which the iittlo township look its name, To bo continued.)