A Wasted Love

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1163, 6 December 1904, Page 4

A Wasted Love

. BY CHARLES GARVICE

Author of "Leslie's Loyalty," "Elaine," "A Woman's Soul," Ac.

CHAPTER 111,

As Royco Landon exclaimed " I'll face it, I 'the door openod ami a lady ontored. She was of middle age, aud still smgrilarly beautiful, but the beauty of the. face was marred by an expression of pride which would have beon too pronounced and vivid even for a man, She was tall, upright as a dart; there was not a speck of gray in the dark hair, and on looking at her one Baw at once where Royco had got his graceful bearing; for this was his mother, the Countess of Landon. Sho was dressed in gray satin trimmed with white laoe, and though there was no company at Monk Towers, wore diamonds at her throat and on her fingers. As her gray eyes rested on the hand> some face other son they molted into softness for a moment, but it was for a momont only, and it gave placo to an expression of proud and pawonato anger, only kept in check by an iron will. Royco oame forward nr.d kissed hoi". "Well, mother?'he said. Sho endured the kiss, but did not return it, end as sho took in tho torn and duety condition of his clothes her eyes flashed. •'Why have yon come home?', she askod, He drew forward a chair for her, but she' still stood, regarding him fixedly^ '• Won't yon sit down, mother?" he said, " I'm afraid you are not glad to see me: that —that you didn't expect mo again bo soon," She remained silent. "I didn't expect to come back myself," he went on. '■ But tho fact iB, I've—well I've got into a scrape," He stopped, but still she would not help him, This second son of hors wns the obild of her heart, the apple of her eye. Sho would have laid down her life for him willingly, but her love was con. oealed beneath an iceberg of prido and ambition, Most mothors would havo sunk into the chair and probably begun to cry; but she remained motionless and apparently unmoved. "What have you done ?" she asked as he paused, and, with knitted brows, &azed at the carpet. " I never see you, hear from you, but I expect bad news. This occasion, I presume is to prove noexoeption, Why are you in this Btate ?" and she looked him over severoly. " I've walked a long way," he said; then he added candidly," and-and 1 had a bit of an adventure on tho way, a tussle with amanatthofair, mother."

Hor oyes flashed with indignant scorn, " You come home in disgraco—"

His faoo flushed and ho his oyes, but dropped tbem again without saying anything. " In disgrace, and you stop on the way to indulge in a vulgar brawl at a fair —" " Not a brawl, mother—but no matter." •' No, it does not matier. You have, I suppose, sunk too low to care for the dignity of a gentleman-—" " Mother I" burst from him, but ho stopped with the exolamation and shut his lips tightly. "What is it you havo dono now?' sho asked. " Havo you beon gambling again, and lost more money ?"

11 It is not money—this time," he said, It's a had business, the worst scrape I,ve over got in, and—and I'm afraid there is no way out or it," "Then go back andlivoit down," sale tho countess sternly. "Go back to youi regiment." " I can't ho said doggedly, " I haysleft the army."

Her face grew pale and her eyes dilated "You have left thearaoy? What is it you say? Are you mad?" " I was obliged to," ho said, " I was compelled. There was nothing else but that. If I hadn' left I should cashiered, She sank into the chair, and leaned her head on her hand. "What hayo you done ?" she demanded,

"It was just this," ho said in a low voice " You have heard mo speak of Colonel Trace, You know what I have told you about him. A drunkon bully, who is no more fit to be an officer in her majesty's service than is a shoeblack. Most decent shoeblacl.s would make a bettor officer! He lias had a spite against mo ever since I joined, It—" he colored, but his eyes did not quail beneath her Jtern gazo-" it was about a youDg girl he had treated badly, and I stood up for her. Ho has borne me a grudge ever since then, and has lost no opportunity of dropping down on me. Ho has mode my life a burden I But I'd made up my mind to bear it until he or I exchanged and lott the regiment, and things were going belter till tbree days ago, He'd been drinking, and seemed as if he conldn'tlot me aloue Mother, you don't know how p man in hij position can torturo the life out a man in mine. Well, the night before last we were at mess. He was half drank—l'll say that for him—and he amused himself by making a butt of me. I stood it liko a lamb till he'd thrown a glass of wine in my face. Ho said it waß accident; but it was meant. It was meant—and I "he drew a long breath-" I struck him." Tae countess had sat with her oyes bid den by ber hand, She now rose, whito to the lips, and trembling with fnry, " 1 struck him,' ho wont on his eyes blazing. I would havo killed him if I could but—but they tore us apart, There was a mark across his face—"

En stopped, and controlled himself, "Tbey all fluid that I should be courtmartialed and punished. I was placed under arrest—" Ho stopped again. " But Trace knew ho oouldn't face the inquiry, Ho had a bettor card than that, and he played it. He sent me word that if I would send in my resignation the matter shonld drop. " I thought it all out as clearly as I coti'd, I know that if it camo to a court martial 1 should bo cashiered and disgraced I'd struck my superior offioer; that's unpardonable I and I-resigned!" Tho countess stood speechless for a moment; then she raised her hand with an aotion almost tragio in its intensity. "You have disgraced yonrsolf—you have dishonoured the nnmo your bear. Look therol" She pointed to tho portrait of tho earl in his general's uniform. "Your father won in the field a coronet for his race; hisnamowas honoured wherover and whenever it was spoken. You havo dragged that name in tho mire; havo boon expplM frnm ih» p'ervice of which ho was 80 proud by striking your superior officer in B drunken squabblo. And you aro my son and hia I' 1

No words can describe tho passionate bitterness of her tone; it mado Royco start as a thoroughbred start at the cruel out of the lash. /

"My son,for whom I hid hopod so much. It was for you to eitrry on the traditions ol thn house, to raise the namo of Landon still higher; or at any rate tr keep its lustre bright. You have draeeed it in the mud, Do you think ibutt e world will not loam tho truth—that it will not consider that you have been expelled from tho eervice. It kriew it before I did, It will never forget it! Never I When thoy speak of the Earl ofLandonthoy will add with a sneor that it was a son of bis who disgraced himself, and barely escaped punishment aud dismissal." She paused tor a second or two to gain breatbj then went oo as passionately as before;

"And now vouhave come home, what is it you intend to do? Do you intend t

lonf round tho place, dragging yom burden of shame wrth you for everyono to poiiv at ? What do you mean to do I ask ? To lounge about tho etablofl or tho village alehouse, lo consort with groins and potboys ? You cannot, dare hot offer any gontleman your society; you disgraced, cashiered, nn outoast " Royco had sunk into a chair; ho sprang up as a horse springs when tho lash falls last and furiously.

"Motherl ho pantod, "do you know what you are saying ?" His passion only served as added me: to hors.

" Do yon know what you havo.dono?" alio retorted fiercely, "Do you not renlisi it? You havo ruined yourself—" slw laughed a terrible laugh—" you -mv son! are like a man who has with his own hand maimed and crippled hmisolf for life, pasl hope, past curing. What is there Icfi for you to do? What? Tell me I Yo>do not know! You have cast away tho chance of your life. At the commencement of tho .race you havo flung yourself down to wallow in the miro, and left ttio prize of life to other; 1 And you are my son 1 And his! Look at that picture and think of yourself and your ruined life. And I was proud of you 11 w«b ambitious for you 11 have lain awake at night, God gavo ma but two sons, and he has punished me for loving the last better than tho fiwl. Tho one for whom I prayed and hoped great things has disgraced the name he boars, and rendered it a byword and scorn I"

Royco tittered a cry, not loud, but terrible in its intensity, and it was echoed by the girl who had stood motionless and turned to,stone by the awful dennneintion. With hor lovely faco white as death, her eyes dilated with horror, she flung herself in front of Royce as if to protect bim from an actual blow; then, with a kind of sob, she dropped almost on her kueoa at the tall, erect figure of the elder woman, and dinging to her arm moaned, [To bt ctntimted,)