A Wasted Love

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1165, 8 December 1904, Page 4

A Wasted Love

CHAPTER IV,

It was dark under tho trees in the avenuo as Boyce walked through it, and in tho Boleran quiolude thought over u'l that had

passed. Ho stopped just outside the ga'o, and emptied the money from hi« pocket into his baud--it did not require two, There wore exactly fifteen shillings and sixpence, and Ireoo Tresylian's locket. As he looked at tho small trinket tho sternnrss ol Ins f-ico softened and somoihiug like a tear gathered In his eye, She had oiled herself hi? sister, ami though ho h:id contradicted her, shu had ken like ut sister to him—until to-day, The Earl of Landon mid Irene's lather, Lord Tresyliau, had been bosom (rionds, and at the death of the lattor his daughter had become Lord Lnndon's ward. The countess loved her ns a moiher, and Irene and Boyco had grown up side by side, fait fricuds and playmates, brother and sister —until to-day, when, oouiing upon her in the oak room, ho hod di- covered thai the ohild had grown into a woman, Her faco pale and tearful, her voice full of its sym* pathetic sorrow, haunted him as ho sat there, and almost drovo out the sting and remembranco of his mother's passionate reproaches, But they came back upon him presontly and lashed him, He knew that what sbe had-said was trne, that sho had lavished tho wholo ol her lovo upon him, her younger son, almost, to the exclusion of his brother, Seymour, tho earl, and Royce had nevor " got on " well together, they were totally unliko in form, features and mind. Seymour spent most of his time in London, taking up o r .o fad after anothor; and making each servo its purpose. Ho and Royce saw very little of each othor, and when they nid wuro just civil and no more, Tho earl had possession of tho estatos and the Landon monoy; except tho Countess' small jointure thero was not much, not onough of it, but he would not have given Royce a shilling, and Royce would have died raiher than accept it, Now, Lady Irone was rich, very rich, and tho Countess had ever since tho fair haired ohild had becomo hor ward, chorished a secret hope that Rovcb and Iraio would marry. There would bo money enough for her boy then, and all wouid be well,

But though she loved him as only a mother can lovo her last born, she was too righteous and too proud to sacrifice Irene to ono, even though her own son, who had lost his good name, b was hor din* appointment in him that had lent fun to her passion, and barbed her reproaches with poisoned darts; for my lady the countess, was ambitious for him, Tho oarldom had gone to Seymour, nothing but her small income would go to Koyco Why should ha not, liko his fatner, carvo out a name for himself with his sword, and enriched with Irene's wealth, become a power in the land ?

All this Royce knew as ho sat thero with the fifteen shillings in his hand, And he had pulled down tho beautiful castle in the air, levelled it to the dust, Ho wus more sorry for his mother than for himself; indeed ho Jconsidered himself as too worthless to bo grived over. After a lime he got up arid strodo on, whither he cared DOt.

The evening shadows grew darker, and as he reached the edse of the common the lights from tho fair glaumed like a ring of fire in tho summer night's haze, and the muffled roar and din of the crowd caine across the silence, and smote on his ear dully. Ho wss harassed and tormented by his thoughts, and the fair offered him a distraction. He quickened his pace, and had corao within a hundred yards or so of tho edge of the outer ring of booths and ahows, when bo saw a gypsy's caravan s'owly making its way towards hint. He stopped and looked at it nbsontly. It was a liying van of tho ordinary kind, but its appoint raonts wcro better than usual, the paint was fresher, nnd tho muslin curtains at the diminutive windows wore whiter. On tho shaft, driving the biK, lmnboring horse, sat a young girl with long, unkempt hnir down her back and another girl walked besido, ono hand holding tho red shawl at bit throat the Other hanging down listlessly, Sho glancod up at Royco as she passed, and ho caught tho gleam of a pair of dark eyes; but ho did not recogniso her us tho girl who had told his fortune, and he was was walking on when ho lie hi&rd ligh l and hurried footsteps behind him, He stopped and turnod so suddenly ihat i-ho drew back a step, and stood with a faint flush on her brown cheek, and a half timid 'ook in her cy ts, 11 Well," ho said." what is it ?" Then 8J he recognised her lie addod: " you don't want to tdl my iortuna again ?" She shook her head,

" You wero going there," sho said point ing in iho direction of the (air, " Yes, I was, Well ?" he repliod,

" Don't," she sa d in a low tono. " There is danger there. "Danger?"ho said, "What kind of danger?"

Sho oast down her oyos and shook her head,

"I can't tell you nny miro; but don't

go." " Oh, but I'm not afraid," ho said lightly, "I raiher liko dancer," 11 1 know," she said in the sanio low voice: that is why I stopped )ou " " Well, I'm much obliged 10 you," ho mid gently," but 1 rather liko a torimmsgo." " I have warned yon," she said almost sadly, and without another word left him and wont quietly after iho van. Boyce looked after her ior a moment or two, then went on in tho direotion of the fair, Ifshohad tried alio could not have hit upon a surer way of driving him there; and in anothor minute he was in tho thick of it, The crowd was denser, tho heat grosser, tho noiso more doafoninp than it had been in tho afternoon; but Royce walked hither and thither with a dull and vacant eyo now, and without tho smile with which ho had botore viewed the proceedings

The orowil was not only noinior but rougher, and absorbed an lio was in his gloomy reflection, Eoyco now and again put ont his strong hand or shonldcr to save some woman or child from boiriß huatlod and crushed. Ho got sick and woary of the din and heat, hut ho did not leavo the place, for tho simplo reason that ho did not know where to go, and, after all, tho crowd was somo sort of company, lho clock of Monk Towers atruck eleven, the showmen banged their drums and shouted " Tho last time I" and the orowd begun insensibly to thin. 'I he fair was nearly over for that year, and the redletter day for Cumberleigh wan drawing to a close, Royoo sat down on a form near a booth, and lit his pipe, and watched iiome men who wero alrendv beginning to pull down tho show* and pack up, Ho was so interested in tho silent and adroit way in which they wont to work that he was quite lost, when suddenly a gipsy enmo up and stood beside hint, lioyce looked up, and met a pan of small sunken eyes fixed upon hi a cautiously, hut they shitted instantly, aud the owner asked for a raaich.

It did not occurr to Royco that tho mm oould havo got a light from ono of the nuinerons naptha lamps (liming uoar them, and absently he took out his silver iueee-box nod hsndod it up to tho man,

. . BY CHARLES GARVICE

Author of "Louie's Loyalty," "Elaine," "A Woman's Soul," ke.

Unci" Jahr—f it was ih'U worthy ■ looked nt ilio lux with a Hidden greed* elanm in his i yps. look ut mutch, m< hindcil the lux h:ifll; ni h >i 'Think you my jjeti'liiii'ir. 1 ' "oven n ..Veil, -mil t : ' mm), iniiß'iiii!! Ir's 'H. moved on But ho only iv. Nt I chind th • neurit both, mid mnoi! thorn siiink'ii'.'ninl wchin» tie yoni'gni'ii! I'i'o-.'i' lv :w»ni.'iH';iinoiii to the Iwo'li: on" win ii pyprty, tlio other tho jin-i' Ln.'ir DPI,

"IWlo.U'cl ,HH"I> iv.mhog pn; but Uiu'lr .like silfiir.i'il him with •■■ pceiili-r gfs'uri', and j-ibi hi< ilium' toward Rover.

The twn men di'pw hank and held n U'hisppring i'o Inn/iy iv ; th Unci' ,T,ik» for » few moments: tlnm the th'rp went awny. Rnyco watched the llmuo no out one by one, an-, some of 'hn cAravans ptnrt, 'lion he ro'o wearily and looked at his watch.

The noarcst town was fivo miln distant and he would have to reach that, before he could go.* a h-d. Tin was tired mentally and physically, and he left tho fair with a slow and spiritless step, going in the direction which tho living van with the two girls had taken. He walked along slowly smoking his pipe, and eyory now and thon looking np at the sky lighted only by tho myriad stars, and nsltod himself the saddest of all questions a man can ask —" What is to bs come of me ?"

', I can enlist," he said, Many ft better man than I has had to do that: but lio hasn't been an officer kicked out of the service. I might lmvo Trace over me find then," he shook his head. "No, that, door's shut. I'm strong; I suppose I could cfirn my living as a nnvvy, Thnf would bo a now departure for a Landon, Anyhow, it'slioncst, and doesn't require brains, and no ono need know." Tin thought of Irene crossed, h ; s mind, and ho sighod. "Well, I shouldn't Ije farther off her as a navvy than I am now," ho said to himself, Pit put up his hand to push his cip off his forehead as he spoke, and at the snmo moment a blow aimed at his he«d fell upon his arm, He sprung round with nlortmss of the athelcte, and saw a form on cither side of him: one sermed hi the dusk to tower like a Riant against tho sky, (70 be continued.)