THE STORY-TELLER.

Waikato Times, Volume XI, Issue 868, 12 January 1878, Page 2

THE STORY-TELLER.

WIPE IN NAME ONLY, B>t the author of ( ' Doha Thoknb." • on Hbr Wbddik^Mork," " t*it. DEMSB'I BY liOYJS," • A WOMAN*|. War' &o, *o. (ContJnfled from la«», Sainrday'a fosue.) OH>PTE!R VI. * Your anxiety about him would be very fl tteriug to him if he knew it,' remarked the elder lady. ' Why should I not be anxious ? I have always loved him better than the whole world. I have had reasons to he »nxious.' 'Phillippa, my dear Philippa, • would not say euch things if I wero y- v, unless I had heard something • a' y dejßnite from himself,' The biautitir) yonuit heiress aug'jed a bright, triumphant I ugh. * Something definite from himself ! Why, do you apt tjjjnfc it ljkoly that I

he wi-1 long remain indifferent to me, even if ho be so now— which I do not believe.' ' I have had so many disappointments m life that I am afraid of> being sanguine/ said Lady Peters ;■ ahd again the yonng beauty laughed. - •It will seem so strange to see him again. I remember his going iway so well. I was very young then— l am young* now, but : S fee^ years older. He came down to Verdun Koyal to bid us good-bye, :md I was m the grounds. He had •mt one half hour to stay, and mam .na Bent him oat to me.' The colour deepened m her face it she spoke ana the light shone m 'er splendid eyes— there wa.B a kind, »f wild restless passion m har words. * I remember it all so well ! There <iad been a heavy shower of rain m Uie early morning ; that had cleared iway, leaving the skies blue, the j ♦unshine golden, while the rain-drops i itill glistened on the trees and the ! grass. I love the sweet smell of the *reen leaves and moist earth after j rain. I was there enjoying it when j «c came to say gooi-bye to me ~ j aamma came with him. " Philippa,'he said, " Norman is going ; he vants to say good-bye to his little *ife." JBe always called me his ttle wife. I saw him look very grave. She went away and left ub ogether. " You are growing too all to be called my little wife, Philippa," he said, and I laughed at •is gravity. We were standing mderneatb a great flowering liiaoree — the green leaves and the weet fliwers were still wet with ue rain. I remember it so wel; 1 i drew one of the tal , fragrant ♦prays down, and, shaking the raiuu ops from it, kissed it. I can smell ue rich, moist odour now. I 'never see a lilac-spray, or smell its sweet •noisture , after rain, but that the ♦vhole scene rises before me again— i see the proud, handsome face that i love so dearly, the clear skies, and be green trees. '"How long shaii ou be away, Norman 1" I asked aim. " Not more than two years," »c replied. " You will be q "rite a irilliant lady of fashion when I return, Philippa; you will have nade conquests innumerable." " I shall always be the same to you," I replied; but he made no answer. ;ie took the spr<>y of lilac from my mnds. "My ideas of you wili ilways be associared with lilacs," ie said; and that jj. why, Lady t*eters, I ordered the vases to be tilled with lilao to-iay. He bent ■iown and kissed my face. ' Goodhye, Philippa," he said ; "may I find ou on my return as good and iwautifui as I leave you 1" And hen he went away. That is just <vo years ago ; no wonder that I •m pleased at his teturn. 1 Lady Peters looked anxiously at er. 'There was no regular engagenent between you ami Lord Arleigh, vas there, Philippa 8' * What do you call a regular en agement ?' said the young heiress. • He never made love to me, if that s what you mean—he never asked oe to be his wife, but it was under- ; ood — always understood.' * By whom 1' asked 'iady Peters. 'My mother and his. When Udy Arleigh lived, she repent a .reat deal of ume at Verdun Boyai with my mother; they were first •odsihs and the dearest of friends, •hundreds of times I have s?#n them at ring on the lawn, while Norman »nd I played together. Then, the'\ were always talking about the timV when we should be married. •'Philippa will make a beautiful Lady Arleigh/V his mother used to -ay. "Norman, go and play with your little wife," she would add ; •nd, with all the gravity of a grown courtier, he would bow before me, nd call me his little wife,' * But you were children then/ and «: was perhaps all childish folly. 1 •It was nothing of the kind/ said he heiress, angrily. < I remember *el! that, when. J Was presented my mother said to me, « Phi i ppa , you aye sure to be vefcy much *& mired; but, remember, I coaß.d« r you engaged tq Norman. Your ]« t m life is settled—you are to be Lady Arleigh, of Beechgrove " ' 'But,' interposed Lady Peters 'it seems to me, Pfailippa, that this was all your mothers fancy Be cause you played together as chil-dren-beoause, when you were a child, he called you his little wife— because yoar mother and his were dear friends, and like* the arrangement—it does not follow that %* would like it, or that he w oQ id choose the playmate of his childhood as the love of bis manhood ' In all that ywU»fj to m e,' l see no evidence that hQlov^ you or that ie consider himself m any way bound to yoa, 1 J J That i^ becanse you do not understand. He has been m Engiand only two days, yet, you see, he comes to visit me/ ' That may be for old friendship's sake,* said Lady Peters. 'Oh, my darling, be careful! Do not give the love of your heart and soul for nothing.' • It is given already,' confessed th& girl, 'and never can be recalled, v matter what I get m return „\^ *° it's twenty minutes past dL a ]> you think he will come »' r J ; do Philippa L'Estran^^ * - couch and went ■■ ««*&*'»» the window. ° tJl e long ' open so bright "V? seen *te sua beautiful B s £V eTer %/*** so

Norman, make haste ! lam loogins to see yon/ B & She had a quaint, pretty fashion of calling Lady Peters by the French .fP^^'^S^KShe turned to bfer |Solr t ;^th a cliarniing smile. ■She Bhook,oaMhe,pejtfamed folds of her dress-^ijhe smoothed out t..e 6ne .*bite laoe^C %i-.---■V i« You| bsv& nofeSJlrtd, marnan, she :aaid « wherh^l # p looking my best < I wft^No/rani to be a little surprised- when he sees me. If you saw me f »r the firot time to-day, would you think me nice V •v. 'I. skould^liffir " you~the : my "" queen of beauty,' w»s the truthful answer. ' fe^U Jorman,^ JYo 1 .will ko e maman, there is no oause for anxiety, none for fear. You will soon be 'wondering why you looked so grave over/my, pretty, love story. 1 'It seems to me,' observed Lady Peters, 'that is a one-sided story. You love him — you consider yourself betrothed to him. What wi I you say or do, Puilippa, if you 6nd that during his travels he has iearnei to loye some one else ? He has visited half the Courts of Europe since he (eft here, he must have steu some of the loveliest woman m the world/ Suppose he has -learned to love iiu^i — what then?* The beeritiful face darKened. ■« What then, raamau? I know what I should do, even m that case. He belonged to me before he belonged to anyone else, and 1 should ry to win him back again.' ' 1 But if his word was pie Ige • ?' 'He must break his pledge. It would be war to the kniie ; ami I n.ve an idea that m tne end I jhould win.' 'But,' persisted Lady Peters, 'if you lost — what then V ' Ah. then I cannot tell what would happen \ L >ye tur.is to ■ naming h. ate at times, It I failed, I should' seek revenge. But we will not talk of failure. Oh, m<*man, there he is ! How she loved him! At the sound of 'hi*, footsteps a crimson glow sh.>n« m her f ,cc, a light siioue m the depths of her splen-lid dark c cs r ihe scarlet li , 8 trembled. Sb© clenched her white fi ig«rs test a souud that might betray her should, escape her. 'Lord Arleigh,' anuouo red a servant at thedjor. Tall, stately, self-possessed, she 1 went forward to greet him. She held out her hand, but words foiled her as she looked once more into the 1 face she loved $0 well. ' Philippa !' -cried the visitor, m tones of wonder. 'I exacted to find you changed, but I should nob have known you/ 'Am I so greatly altered?' she asked. * Altered Th« repeat^rj. < j | P f f a pretty schoolgirl —I fii.i'a q leen.' :ie bowe<i low over tiu* V>tte hind. 'The queen biisyou \ye.cuine/ she said j a;.d then, after Litro'uc•ug Lady Peters, ahea.,JdrtJ, • Should you not reullj have kuowu m - , Norman? iie had recoreiv^ from Us first surprise, and Lady Peers, who watched him closely, fmcind that. ' she detected some little embarrassment m. bis m inner. Of ooe ihingahe was quite sure — there were admiration and affection m his manner, , but there was nothing resembling love. r „ He. greeted her, and then took *£ seat, jjdt by Philippa's side, baft ii* one of the pretty louuging.<jhH.iufSj br . ohe open window.. . . ... J To be Continued.. ? . ■■