CHAPTER V.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2036, 25 July 1885, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHAPTER Y.

SAVING A WOMAN'S HONOR. "We must go straight to London ; that is the only place where we can ba married. They make filch a fuss about marriages in these country places: in London they take things more quietly. A few thousand marriages there, more or leas, makes no difference. Alice, can you walk to Laylsden Junction? It is only four miles from here ; there we can take the express to London. lorn sorry that you should be so tired and fatigued ; there is no way of getting a carriage for you." " I can walk," ehe replied, quickly. " Then gay good-bye to the doctor's house ; it will be a long time before you see it ugain," Baid Lord Carsdale. Alice looked up at it with tearful eyes. "I owe him so much," she murmured; " but he was always so cross, and bo severe." " No one shall ever be cro?s to you again, my beautiful Alice, said the young lord. " You have drank the leca of life, now you shall taste its wine." In her strange after-life, with its joys, its passions, its pains, she never lost the memory of that walk. The night was co still, so sweet, so fragrant; there wan no eound, save the mnrmur of tho wind as it lightly stirred the great, swaying boughs, save their own footsteps on the soft, springing turf, save their own voices, low and murical ; the lovely starlight was co dim and fragrant; the hedges were one pink mass of white roses, with great sprays of woodbine perfuming the ewe«t, silent night ; the fire of the scarlet poppies was hidden in the graec, the dew fell soft and sweet, tho birds were oil as)cr>p ; and tho two, who were but children ftftor all, though ho was bravo of heart, walked through tbo long line of trees to the ftation. They reached it at last. With the delicacy and consideration of a true cavnlicr, ho had talked to her of everything and Ml 5 thing except themselven and the future before them. He enid nothing of love or man iage; he tal\ed to her of tho books he had rotid, nnd was delighted to find that Al'co was a wonderful scholar. " You can road Goethe and Schiller in the oripinn.l ?" he i-aid. " Then, frankly ?peakipg, I onvy .-sou. I wNb I had spent half the time in studj ing Gerrnim that I have ppent over Greek. We mtibi npjftk G.nmnn, Alico. Quote some of Goethe's lines to me." She complied ; then they uiocubscd French literature, and Lord Caredale complimented Alice on her accent. " The truth i V he said, " you b\-.0%\ German j»nd French better than English." Alice looki'o up in alarm. "DoT? lam bo sorry." " You have- no need to be sorry," lio answered, with bland patronage. " You will soon leiun; you are vury quick." It was very plea B ont to him to have this young gir! depending en bim — ?o elated if ho praised her, co deprived if he hinted at a fault or an imperftclion. T.\lk of playing a piano— that is nothing to the wonder of playing on the strings of n humnn heart, as bo played upon hern. They reached the station will) timo toppnrc — the expreus left thereat t.vo in the morning. •' I must be cautions," °aiA Loid Carpd-.le ; " though Ido not think, that tiny one here knows me." He sent » porter to purchase the tickets, and in a few mini Irs (hey wore i;omij; r,s fa^S iv steam could Uke them to Lonuon. "What should we have done," m'<\cd Alice, " If wo had bef n Uta for this train? ' Ho laughed with his nuperb care. " We should hnvo found our wr.y on*, vl all dilliuulties," he paid ; "U c seen t. of 1 not" s& i* a fctrong will and iU terminatiou." (To hi ccutinued.)