CHAPTER XXXII.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2066, 3 October 1885, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHAPTER XXXII.

TAV\ !■ Till I "Lady Elhol I'ifrpont I" ilow nmny tini.H Alice eaid that natuc over and over again to heraelf -it hud a charm lor htr that she could

rri'Vr r^j'i r - e i mr understand; the echo of it •> ■ .1 il i-i !>•» 'in m\ t r ihu- rannner tr full on hiji het\ r t, to <-tir lfs citptna — yet she had no ».&«oc'Htnn with the name. S'io gava her nir.'t ciqi r attention to nil that was fluid of L^.dy fi'-h'l; fro>u it ehc gathered that she was younp, braut'ful, a wealthy heiress, high born, ileiV'ly 10-td, ftr>iceful, nciompiished ; jn fict, (\. ry conceivable gift of Heaven was her-. Alvo li-tenrd, not, with envy, but in woruler, u se-urud more than btrango tbat nnn should h(\vc so much, others so littla. HhelongoUo u-kLad) Oertiude about her, but th-it she dared net do. She had been at home some li'/b time ikw, yet Alice knew hrr no better than on the first day she returned. Lady Gjrlrude v> as kind to her; when they were tog-thcr she talked to her about tho weatbor, the dog", Lady Waldroye's health, any of her dtniee, but of herself never. If Alice made any inquiry as to her health, ehe answered it briefly ; of her -likes and dislikes, of bor friends an'* 1 fop*, of her own thoughts and ideas fihe nnyc-r by any chance uttered a piaqlo word, tf.ie was kind to Alice; considerate for her even ; but between L^dy Gertrude Car«do'e, daughter of the Earl of Waldrove, and Alice Dorwent, tho paid companion, there was tho difference) you understand cf the whole world— a difference, in the opinion of Lady Gt-rtrude, that nothing could ever bridge over. As her mother's) companion, Lrly Gertrude wna gcntlo and even considerate to Alice Denvcni, but she would no more havo dreamed of equality with her, of talking familiarly to her, of exchanging opinions with her, than cho would have drpaimd of llvii.g— bo that Alice could a-tk no ijue'ition'j of her. Tho oftener she heard tho rnma of Lidy Ethel the more a»xious she gre-,v ; >et, in what way possible could il affect hpi ? She bp.w that tho countess eet grf at store by this oming visitor ; all possible preparations were made for her. "We will do that when Lidy Ethel cumce." "Wo will wait for Lidy Echel." "We mint sco what Lady Ethel thinks." These were the kind of words that Alice heard eontinuaMy. The finest suite of rooms in the Abbey were set aside for Lidy Ethel. Alias sighed as rhe listened ; could it ever be within the realms of possibility that such care would ever bo td'tn of hr? Ah, no, not even wero it known that sho was the heir's wife— not even then. It wa3 tho beginning of August then, and no lovelier month had ever dawned ; it seemed art though nature wero holdirg a sweet and sppunl carnival of it? own ; the sky was brilliantly blue ; the eun shone with a brilliant light, yet it was not so warm as to bo unpleasant ; the air vrtu filled with odors from the green, shady woodp, the fruit laden orchard 3 , the gay flower-gardens ; the birds sang jubilant music ; tho lovely, laughing corn fields were golden , the harvest moon mado the whole world bright and light. Sj fair a month- nothing could have b'.en fairer, and Lidy Eshel was coming, she heard them cay. Well, why need aho trouble? Lidy Ethel was nothing to her. Why this paseionata, keen sfnse of unreet ? W*y this hot, angry, wretched feeling whenever her name was mentioned? More than once, when sho entered the room, eha found the counter and Lady Gortrudo depp in a discussion, which ceased when ehe appeared ; more than once a subdued conversation took placo between thorn, during which she heard the name that thrilled her with such strange, cad pain. "Lidy Ethel Picrpont will be here thia evening, MirfS Dtrwent," eaid the oountes?, one bright morning. •• Should you mmd taking Flos 3 for a walk ? She does not eeera well. I shall have some arrangements to make for my visitors, bo that I shall not read thia afternoon." For the haughty, dainty, luxurious countess to disturb herself for any visitors was a thing unheard of— a thing unprecedented, and Alice judged of the importance of Indy Ethel from that. 11 Sho would never disturb henelf for m n , W6re I twenty times her son's wife," thought AL'oe. Sho was very patient. She tied a long blue ribboa roand Floss, and rat out for a long ramble. Sho went through tho corn fields, i where tho ripa wheat etood in huge sheaves — whore tho lark rose soaring into the blua sky —thinking so little of the lovely surroundings, and so much of the dork browed husband who had never been her lover. Floss pulled in vain at the ribbon ; Alice almost forgot the little dog'a existence. It walked on with a keen sense of dignified injury very amusing to bohold, although it was woll that the countess was spared that sight. Thinking, under tho golden sunlight, of the bandeome, princely young huslnnd who had married her, eoutrary to all the traditions of bis race, just to save her fair farno from the faintest shadow, she stood with the fairest face raised to the dark-blue sky, crying out, with a passionate voice, that Heaven would give her his love. "It ia mine," she cried, wich a long-drawn sob—" mine, beoause I am hia wife. Oh 1 give it to me." Then, when the passion of words and tears had worn them 1 elves away, Bhe went back home through the euuht corn fields. That evening the Counter of Pierpont, with her beautiful daughter, arrived. Alice saw all the fclat, the ceremony, the preparation ; had the Queen of England been coming, thero could not have been greater enthusiasm. It was just before dinner that she saw her, and Alice never forgot the impression made on her by that first eight of one who was certainly the fairest of her time. Bhe was in tho drawing-room, looking for a fan that the countesa fanciod sho had left thero, when the door opened, admitting what she thought at first sight was a vision. A tall, beautiful, goiden-h aired girl, who looked more like a superb lily than anything elae ; her dress of white silk, artistically trimmed with scarlet poppies and golden whoat cars, 3wept the ground ; she wore a costly set of rubios —rubies that encircled her white throat and white arms, that glanced like points of ilarae m her golden hair. Her face was so unutterably, ko wonderfully beautiful, tbat as Alice looked at it her lips parted and her eyes opened moro widely than they had ever done before. A regally beautiful woman, with the proud bcaiing of an empress, yet with the (irace and sweetness of a flower ; lips on which the fato of a nation might hare hung, yet sweet as the opening bud of a pomegranite ; graceful, high bred, and elegant ; in all her life Alice had never ever dreamed of such ft woman. Sho swept, with her imperial grace, up ths long drawing-room, and as she watched her, Alice thought that, above all others, this brilliant woman was the very ideal of a mia6re^ i lot Itoatneath. Just such delicate grace, jut-t such bpiritual loveliness, just auchquccnly dignity btutted one who should reign in those Btatcly, time-honored walls. Lidy Ethel believed herself quite alone; bhe did not see Alice. Sho swept up to the other end of the room and stood before the f.'reat western window ; the faunbeams fell on hnr pold9n head, on the splendid rubies, on the Lvely fuco, with its exquisite tints, on the l/raccful fignro, on the gleam of the white, trailing silk; bbc stood there, her white jewellc d hands clasped, looking intently on the naar\dlous landscape that could be seen from the window. Alic" heaid hor murmur some low words to herself ; then, thinking it bettor to make her presence known, she moved one of the books on the table. Lady Ethel (?avc ono RWift glanco round, and as her eyes fell on Alii-e, a criniHon Hame burned htr face. Alice came forward, and they Btood looking at each other in tilence— the two wbote

lives wore so flrangily interwoven. A greater contrast could not have b«en, althoufili they were both fair of frc 1 , with gftlrfan hair ; tho ono had the soft, patrician, nroud lovi-linpia rf a queen, the other the tad, pn<«3iouate beauty of a Greek muse. Alice epoke first. "I beg your pardon," ehe said; "I t\vn afraid I startled you." "Not at al 1 ," replied Lidy TVhcl, courteously. " PKI you hear what I caid ? I have a moat unfortunate habit of talking to myself." " No," said Alice, " I did not hear." Then Lady Ethel •railed, and looked relieved. She. glanced keenly at the beautiful Kirl whose dress of gray silk, with its silver fringe, was at onoe ao simple and elegant. " You are one of Lady Waldrovo's visitors ?" she said. " Pray, pardon my speaking so freely to you, bat you looked just like a baautiful status that I have seen somewhere of "Clytie," oometolife." "A Greek statue," said Alice. "People are always telling mo that I resemble something they have seen in Greece. But I am forgetting— l am not one of Lidj Waldrove's visitors ; lam her companion." There waa a soaroely perceptible shade of differenoe in Lady Ethfcl's manner ; a colder light came into her eyes— her white, jewelled hand was drawn back. " Indeed I I did not know Dady WaHrove had ft oorapsnion. You like Roseneatb, do you not ? I think it is on« of the loveliest places in England." The dark bine eyes were raised t« here nhh so itrango an expression, that L-idy Ethel paused. A'aoa longed to say : "I am something more than Lady Wai* drone's companion— l am Lady Alica Caradale, wife of tho earl's heir." Sho longed to say it, but no sound escaped her lips, no word betrayed her ; only tho peculiar expreHsion of her eyes told that strange thoughts were in her mind ; then aho answered, calmly : " I adruire Roseneath very much, but it is tho only place of the kind I havo ever ueon." " I need hardly iutroduce myself," said Lady Ethel ; " you have co few visitors hero just at present, that you must know who I am." Alico smiled. " I have heard your name bo often," ahe replied ; "L«kdy Ethel Pierpont h»a beni tho chief subject of conversation with us for many days past." LvJy Ethel gave a beautiful, well-pleased Btnile. " They are very fond of me at Roseneath," she said, " and I return tho compliment." Sue wftß far more free and familiar in her manner with Alice than waa Lady Gertrude ; yot here wan the same imperceptible something, tho same shade of manner that rx% 'pressed so clearly and so forcibly tho distance between them that nothing could bridge over, nothing could lessen. And that was Alice's first introduction to tho beautiful woman with whom she was to struggle for a ring. KND OF TART I.