CHATTER XLII.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2075, 24 October 1885, Page 5 (Supplement)

CHATTER XLII.

A OBUSFED PT/OWEII. Lady Waldrove looked up at the beautiful woman with a smile. " I am not Riven to poetry, Lady Ethel," she sft'd, " but when I nee you I always think of the blight Bun chasing away the dark night. Come in — como and join us. Vivian ia telling mo some exoollent atones." Lady Ethel went up to tho couch whereon her dainty ladyship la/. "Make us all comfortable, Vivian," said the countePH ; " thin ia quite a family party. Place that armchair here, and take that footstool for yourself." All of which he did with an air of great emburra^uient, La^y Ethel wondering why he was so unlike himself, Aihe listening with all her eensfa quickened by that jealous, passinmt", terrible love. " Mi<*3 Derwent, child," said the countess, " if any one comes to tho door refuse to let them in ; I am goinp to be comfortable after my own style for a short time." Auie p we one quick, keen glance; she saw the perfect content on Lady Ethel's faoe, the oonfufiion on her husband's. Even the tone of their voices differed — Lady Ethel's was joyous, hearty, full of sweet music and sweet laughter — Lord Carsdale's sad, oonstrained, and embarrassed. Lady Waldrove looked up with a little petulant laugh. Gibraltar has not improved you, Vivian," she said ; " you used to be the most lively and amusing of companions, now you have nothing to say ; you have very much ohanged." " You fancy so, mother," he replied oarelesely. " Nay, lam sure— quite Bare. Now, Lady Ethel, you shall be our umpire. Do you think that my son hag improved — or the oontrary — during his long absence ?" Lidy Ethal looked with a bright, warm emile into the face before her. " Improved 1" she said. Ido not understand. I do not ccc the faults you ccc in him." " Whioh implies that you see none," laughed the countess. " Then I must yield. Perhaps, after all, mine is but a fancy; he seema to me older, graver, and to have something like a shadow hanging over him—indeed, if I did not know that his life was an open book, I should say that he had a disajpeeabie seoret to keep." And Ailie, looking up quiokly, saw how his face darkened at his mother's words. " Why should I have a secret? and what secret should I have ?" he asked, quiokly. " Mother, you saystrange things." "I may be quite wrong," she said ; "but then you ccc, Vivian, I love you, and I watoh you. What are you thinking of when your cyee grow dark and your faoe all shadow ? when you rouse with a deep, sudden sigh ? when you clench your fingers, as you did just now round my poor fan ? " "How can I tell?" he replied. "Men think of a hundred things each minute. Defend me, Lady Ethel. Do you suspeot me of having a secret? " She raised her beautiful eyes, which had in them an expression of most perfeot love and trust. "I never suspect you," she said, simply ; " you are like Creaar's wife to me — above suspicion." He bowed, he oould not trust himself to epaak ; but Ailie heard and saw it all. Then Lady Waldrove ohanged the conversation, greatly to her son's relief ; but Lady Ethel wondered very much. The time had been when, if he had a chance of talking to her, nothing could equal his delight or his animation ; now he seemed to count his words. Ilow could she guoss that every one of those words was like a stab to the gentle girl whose fair face was turned from them? So, pra seutly, when the countess quitted the room in search of a letter she wanted to show her son, Lady Ethel turned to him. The quiet girl in the grey dress, working so busily, was of less moment to her than the pioturos on the wall, or the carpet on the floor. She did not even lower her voice lest Ailie should hear her. Who was Ailie, indeed, that she should have ears to hoar ? " Lord Carsdale," she said, " have I displeased — vexed you in any way ? " lie gave ono quick look, at Ailio. his wifo. What would she think of such a question ? " No," he replied, in a shy, oonstrained voice. "We are all in the humor for fancies thin morning. What oould have given you buoli au impreußiot", Ludy Ethel ? " 41 1 cunnot tell ; your reply haa only decponcd it," she auuwered ; and for onco in his life Lord Cmsdale was ready to almost onrnc the perversnty of fate. Then the countess roturncd. He saw the wounded expression on the beautiful face that ho loved so doarly, but ho could say nothing. What wad thero to cay ? " " You have not bpen quarrelling during my absence, I hope," said Lady Waldrove, looking from one to the other. " You may be quite sure that we have not," said Lady Ethol ; but in Borne vague way the little meeting that years ago bad always been

plea'nnt, tvai now a confused, embarrassed hour from which Lord Oaradale longed to escape. He was the first to go, and, when the door closed behind him. the countess looked mournfully at Lady Ethel. "Heis so sadly changed, my dear. What can it be?" and L»dy Ethel had no answer to make. Liter on that same day it pleased the countess to go through the conservatories ; some superb white hyacinths were just in the perfection of bloom. Lord Carsdale had joiued hia mother, and admired the white (lowers very muob. He did not speak to or look at Ailie— every hour he found the position in which she had placed him more and more distasteful. She walked by Lady Waldrove, who Btood now in raptures over the hyacinthp. " How tall, and white, and stately they are 1 " she said. "Do you know, Vivian, of whom those flowrs remind me ? " " No," he replied ; but Aihe saw a pleased, startled consciousness in- his faco. They remind me of Lady Ethel ," said the countess ; " I always think of her when I see them. Take thi q , Viv ; an, the fine9t, the whitest, and most fragrant. Never mind the gardeners ; as I always tell your father, they are our servants, not our masters. Take this one." He complied; then taking it from his hand, she gave it to Ailie. '• Miss Derwent," she said, " I know yo,u do not mind a trifling commission ; will you take this to Lidy Ethel ? Give it to her with Lord Camlale's compliments ; and add to that— l hope to see her wearing it at dinner." She hold out the flower, and Ailie turned to look at her ; the beautiful, passionate face flushed hotly, her eyes flashed. Lord Carßdale was alarmed; he spoke hastily : " Nay, mother, do not do that ; she will not like )t, indeed." " Nonsense 1 I know best what she will like," paid the countess. •' You never needed remiudinf); of such acts of politeness before you left England " " Miss— Miss Dorwent," said Lord Carsdale, and his voice trembled so that his mother looked at him in wonder — " Misa Derwent-— stay— l " But the countess laughingly touohed Ailie's hand. •• Go, and give my message," she said ; " then come to my dressing room, if you pleaae, Miss Derwent." She did not look at her husband— she dare not ; but the temptation was strong upon her to fling the beautiful hyaointh on the ground and trample it to death. But she must obey. The passion deepened on her beautiful face. Was it to be borne or to be endured that she should carry flowers from him to lie on the golden hair or the white breast of ft woman whom she was beginning to suspect loved him ? Yet she must obey. Lady Ethel was in her dressing-room, and in answer to the rap at her door, said ; " Come in." When Ailie had given her message, Lady Ethel looked at her with a smile. " My dear Miss Derwent, how tragical yon are 1" she said. "If you were presenting me with a dagger, instead of a flower, I should not be so tnuoh surprised. It is very beautiful, but I cannot understand why Lord Carsdale did not bring it himself." • " Nor can I, if he wished you to wear it," said Ailie. " Sit down," said Lady Ethel ; " you look pale and tired. I often admire your patience ; you never need to have one moment's rest. Sit down, and look at this book of comic engravings. We will go down together." Ailie was glad for a few minute's rest : she had followed the countess for hours — leading talking, supplying all the losses of memory, the lost dates, lost names, etc She looked round this beautiful and luxurious room — a fitting shrine for the beautiful woman who stood in it. Did her husband care for Ltdy Ethel ? She could hardly believe it. Certainly, sending the flower had not been bis fault at all. Then she looked at the beautiful, stately fiower, with its luscious perfume. Should it nestle in the white breast of Lady Ethel? Should she, talking to her, bend low, in'iale its perfume, and see how she valued his present? Her heart beat fr>st as she thought of it. No, norer ; that should never be 1 The blood seemed to boil in her veins at the thought of it. Never 1 she oould not wear the flowers he loved and ohose, but no other one should. She rose from her scat and went to the pale, beautiful hyaointh ; the next minute it was lying in shreds on the ground. Lady Ethel looked up, with a little ory of dismay, never dreaming that it had been done on purpose. " You have broken my flower, Miss Derwent 1 What will Lord C&radale say ?" " Shall I go and find you another one like it?" asked Ailie. "No ; it would not be the same thing ; it would not have the same value. How did it happen ?" Sho was half tempted to tell her, but that would be a base betrayal of the secret. Fortunately, Lady Ethel seldom waited for an answer. Sho took up the pieces with a pretty, caressing gesture, for which Ailie hated her. •' You will wonder why I do not wear the flower you sent me," she said to Lord Carsdale. "Miss Derweni was very unfortunate— she broke it." And looking at the flushed faoe of his young wife, it seemed to him that he understood perfectly how it happened. No more was said about it, but Lord Carsdale thought a great deal. This was to bo avoided; not for the whole world would he have Ailie grow jealous of peerless Lady Ethel. ! " She is so imprudent," he said to himself, " so impulsive, that if ever she becomes jealous it will be the ruin of everything. Every hour the unpleasant position in which Ailie had plaoed them both became cbarer to him ; ho saw no way out of it, and every hour he grew more unhappy; for he realized the terrible fact that, do as he would — strive, strugi^le, fight, endure— there was but one way out of his difficulty, and that would be by trying to get a divoroe from Ailie Dorwent. It was a shadowy idoa — he never even made it clear to his own mind ; still it was there, and he fought bard against it.