CHAPTER LII.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2084, 14 November 1885, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHAPTER LII.

" I C\N.\or MX FOR \<*V I" " I always had a chivalrous idea of women," continued Lord Carsdale , " I cannot understand the men who make little of them and speak against them. Ailie, I did not love you, but when I saw you weeping in such distress, frightened at your uncle, frightened at your parents, frightened at the world, at the darkness, at once my betrt was touched with pity. I would have given anything to have helped you. I was but an ignorant foolish simple boy, and I said to myself that as my imprudence had brought you to the brink of something terrible, I must at any cost save you. The moat honorable thing which occured to me," ho went on, with dignified simplicity, " was that I should marry you." '• I remember it all so well, she replied, with a shudder that made her tremble. " Then, you see, Ailie, when I decided that I was ignorant and foolish, I never thought of the consequences ; all that I did think of was that you must be resoucd from an unpleasant uituation; that afterward I must either greatly anger and distress my parents, or that I must keep my marriage secret, dil not at the time occur to me ; that I was not marrying for love, and that afterward I might poasibly find some one to love, never occurred to me. Ailie, may God pardon my recklessness, but I believe honestly I married with far less thought than I should have given to the choosing of oven a trifle like a riding-whip. My own sole idea was to save you from any unpleasant consequences, then " She looked up at him with grave anxiety deepening on her beautiful face. " Then ? " she said, quietly. "I am afraid to hear the rest, Lord Carsdale." " It in not pleasant, but it must bo told," he said. " I married you, Ailie, and you know that we have never been husband and wife— we have only been good friends ; thero has been no mention of love, no attempt at deception ; yon were saved from the consequences of my imprudence, and that was all. 1 11 Yes," she replied, sadly, " that was all." 11 Then, Ailio, I had tirao to reflect, and I saw at once that J had done a terrible deed — one which, if known, would cut me off forever from those I loved at home. I argued in this way with myself— that for them to know of it would cause them bitter anger, bitter regrets, almost despair, and would part me from parents whom I love, as you know. You have heard my mother's ideas on the subject." " Yes," said Ailie, sadly, " I know them well." " Then. I thought, I did not love you, you did not love me, and it would never matter to either of us that we seldom saw each other I fancied that if I made you quite comfortable, so far as the things of the world were concerned, you would not trouble much about me, nor I about you." " But in this you were mistaken," said Ailie. " I neither wanted money, nor any other comfort ; it was simply that I loved you." " I did not know it— l never thought of it ; I never thought of love in connection with either of us," he replied. " I had not given much thought to love at all ; hut, Ailie, when I had left you with your friends and came home here to Eoseneath, I fell in love for the first and only time in my life." She held up her bands as though be bad struck her a terrible blow. "Do not say that 1 " she cried. For God's dear sake, do not say that ! " "It is true," he replied. " I must tell you. Ailie ; I would spare you all knowledge of it, if I could ; I would refrain from telling you, if I could; but you must hear my story, Ailie, or you cannot judge. I will not hide ovon one thought from you. I met Lady Ethel— it is five years ago ; she was beautiful then as she ii now, and I loved hor the first moment that I saw her ; there was no help for it ; but, Ailie, I remembered also that there was a barrier between us.'' The fair young face had grown deadly pale; the Bweet, sensitive lips were quivering like the lips of a grieved child. " Tell me, Lord Carsdale," she Haid, " did she — did Lady Ethel liko you ? " I " I will tell you the whole truth. I know now that she loved me. We parted, and I quite believed that before I returned to England she would be married and hare forgotten all about me. But I find that for five years she has loved me, and has been true to her memory of me." "So have I," said Ailie. " Oh, my love ! my love 1 she cannot have cared for you, or have thought more of you, than I have done." Then thero was silence ; but the leaves on the trees did not tremble as she did ; the face of a dead woman could not have beon whiter than hers. " Ailio," said Lord Candale, " I have asked you to mpet me here to-night because I nm going to put my life, moro than my life, in your hands. I confess to you that I love Lidy Ethel— that from all the world she is my one choHen lovo, and she loves me." She raised her hands again with a low moan. " I3a pitiful to me," sho said ; " I cannot hear piich words and live. }ou have no rrn-roy, Lord Cirndftle." Ho wrifl eilent for a few minutes; then, very gently and vrry kindly, he said : '■If jou roally winh rae to say no more, Ailip, I will bo mlont ; but I prefer to ppeak It pains me more to speak than it pains you to listen." ' Tell me all," blip. Haid ; " I must hear it some time, why not now ? You love Lady Ethel, and nho loves you. l>ut for the barrier between you — my most wretched arlf — you would, oh 1 so gladly, auk her to be your wife. It is so, Lord Carsdale ? " ( lh be continual )