CHAPTER LVII.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2090, 28 November 1885, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHAPTER LVII.

"i with sutruß rou my." < L*dy Gertindo quitted the room, closing the door behind her. Bho mh very indignant, very anf»ry, r.n'l wi'y nincti mortified. Like the coantees, she had fixed all her hopes on Heeinj Lord Cwsdale marry Lady Ethel, and now to find that ho <ras carrying on a low intrigue with her mother's companion — it wa9 too much I Bhe had never been so mortified in her life- After that little seen* in the corridor—when, opening hef door, she had dia- ' tinotly B n en Ailie leavo her brother's room, bad plainly heard his half-whisporcd, hasty «' good-night "-rafter tbat<fcb« had not slept. To' do her : aetice. sbo was really distressed —distressed fiial of all for her brother, in whom »bo Lad always bad the most implicit ' fititli ; grievod for Lady Ethel, who loved him

ibo was nire; and pbe was alio griewd for Vilio. L&.ty Gertrude v,aa very proud, very 'mu?hty, very csclimvp, but she v.as not hnri\ of heart ; she felt sincerely grieved that the if ill had, as sho believeil, lost heisclf— heartily •<orry that she had fallen a victim to her own follr. Sho was wide awak9 the remainder of ' HioTiight, thinking it over : the more 1 thought tho more completely v/a? she pulled; she conld not recall one instance in wnioh she had seen her brother and Ailia Dcrwont talking together. They had been th« greatest strangers ; they had not even seemed to taka the ordinary interest of stiangers in each other; the only conclusion that she could draw from this was that they had adopted this reserve as a kind cf mask, behind the shield of which they carried on an. intrigue Lady Gertrude, though proud and haughty, was,a good woman, and she was unfeignodly sorry for Ailie. Then, when sh<i began in the morning to make inquiries, ehc found Lidy Waldrove'a maid- had already aoino very well- . founded suspicions. Then she heard tho story of- how the maid had twice at night found Miss Derwent's room empty, how she had twice seen her •stealing into the house, «nd how one of the men-servants had ee°n her in the grounds with a gentleman. When questioned as to why they hud not told theee stories before, there answer was that they had not wished to do Miss Derwont any barm. < Then Ltdy Gertrude felt that Miss bitwent must not remain at X jseneath twentyfour hours longer. She would have dismissed her without, speaking of her faults to the countess, had she dared; bat, in her way, Lady Walirove liked her young companion, and would have tesented a,ny interference with her. Lady Gertrude told her story gently as she conld, but the oouateaa was highly indignant. Wa3 it possible that this story could be true— that her son, Lord Carsdale, the heir of Koseneath, had so far forgotten himself as to enter into an intrigue of any kind with her companion ? "Are jon qaitn £ure that you have not dreamed this, G rhude ? ' she asked, Eliaiply. "I must coufejs it seeni3 far more like a dream than a reality to mo." "I saw ami heard it, oauiaa,' wai the straighforward repjy ; "Ica 1 add no more." Could it be poa&ible, Lidy WnPrpva a-ked herself, that her sop hail lort^ed auj tl' a of infatuation for this Ailie Derwer" at\d thft*/ that prevented him from making L«ty E hi! his wife ? "I .should go mad if tlut Ltis hap penedl" crietf the (jointesT. no, sht comforted bereelf, tbut waa impo^ible. Brought up &3 he had been, Lordj3ar*chlo was not likely to make such a terrible tnf"- ' t*ke. Then the wholo fotcte of her anger and indignation fell "upon Alii* Derwent. Taat she shonld dare to try to invei;le the heir of liosoneath— that shd shoul 1 dare t<s get up any kind of intrigue with him— it was too audacious. "That girl shrill Euff-r for it!" she said. And Lady Gertrude answered: " It scenn to mo, nntnma, Tmrd Carsdalo deserves punishment, uot his victim." ■" You do- not know of y/h&i you are speaking, Gertrude 1" cried flhe counter s". - " A woman of your age ought to know better." "lolj'Cito being called a woman, mamma," said Lidy Gerfrutff, proudly. "I will help you all I can, but you muqfc not vent your annoyance upon me. The qiil must f»o, and go at once. I ohly hope that Ethel w;ll heav Bothiug of : t." " She is not likely to bear," said the couutcs?. " Surely you end I can keep a secret, Geiti'ude; for her own sako, AiLe D3rwtnti will be silent. Brin'j the girl here — lot mo sppak to her while I ata in tee mood. S rnnge to say now, I always lifcor] that girl ; ehe seemed co gentle and good*' 1 " I never did like her Tfry much," paid L-sdy Gerlrude; "sllPgavornetheimpf^Rdion of always playing apirt. 1 cmirot ull how, or why." Then Lviy Gerlrud",' with a profound feeling of pity in her heart, went to summon Ailie to he'tr mother's presence. Ailie neither moved nor stined. It seemed to the unhappy girl that the troubles of her life Ir.d^aow reached their climax. Nothing tnuld be worse— notbinp more terrible. She had gone with tha simple innocjuce of a I child to her hubbs'id'o room ; it had not c\en occurred to Ler that the faintest *rhr.do.v of 1 su.'pioion oould re3t upon Ler for i.o doing Sho had gone to give him the note, but the fact that eeeraed to her bo oimpl", sounflp^ terrible as a sin in tha mouth of Lidy Gort ! rode. j What was she to do ?If she* cleared herself at all, she must reveal the «;scret of hei mnr rii-qe, and that sho had promise*! Mni nuc to do— never— ltt the eccrcpy co-.t her \viiit it might. Sho clei.ched he: Imids until c;reafc red marks came into the while, tend'-r pkin ; she cried aloud in her agony ; but theie was uo escape— no hope— no lelcase. Either she muat keep hfo secret, and to lot thorn think what evil they would of her, or— she muit betray him. fcJuo could never betray him 1 •• Oh, my love, my love 1 ' cried the poor girl, "you have cost me dear." She could not betray him. Thoy must brand her as all that was mof t infamous and vile they must turn htr from the decra, if they would ; they must heap insults on her. Sha would still be true to him. " Patient Gri^eldn wouM never hava betrayed her husband, ' ehe said. " I will nevtr betray mine. I love him well enough to dio for him. I love him well enough to give him up for his own happiness to ano'tner. Surety , I may sulier for Iran." Yes, she would auifer far him. True, they would take from her her fair fame, and every good woman clings to thnt. W«*ll, it wouM be the last sacrifice she had to make for him, the last proof sho could give him of her superabundant love. She would bear it all in silfnce and not even by a look would she betray him. " I can suffer," she Baid to horsolf. " I have learned to sulfer. ' Then sho heard Lady Gertrude's footsteps, and Hhe nerved herself to meet her fata. " Lidy Waldrove will sco you no.v," snitl Lady Gertrude. And then the earl's proud daupbtcr half relented as she looked at tho bcdiitiiul whito face ; in some vague w»y it dtd not seem l>ka the face of a guilty woman, it was so fair, so pure, so clear. She stood still and looked at her. " Mhs Derwent," she said, "do you deny the clmrge I have mado against you?' " No, Lady Gertrw 1 ..?, I do not," was the low reply. " Can you fr ; /e me any explanation of the circumetcnceß? Can you tpll me anything whi"h will extenuate tuem 1" Could sh6 7 Ailie cdulcl have smiled in bitter sarcasm at such a question. (Jmild sho. Ye 9 ; sho might have replied that she was hid wife, p.nd had simply go/ie to the door o£ his room to give him a note, in which, so far- as lay in her power, sho released him from her forever ; but ahe did not. She answered, very quietly : " I have nothing to say, Lidy Gertrude," and m some vague but uncertain way thore came to tho eailVi dru^hter a conviction she oould not explain of the girl's innocence. Appearances, her own silence, everything was against nor, etfcppt this certain something whioh ntole into Lady Gertrude's heart. Still £sVie said nothing. She had to deal with facto not convictiona, and the faota were against her. In silence thoy went dow n the long corriaor, and in ailenco thry entered Lady Waidryye'a room,

She sat erect and etitely, ready' to receive t,h»ir>. | ' Olo=:e fha door, Gertrude," eh 3 en\<\ " Pray do not lpfc this shameful story bo hoard in the hoiue. O'oso the door." i Lady Gettrude fastened thn door. ! Thrn the countess turned fiercely to Atiie. " What have yon to siy for your^-if ' ' she asked. Aud the answer, given in a low toes, wsb ; "Nothing." " I ehonld say not. I have heard of many things in ray life, bat ttever of anything -so i utterly infamous as lliii*. How did yon at. tempt to draw my son mto — mto — saoh an | intfigae as t&is ?" No answer ; and lbs girl's silefifo sccsied to enrngfj Lady Waldrove. " I know aU about it," dha said/ '• Looking innocent will not impose uprto me. J have heard it all. Yon havo been eecn to follow my eon to thn grounds, and last night you were seen ffoniiDyirom bid room. I— f ra°.ke no comment; Ka virtuona woman could on Ruoh a stf»f« cf things," Sbe paused, hoping for a reply. None came. fS'je continued : " If I had liked yon Inn, I chould h«ivc eared I?s». JJ'H I h*ve hired yon very much aTd have trnated jou. You have basely deceived mo. Sorao people, when anything of this kind oeoari*, blame the rn'in and fchicld the girl. Ido mat,- { know that young rccn wi'J he jOMDf; mon till the end of -the world : and I know that every girl enn take care cf herself if pho will. I know B&Hl->-moro— th&i my son i.s a pf^ntlem^n, and-tbnt you must hava tljro^vn :yourBeif in hid <v^y ;. yoa must have Bough* him— he wouTd never geek you Have you ".oythinq to say ? ' The •a&lra c' tho boaatifal white faco was nnbrofcsn. O'v^r and ove* P^ain, 'in her heart, Ailif was w-} iv;' to -htrself^ "Cforl know.) I fod kuawal I nena not fear. Gort koovval" • A)azd gho Pku) : " No, L"*.dy W Udrova; not one word." t( Yoa did" not dclado yours. If ro f«r as (o beliove +hm my sorr-intends to marr? you, J hopo. litf q Caphdiua fci«l Lord lidrlei^h do not l:vc ki ihosft dayp. You have not deluded yourself so fef, I hope ?" " I have no^ dnla<led myself at all, L*dy W^Ulrove,** ti&s *he gt«tle answer. •' 1 «m indipJiant; tor any son's sake," said Lidy WaMrovo. " It»i8 simply horrible that a gentkriuu oannotcome home even to hip fiUVr'u" honf* without ■ bsinij drawn into an afLsir of thii hind. What is it you r.ra paying, Geitrude?" Bat L-tdj (r^rtrude'sanewer opeos our next chapter.