CHAPTER XXXVII.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2185, 10 July 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHAPTER XXXVII.

George reached the Hall he found his cousin had not yet come down to breakfast, so he walked about the unused rooms, and grew sad over the once familiar househould furniture, jjO3Cj j03C purchasers were both now gone from among all these things for ever. His aunt'a work frame, with an unfinished pipce stretched in it still ; his mole's easy chair, and the pipes aud ridj" whip of the jovial baronet; poor Walter's cricket bat and balls, his college and a do/:en other painful relics of the dead met his gaze on every side These things did not affect Sir Hugh, and hi would have slept quite as well on the h d in which his father and mother had lid provided it had only been the most \«fortable one in the house. that was poor WalV he would a(IV carelessly, but it had no peculiar hie or affecting reminiscence to him on that account. Some men hat« death and *hun its very thought « » f"*}*^ 1 apectrs ever to bo avoided, but Sir Hugh governor died-Wal died-and T'll die;— tuts, tuts, my dear fellow, iln't grow maudlin over the old hairs 'he said, when he came down this morning, and George almost nnconSiously said something of what he was JSnkin" 'If you survive me, went on i Hu Jn, •' I'll expect you to be jolly in Z*« den iust a« I have been after stepHg d £to 3 poor Wais shoes. They were £ncr than mine-and, George, I would nt Snge them now- to bring back the poor Slow to life. That's truth, you know,wbfttT everyone feels, but devilish few either, I hope,' replied G ?vfu''ll not murder me for it, I believe, 1,1 fallow • but come, now, would'nt you S^eSfc^SirGflOiße Manners, Baronet, liith a ifi* thousands A year in par

pocket, instead of sticking all day at a desk to make a few hundreds, among a confounded set of low st.obs and money grabbers, who arc trying to cheat you, or make a good bargain out of you at beat? It would be worth while going to tho family vault some chill morning with a cloak over your shoulders, and laying your beloved cousin Hugh to sleep by the side of his old dad. Bah, George, don't put on that confounded look of disgust. You know you would, there's an end of it.' • I know I would not,' replied George, positively. 'I would rather go to your wedding, Hugh, with some good girl who loves yon, whoever she niicht be. Sir Hugh's face slightly changed as his cousin said this, and he altered his position with a sort of uneasiness in the movement. 'Not I,' he answered. 'I ain't going to be married and sold at the same time. That's about it now-a-days. I could get lots of pretty girls,' he continued, scornfully—'l have a deal to offer them— a pretty name — a good income — a bad reputation. What reasonable woman would desire more ?' 'Hugh don't talk that way.' 'Hum— shall I talk of the priceless gifts of love and honour and faith, then? By Jove ! a London belle wonld'nt understand you. She would think Sir Hugh Manners is mad, and only marry me with an eye to my future incarceration in a lunatic asylum.' ' I'm not going to discuss the subject.' 'It's stale certainly — stale and wearisome — like the rest.' • I came up to thank you, Hugh,' said George, tho next minuoO ; 'to thank you, "and to ask you to forgive my unjust suspicions.' • What ! for thinking 1 was making love to your young woman ? Don't thank me, my dear fellow ; I don't deserve it. I would have made it I daresay if she had given me any eucouragement, for I tbink her uncommonly pretty.' • Well, you didn't, at any rate ; and I believed you did, and that you wero playing a contemptible game with me ; aud so, Hugh, I ask you to forgive me.' With all ray heart, old boy ; and how are you getting on ? Ah, you sly dog ; I'm glad you can't come preaching with your grave, bet Sunday faco any more to me now. What is it some fellow says some way about hating your neighbour and loving your neighbour's wife ?' 4 How do you npply that 'f' ' Ah. George, George, the mighty are fallen !' ' I do uot understand.' ' You were jealous, aud cut the poor little girl ; and half broken her heart, didn't you, when you thought she was flirting with your poor, innocent cousin Hugh ? But when you know her to be the Wife of a certain Captain Hugh Clayton, you hasten down to oon,sole her.' 4 I wi*h Ir-ould,' t-aid George, gravely. ' What ! can't, you ? Is hhe doing the reserved and vhtuous ? Don't be afraid, ray dear follow : she wept one day for more than au hour before me, down on the sands yonder, over your perfections. No, she* a silly little fool — she's absolntely in love with you ' ' Do not talk such folly ; she has hud misery enough to make nny one pity her, I think ; and I do most, sincerely. My mother h.ts offeied her :i home at. N irbrough, and I hopo she will bo happy in time. 4 I've no doubt of it — with my grave cousin, Mr George Manneis, to act as her friend and protector iv general. K,°ally, George, your stepmother is a pattern among women.' ' Sho is a good woman,' answered George, heartily ; 'a good, tender hearted, Christnn woman ; and she has promised to protect and act, as a mother to this i oor. friendless girl -when I go away.' ' When you go away ! Whore the deuce are you going to ?' ' t jwsi going,' said George, with a slight huskiness in his voice, ' to leave England. lam going to live in Russia ' 'Iv Russia — of all the confounded frozen phues on earth! My dear fellow, you'll be^i'n icicle in six months. But you're only joking 1 ; you're going 1 on some of your ny ney urubl^ing journeys, I suppose — f o spc aft r some cheap tallow or hides to elu at. your customers in Oldcastle with ? That's it, isn't it George ?' 1 I am going to leave England for good,' said George, quietly. 'I go at. tho end of next week, if I can manage it ; aud so pou see, Hugh ' ' Is Mrs Clayton going with you ? " Hugh," answered George, angrily, while a flush came hot and warm over lih face ; 4< why do you wilfully misunderstand mo ? lam leaving England for one purpose, and that is— that not even scandal will be ablo to invent one false tale about the women I love.' Sir Hugh opened his large grey eyes to their fullest extent, and looked at his cousin in genuine astonishment. ' Am I to understand, George, he said, 'that because you have heard the whole story that yon are absolutely going away." ' YevS,' answered George, betraying in spite of himself his psiinful emotion ; ' when — when I believed that poor Amy had by home girlish folly committed hpr-t-elf in your eyes, I tried — but vainly tried — to cast her from my heart. And now, when I know — that no fault of hers has rendered her life so miserable, so unhappy, do you think I lovo her less ? No, there is nothing left for me now — nothing left for me now— nothing, but never to see ppo more, ' And you will do this / 'Have I nor, told you?' said George. 'So you see now, Hugh,' he added, with a melancholy smile, ' I have no reason to envy either your wealth or your position ; for hud it not beeu that my Avork ia out out for me, and that I havo obligations which I am bound in honour to discharge, I think I should have ended it all by putt.iug a pistol to ray head.' ' Vo;i care for her ho much, then ?' ' Way talk of it? Ye* 1 , 1 care for her .«o much,' he contiuued excitedly, ' that I am going away.' • You're a strange fellow,' said Sir Hugh meditatively, ' and I fancy &he won't thank you for tho sacrifice.' ' She will afterwardb,' answered George. ' She is biokcu down now with ill-health and fear, but by-and-bye I hope t>he will regniu, if not happinea.s, fit least, peace. ' I am not hapoy, but content,' quoted Sir Hugh, 'D'yeMippose now that poor thing really was. Oor^'e ? Not she, I daresay ; it's juM; oue of the little mistakes which history «o frequently indulge* in, to put that nreUy speech into L'l Vailiere's faded lips 'I do not know, Hugh,' sikl George, gravel y ; perhap* time ' ' And being a good boy liko you,' said Sir Hugh, rising, and living his hand lightly on his cousin's shouldnr. ' Old George you make uio respcot, you.' 'There is aometh'ng I i u going to ask yon,' xaiH G 1 forge. ' What is it 'r' D'ye w mt any mon^y ? — you're quite wclc i> no t > it-, vo i know ' ' I don't want any monov •HHwered George smiling, 'but we I: ive boon like brothers almost, old fellow, h ivmi't wo?' 4 All ri.'ht— fire aw iy. What am Ito do?' • When ' hesitated George, ' when I am gone, Hugh, I want you to bo a friend — I mean a friend that, in case of any su "Heu need, Amy could 'ipply to. I want, to feel that she has some ono in England who, if that unfortunate man should happen to cast up, would act as her protector.' 'And r.im you trust me?' s,iU Sir tjugh.

' Yes,' answered George, simply, 'I will trust to your honour. ' Sans pent' vf sans rrproche,' replied Sir Hugh, lauirhing. 'That's about mv chat actor, iVnt it, George ! But the devil ain't so bad as he's paiuted, and you have trusted mo, and you may rely on me ; I will say no more.' ' I don't need any more,' said George, your word is enough. 4 So you may tell the fair Amy that sh<? may look on me as a brother. Is that the correct thing? Perhaps,' added Sir Hugh, with a sort of -sigh, ' I would have been a different kind of fellow if I'd really had a sister like that. D'ye know, George, I like that girl; she is such a romantic, faithful, loving little soul. She uin't counting the cost always. She's genuine— a foolish, weak little woman ; but that's better than the brightest intrigante that ever ruined a poor devil's soul on earth. 'She would have been very different in happier circumstances,' said Georjro. A nice, affectionate wife, eh ? Well, my boy, keep up your spirits. Clayton looks uncommonly like a fever, or a madhouse, or D. T. — if one oau only keep him from cutting her throat and his own in tho meantime. ' You think him as bad as that ?' said George, with a shudder. ' I think he is half mad.' ' He only seemed to mo rather an underbred, overbearing man,' said George; ' but Miss Clayton thinks with you that he is both dangerous and vindictive on the subject. ' Well, it's an irritating one, we must confess : but shw's as .safe hs Narbrough as anywhere else, I think. To begin with ; the Vicar is a bit of a fire-eater, if his blood were up, I should s:iy ; and then I'm down here occasionally, and can always find out his movements from the regimental men ; and I'll do my best for her, George, out of love for thee.' ' I believe it,' said George Mannners, grasping his cousin's hand- ' And now, good-bye to you,' he added ; ' I promised to be at home early, but look us up in the evening.' 'Won't I be in the way?' said Sir Hugh ; but George gave no encouragement to this ralliery, and [with a kindly nod left the notice, and proceeded at once slowly homewards.