CHAPTER II.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 18, 30 January 1891, Page 23

CHAPTER 11.

There is no union here of hearts That finds not here its end. Young Mrs. Oakford seatel herself in a reclining chair. Sh9 was a pretty picture iv her natty yachting dress and a»ilor hat, her golden cur's making an aureola around her lovely face and glim ing in the sunbeams. " Please give me that large fan, Mrs. Dubeck, and look interested in that scrap of lacework ; then I will make my first appearance as a public speaker," she began gaily. " I must tell you that I was a thoroughly Bpoilt child, a romp, and a madcap, the youngest ot a large family, mostly boys. My chief^ companions were my youngest brother and his friend, the vicar's son. Whea Bortie Maryn and I were of the respective ages of twenty and sixteeu, we imagined ourselves in love with eacb other. Then my people opened their eyes to the state of the case, and scolded us unmercifully. I was packed off to a grand school at Brighton, and Bertie had to bes;in his career at one of the London hospitals. Of course, absence soon partly worked a cure " "It always does, said Elsie," Oat of sight out of mind is the truest proverb I know. "We ao not always forget the absent," said the widow, trying to look pa'hetic but failing in the attempt. "My father was an impulsive and passionate man," Daisy continu.d, "and he made me promise most faithfully never to write, or receiva a letter from Bertie. I promised, bul I thought it very unkind that I was not allowed to write to explain matters. " Explain indeed,' cried my father, irately, I'll explain matters to Mr. Popinjay with a horse-whip ! The idea of that poor parson's son, with not a penny at command, and no brains to boast of, to aspire to an engagement with my daughter !" " ' But, dear Papa,' I sobbed, ' he will be a doctor in a few years* time and earn lots of money." " 'St. George and the Dragon !' stormed my father, who would ever trust their lives in the hands of a thoughtless simpleton like Bertie Maryn ? He has not brains enough to physic a snipe." " Thus he went on," she continued, " storming and raging whilst I was dissolved in tears and misery untold, thiukiug myself the most blighted of human beings. Well, I was sent to Brighton, and after a few weeks I enjoyed my life there aad f jrgot my crosses. " 1 went home at vacation and heard sad accounts of Bertie's life in London : he had goc among a wild set, the vicar had heavy bills sent in, and, naturally, poor Bdrtie had been " plucked " in his exam. His mother told me not to take gos9ip for gospel truth, and that Bertie was not as black as he was painted ; and she implied that his thoughtless expenditure and wild conduct were owing to the disappointment. I believed her ; what girl would not when a first lover is in question ? " " Very young girls are awfully silly," said Elsie. " True, Elsie dear, and I was just the silliest of girls. Whilst I was at bomo Bertie sent a letter to me through his mother, bnt I refused to take it, mindful of my promise. She, however, read it aloud

to me, saying tb»t was not breaking n promise. I kne* it was wrong in spirit, if not letter. Bertie's letter was jint such a* any silly joong fellow would write but I thought it all most delightful and novel, and I treasured up the address in my mind, scarcely knowing f" In due time, I returned to Brighton to finish my education, and heard no more of Bertie ; the few words I ever heard in tny home Utters were not to his credit, hut I would not believe them ; my people were always unjmt in their estimate of poor Bertie's character. Two years haA passe i since our separation, and though he was frequently in my thoughts I bad never seen him since. I heard that he was about to emigrate, having failed in his final exam., and that he had given up tne mei'cal profession, or rather the madical profession would htive nothing to do with him. I was still quite res)lved to be true to Bertie whatever might befall — opposition had only strengthened my resolve." " Love woul.l still be lord of all," said Jenny the romantic. " Such an impudent love too," said the shrewd widow. "You know what the Laureate eitigs— DWt you marry for money, but go where money is I That's my motto." "Money never en'ered into consideration with me,"' laughed Daisy ; " I had never known the want of it. I received a letter from Mrs. Maryn in which she confirmed the report that Bertie was about to sail for NewZmland, and earnestly entreated metograat Bertie an opportunity of seeing me before he sailed. 1 cried a little and felt myself an ill-used individual, and thoueht it very hard that I had been compelled to mak? that promise, but having made it I would not bre*k it, and wrote to that effect. But as ill luck would have it my brother fell ill an! his life was in danger. I received a telegram telling me to come home atonce. Now I had never travelled alone, and the journey from Brighton to Durham alone wa9 a great undertaking. My f*ther had wired to a friend in London, asking him to meet me at London Bridge And to see me safe through the city to King's Cros9. Our frieni's wife wired to me that her husband was out of town, she herself was ill in bed, and her servants were from the country and quite useless as escorts, but she assured me I should be quite safe by taking a cab between the two stations." " But your luggage, my de^r, woo wa9 to see to that ?" asked Lady Ferguson, astonishing the party by showing that she was awake and interested. " I always lose my boxes when I am travelling alone." " I make it a point to have a gentleman to meet me when I have much impediments," said the widow. "In sharp enough to look after my own traps, and mamma's and Jenny's to boot," said Elsie, '• When I travel alone," said Jenny, '• I give the guard half a crown, and every ihiDg turns np right at the end of the journey." " Half-crowns are treasured coins in my exchequer," said Elsie ; "I am never profuse in their distribution. Go on, dear Mrs. Oakford. Did you lose yonr trunks and your temper, or did your cab break ifown and the Major rush to tbe rescue ? " '• I lost nothing but my own self respect, but I found something more than I bargained for," said Daisy, laughing. " I have to confess now what a very foolish young woman I was. If Bsrlie Maryn could meet me at London Bridge and accompany me through London to King's Cross, it was an opportunity that would never occur again. We tould take farewell of each other, and renew our vows of con. stancy. True, 1 had promised not to write or receive letters from bim, but a telegram was not a real letter ! It was a foolish impulse, and wuhout deliberation I acted upon it. I was sheltering myself under a poor subterfuge ; I knew I was doiog very wrong, but consoled myself by saymg that n >body would ever know Anything abjut tbe matter but outeelvee. But I was grievously mistaken."