SOUTH FROM MAYFAIR

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 22, 6 November 1940, Page 7

SOUTH FROM MAYFAIR

CHAPTER XV

She had on a brown cotton frock which would be inconspicuous out of doors, but she could not follow him at all closely, for fear of his seeing her, even on the track with high scrub on either side; when he got higher on the hillside he might look back and would certainly glimpse her below unless she was very careful. She crouched in the shelter of a bush, so as to let him get ahead; then made a short cut up the hillside through the. scrub. It was rough going; she Wiis scratched and stung, and became entangled in a relentless thorny creeper known as “lawyer.” But she dodged from bush to bush, and came to the top of the hill, to see him swinging along half a mile ahead on the track, which followed the side of a long spur covered with beech and manuka.

Lorna scrambled up the bank on the inside of the track, and pushing and picking her way through the bush above it, followed him on. Ten minutes later she came to the end of the spur, and saw the track running down the slope before her to disappear into a thick forest of black beech in the valley; beyond was another scrub covered hill ; all around were hills, and no sign of the sea yet. Gulliver’s Bay, she assumed, wohld bo somewhere on the other side of the bill ahead.

Hawksford, she fancied, had gone on down fhe track into tho beeches. The scrub was so thick that she decided to cross the track and make her way down through the less difficult manuka on the other side. Hat in hand and red curls tossing, she scrambled down the bank. A figure rose from sitting on a log at the foot of it, and there stood Hawksford ! . “I WAITED FOR YOU.”

“So kind of you to join me!” he said, “looking at her grimly while she quaked, with, horror and surprise. “I—l beg your pardon?” quavered Lorna.

“I saw you on the track coming up from the road and guessed you were after me, soi I sat down and gave you' time to overtake me. Hope you didn’t hurry?”

Lorna drew a deep breath and faced the situation btoldly:

“I admit I’m interested to know where you are going!” “Well, that’s nice of you! I was just off for a walk.” >

“Splendid,” said Lorna tossing back her haijr, and looking at him with clear eyes. “Can, I cpme with you?” “I’m going rather far, I think you might be tired.” “I never tire,” said Lorna.

“Oh, I suppose if I ask you not to come, you’ll preteind to go back, and then you’ll dog me all the way?” She said nothing, but stood loking at the, lonely woods ahead with, a set face. Her heart was beating uncomfortably fast. He was half frowning, half smiling: “Well,” he said with a wave of his hand, “let’s go, shall we?”

She hesitated, then set off at his side/ walking down the track towards the woods.

“So you still think I’m a spy?” he said. She looked at the' thick mass of trees ahead, -wondering whether once their shadows had closed >on heir she -wlould ever come out again to see the light. She steeled her courage and said: “I do. You thought you had me fooled, didn’t you? Why didn’t you take the warning and get aiyay as soon as you knew you were suspected—why were you so stupid as to try to go on with it?”

“It’s too late mow,” she said. “I left a letter behind at .the hotel for my father telling all I knew about you, and where I am going to-day, in case anything happened to> me.” “Sensible girl!” But why did you want to warn me?”

She moistJened her dry lips, seeking a suitable reply.

“You asked me once for a second chance.” “Is that all?” Hie looked down at her searchingly as they walked along. She coloured deeply, angrily. He seemed to have no shame for what she knew about him, no realisation of the position at all—! He laughed suddenly and lifted his head.

“That was good champagne we.had this morning, for a country pub. But you didn’t seem to like it much! i drank all mine, drained it to the last drop. ‘After all/ I thought. ‘Why not drink to a.thing you know will never happen.” She drew a deep breath, and her heart was very heavy. She asked wearily : “You don’t think I’ll marry Captain Richards’ ’ ? He shook his head. “J don’t suppose you knew much about it,” she said. “I do! You’ll never marry Richards!” His tone was one of flat certainty. “You don’t want to much !” he added, with a sudden harsh little laugh. She struggled for composing. “It is important just now?” she managed to say at last. “I know you’re blase —but are you so blase as that?” he countered. “I do want to marry Captain Richards!” the words burst from her, even while she realised the futile incongruity of the discussion.

(Copyright).

(To he continued)

FOR LORNA, HOME TRUTHS. As Lorna and Hawksford walked, the shadow of the woods fell on them, chill and gloomy. On all sides were the velvety black trunks .of the beeches, a thick woven canopy of little leaves overhead; rotting vegetation underfoot, a faint scent of honey in the air . . . Her fright of him returned, mixed with the madness of her regret for what he was. She stole a glance at him, and met his eye, with a look in it which seemed to say that he knew and rather relished her fear.

The track narrowed, he fell into step behind her, and almost at once she found herself on the edge of a small stream, with a few stepping stones lying across its course. She hesitated, about to take the first step over, when she found herself lifted bodily off her feet. The abruptness of it was so startling to her strained nerves, that she almost screamed, and could only cling to him shuddering, as he ear-

By PEARL BELLAIRS. ::

A Serial Story of Spies Adventure and Love,

It was almost a confession !

ried her across with three long strides. On the other side, he set her on her feet against a big boulder, but without letting go of her, and kissed her breathless lips.“No!” cried Lorna, gasping.' “1 will,” he said. “I did once before !”

“No!” she said again; but she did not turn her face aside.

When he drew back, his face was suddenly white, and his eyes were dark with anger. “I suppose that’s what you call wanting to marry Richards,” he said. He turned and strode away from her, on up the hillside, and she found herself looking at his retreating figure. Her scattered wits collected themselves in a storm of shame and rage. How could she have lot him? How had she let that hateful attraction he had for her betray her so? And now be was going, going to his rendezvous at Gulliver’s Bay!

She set her teeth, and ran on after him. She came panting up beside him. He had lighted a cigarette, and his brown hand was trembling. “Aren’t you going back?” he jibed. “I’m going with you,” she replied, her quivering lips set hard with determination.

“You’d better keep out of this, from every point of view. Don’t say I led you into it!”

She glanced at him, and went on climbing doggedly. They came to the top of the hill in silence, and bush gave place to grass or which sheep, were grazing among clumps of shrubs, and white stones were scattered about. The track ran faintly towards more beeches further on. Hawksford’s face was still hard. He broke the silence suddenly, saying:

* “Well, aren’t you ashamed to have given way to your impulses like that?”

She made no reply. She was conscious of nothing but a grim determination to see the thing through and bring him to justice if she could. ■ “If you’re not, I am!” he said. “Ashamed to have done it. You may have no principles, hut I have, and I’m squeamish. I told myself I’d never want anything to do with you again after that night, when you made me drive you to Port Hills with that chap from the dance.”

She shrank inwardly, for the shaft went home. She had things to be ashamed about, too. The cold protest was forced from her against her pride: “We merely went for a walk. I’m sorry you didn’t like waiting.” “My dear girl, you meant me to stew in my juice! You think because you’ve got a pretty face, charming clothes, too much money, and a few relatives in ‘Who’s Who?’ that you can do things for which any man would get his jaw broken!” “I don’t!”

“Well, I wasn’t worried. You know, you’ve a pretty face and figure, and ali that—but it’s not enough. All you think well of is having plenty of money, and saying the right sort of thing—not doing it, by any means. Have a good time and the devil take the hindmost. You have no ideals", no sense of values, less heart than a ’week-old cabbage! A man with any sense wants more than that in a woman.”

“is that all?” Lorna was seeing the landscape through a red haze.

“Nlo!” said Hawksford. “In addition to that, you’re a terrible little snob!” She turned to him as they walked. “And you?” she said, cnoking back her fury. “What are you—a spy?” “A spy?” His voice was a shout of scorn.

“What, then?” Her contempt cut like a lash. “Merely a common theif?” But his eyes just flickered as he gazed at her, and he never turned a hair. 'Her feet flagged on the track. She almost forgot what she had come for in her impulse to run away to take the shattered remnants of her pride beyond further damage. She forced herself to go on beside him. So that was what he .thought of her —had thought all this time! The worst was that she felt its truth. That was what she had been all her life, if not in intention, in effect. She made a violent inner resolve to change; she would bo different in future—if only to raise herself above the level of comment from such a person as he was! Oh, if she had only not been so weak, so vulgarly, madly, perverse as to yield an instant to his attraction for her!

lier breast heaved. She could hardly see to walk. And she was going on into further trouble, some possibly dangerous, certainly sordid mystery! Suddenly lie had stopped. Slhe saw he was looking out to sea. It lay there on the left, across the rim of a hill beyond a stony valley which intervened. He was gazing at a ship, a mere pencil line of grey and a smudge of smoke, out on the far blue edge of the horizon.

Ho turned to her suddenly. He was alert, quite different, all personal feeling had fallen from him. He took her by the arm, and drew her quickly over the brow of the ridge on which they were walking, down out of sight of the sea and the ship again.