Nerine's Second Choice

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 151, 1 July 1897, Page 6

Nerine's Second Choice

BY ADELAIDE STIRLING,

CHAPTER 111

•I SWIAR NO OTHER MAN SHALL HAVE YOff !' Thk three girls and Maurice sab ab breakfaab; Kit radiant in hor fur-trimmed dress, once more dry and wearable ; Agatha and Nerine in the plainest! of serges, which were their outdoor wear and only pub on in honour of their brother. 1 Maurice,' said Agatha, ' what are we going bo de to-day?' Oub of doors the winker sun shone gloriously ; the air was sharp bub nob frosty, fcaongh ill the ehrubs and flower beds, in the garden glittered witb impalpable atoms like diamonds. • We musk do something. Maurice burned over the morning paper which Jane had been dispatched for with much grandeur. Mr Mayne never had a local paper, and the London ones which he read were never seen by his stepchildren. • There's a football match ; we'll go to that,' Maurice said, runniug his eyes down the columns. ' Ife begins at three; that gives us just time to geb there nicely after lunch.' • Where ?' cried Agatha. l The Arlingtan ground V Ab Maurice nodded she added : IMy good boy, ibs five miles. Much too far for Kib fco walk, though we might'— thoughtfully —' go in an omnibus.' • We'll drive.' The line of Maurice's young mouth suddenly hardened. ' There are horses in the stable.' IMr Mayne left orders,' Nerine said, dryly, ' about those horses. If you care to be snubbed by Jones, go and say we will take them oub.' ' Jones is hero ?' 'Of course. Or board wages.' 'Good !' said Maurice, enigmatically. • Who is the match between ?' Nerine asked. Of course they would end by going in an omnibus —in which case she would stay at home. 1 The county and the garrison.' He read over the lieta of the two elevons. All the county names ho ktiew ; their visiting cards reposed on the Liapenard hall table. Once a year the girls, eulky and Bilonb, accompanied- Mr Mayno to leave theirs, written cards, which looked plebeian beside Mayne's neab copper plate. Maurice skimmed over the names of the garrison eleven. 'Hello! Sabterlee 1' he exclaimed. 'I didn't know he was here. I thought he was abroad.' ' TTfao is he V Nerine pricked up her ears. •The brother of a fellow I know in Liverpool, and a very good chap, too. We'll have to go and see him play. At a quarter pasb two we'll start, eh V looking at Kit. ' Too late. The omnibus takes so long,' Agatha said. • We're going in the T carb,' tha boy returned, rising, tall and broad shouldered, to leave the room. Lighting his pipe, he strolled through the brisk morning air down the garden to the back door of the etables. There was no one there. Tho pair of bay horaeH which Mr Mayne was obliged to keep stood peacefully in bheir stalls ; the stable cat dozed in the sunlight in the harness - room window. Jones had bsen there and gone, for the horses had been fed and their beds cleared away. Maurice stood and cogitated oub-* side the dcror bill his emoke was finished. Then be rapped his pipe smartly on the window sill. Steps sounded on the lane in front of the stable as he did bo. Jones was letting himself in by the front way, and Maurice ihouted to him. Mr Mayne'a man of all work was a broken-down jockey. Jones was a conveniently common name, and his own at one time had been inconveniently well known. The man's wizened faco blanched «■ Maurice called him by it loudly. ' Mr Lispenard!' His voice croaked always, bub ib wai tarribly husky now. He had been taking advantage of Clarence Mayne's absence tho night before, and he had aob gob his nerve back so early in bhe day. He shufflad out into the daylight, nob old, but prematurely shrivelled, shattered by a life ot hard exercise and bad liquor. 1 You're not looking well, Lister,' Maurice aaid slowly, his piercing gaze full on him. Jonea pub up his hand. 'Far Heaven's sake, sir, don't call me lhab!' • Why nob ?'—equably. • Ibs your name.' Jones awore volubly; ib was not, nover had been. Maurice pulled him up wibh a stern word. 1 Did you ever hear of Lord Sabterlee ?' he said. * Perhaps not. I am living at present) wibh Mr Vivian Sabterlee, who gave me some valuable facts concerning yoa.' Jones was sobsr in one instant. The Satterloes could have him sentenced to penal servitude even now. •Do they know where I am, sir {' he aiked, respectfully, wibh underlying cunning. • That's neither hero nor there,' Maurice replied. ' The point juab now ia that I will have the horses in the T carb at two o'cleck. I am going to see Lord Sabterlee play football. I shall nob take you.' 1 Mr Mayne's orders is thab the horses is only to go for exercise,' doggedly. ' Very well. My orders' — Maurice seemed suddenly bo tower over the man, the Lispenard ' black look' on his grim young face—'are what I've said. If you don'b like them perhaps Lord Satterlee will help you to —another situation,' significantly. 'All right, sir, all right,' tho man rejoined, angrily. He would have given worlds to disobey, bub he dared not. 'Mr Mayne Bhill know of this,' he blustered, weakly. 1 Mr Mayne,' Maurice said, abruptly, * is in France. Lord Sabberlee is stationed five miles off.' Jones touched his cap in sulky silence. His lips were dry as ha harnessed the horses. This cursed young cock sparrow had the upper hand of him, and no mistake. Had he dared he would have lamed the horses, but a sharp fellow like Mr Lispenard would have Been through thab. Presently, therefore, the trap was ab the hell door ; the horses Bhining in the sun, the brass-mounted harness glittering; the varnish on the seldom-used T carb was perhaps a little ancient, bub otherwise the Lispenard fcurnoub was unexceptionable. Agatha could not beiievo her eyes. She and Nerine gob into tho back scab in a kind of dumb amazement. Maurice, had taken their going aa a matter of course—yet nover before had she known him anything but routed by Jones.

•How on earth did he manage ib? she inquired of Nerine, who shrugged her shoulders indifferently. Ib was a perfest day, and she had nob boen for a drive for bwo years. Those annual visitations of bheir neighbours she did nob call drives, accompanied as they were with Mr Mayne in the brougham. She would not trouble her head aboub anything so small as Jones.

Kib, perched up in front beside Maurice, warm i» her sealskin coat, her hat of golden pheasanb feathers sat lightly on her yellow curls, looked like a small tropical bird. Agatha and Nerino in their humble blue gerge, their felt hats with plain ribbons, their woollen - backed, leather - palmed winter gloves, were simple enough beside her. It was aB well thab their clear-cut faces and smooth Greek heads had small need of fripperies. It was a good five miles from Liapeaard House to tho Arlington Club ground, through the town and past the barracks. Nerine did nob remember over having been there since they had been used to go with Maurice, all hobbledehoys together. This was a very difFerenb story. They were early, and the twins occupied themselves in watching the gathering crowd. A few peopla bowed to them, with some surprise ab seeing them anywhere but in church or rambling through the country lanos. Norine'e cheeks flushed rose pink aa she returned those wandering recognitions with distant frigidity. The county rather approved of Clarence Mayne; it condemned unheard the Lißpenards. Kib and Maurice wore true football lovers. The blankebs had hardly been put on the horsos before they were loeb in the game. Nerine and Agatha were leas earnesb.

• That's a good-looking man near the goal post. I wonder who he is ?' Nerinti said, idly

' Garrison,' Agatha returned, looking at his jersey. * Perhap* he ia Maurice's friend with the funny name !' ' Too good looking.' Neriue pointed to a squara, red-faced little man playing quarter back. 'That ia much more likely to be he,' she declared.

Attabha gazed at tho strong, slim figure of the handsome man as he ran like lightning across the field. How his bare hand shone in bhe sub. It was eaoro golden than Kibe.

'Maurice, who's thab fair man playing for the garrison ?' sbe asked, pinching his arm vigorously to call his attention. ' The one rushing now with the ball. Oh, look, he was nearly down.' ' Not he,' Baid Maurice. ' Well playod, Sattorlee !'

'I bold you bhat was Satterlee,' Agatha said, quietly. ' I've seen him bofora, Nerine.'

' Where ?' Nerine asked, incredulously,

1 Three or four 'times in church,' she answered, rather weakly.

Every Sunday for the pasb three months would have been more to tho point. Nerine nevor wont to church except sometime to the gorgeous ceremonial of a festival. Her feelings for Mr Mayno did not accord with churchgoing.

She «aid nothing, &ud they watched the game in silence, till half time was called and tho players troopod thirstily over to the pavilion. 'Maurice,' Agatha said, 'is ho Captain Sattorlee or Mr Saaterlee ?'

' He's a lieutenant, bub he's a viscount, too. Surely you know that.'

' We are nob on intimate terms* with bhe aristocracy. We leave tUatto Mr Mayne,' Nerino observed, dryly.

Over ab the pavilion a man who had hurried into his coab was scanning through a field glass the faces of the twins. One ot thorn waa the tall girl bo had fallen into the way of going to St. Judo's to sec, bub which one? They were so exactly alike. At the moment Maurice turned his head to answer his siater.

'Liapenard, by all that'» lucky ! Why, they must be his sisters !' Lord Satterlee relinquished his glass and wend over. He shook hands with Maurice, then bhe sun glanced on his yellow hair as he acknowledged Mi»s Bolton's bow and waa.,introduced to bhe Lisponard Bisters.

Bub in spite of his scrutinising glance at bhem, Satterlee was nono the wiser as to which of them be already know by light. 'Didn'b Vivian tell yeu I was here, Lispenard V he inquired, wondering desperately at which of those demure people he had been accustomed to gaze during the sermon.

' I haven't seen him lately; he's beon wibh your mother and I've beon busy. It's luck my coming across you thia morning, returned bhe boy, joyfully. 1 Agatha,' Kit turned round to whisper to her, 'do you know thab we are the observed of all observers ? I think ' — laughing—' thab wo are being much admired !'

Agatha's smile died away on her lips. Maurice's voice was rising loud and cheery in her very ear as he asked Satterlee to dine with tkem tho next day. Almosb beforo she bad found her breabh again Maurice's speaking hand was on her shoulder, forcing her into seconding the invitabion, feebly and wibh eyes anywhere bub on the object of it. And Satterlee— oh, horror !—would bo delighted ! Miss Lispenard aab stunned. Who.would cook ? Worse still, who would waib 1 Who was bold enough bo bursb into the china and glass closet — and the wine cellar ? [To he continued.)