A Daughter of Midian.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 15, 18 January 1901, Page 6

A Daughter of Midian.

By JOHN K. LEYS. Author of "A Sore Temptation," "The Thumb Print," "The Broken Fetter," "In the Toils," "A Million of Money," etc., etc., etc.

CHAPTER XV. UNMASKED. It sometimes seems to me that we are almost entirely tbe creatures of our surrounding circumstances. 1 know it is so with me. One would have supposed that after my return to the Castle my days would bave been heavy with anxiety—that I would have lived in continual dread of discovery, suspecting a covert meaning in everything Mr. Mitchell or Mr. Durant said to me. and watching for any word that might throw light on the darkness that surrounded my past. But it was not so. Incredible as at raav appear, I all but forgot that 1 was a half-detected imposter, a guest at the Castle under false pretences. I forgot that Mr. Durant was my enemy—nothing, indeed, could less resemble an enemy's behaviour than his to me. I struck up a kind of friendship with the Honourable Marjory Keith and her brother, and lived as my neighbours did, taking each days pleasure as it came, seldom troubling myself to remember that these sunslimy days would not last for ever. I think I'must have been under a kind of spell at that time. It was now the middle of August, and little else was thought, of or talked of than "the shooting." Our party was frequently increased by one or two young men from Glasgow or London, business friends of. the laird's. I understood. They stayed, as a rule, but a day or two, aud somehow their coming and going seemed . m draw the house party, the little group of permanent guests, closer together. We seemed almost like members ot the sanie family, compared with those birds of passage. .' Our days were spent very much in the same, wav, but we did not tire ot them. 'In the mornings Miss Kevtn and I generally went .sketching, while the men set out for the hills, and Miss Da.lrymple betook herself to the piano —only to be called away every few minutes- for a consultation with Mrs. McPhaiL who was acting housekeeper. Sometimes the men of the party came home to lunch—more often they did not return till the evening. Then, alter dinner, we had billiards, or pool, and music; sometimes, to tell the truth, a little poker. One morning after the men had taken their departure I went into the music-room for a song I had promised to show to Miss Keith, and there I found Miss Dalrymple alone, and in tears. , It was impossible to pretend that 1 had not seen her. She lifted her red, tear-stained face and looked at me, only to turn it away again. "Miss Dalrymple, is anything the matter ? Can I help you in any way - I said as gently as I could. To my surprise she put out her hand and thrust me away from her. "Go away! I wish you wotild gc away! Haven't you done mischie enough?" Then came another burst ol sobs. , - I stood stock still, too much astonished to say a word. At last I stammered out something to the effect that I was quite ignorant of what 1 had done to displease or injure her, and that if she would only tell me what it was I would do my best to put things right. For some time she would not listen to me; but when J had repeated my words she seemed to lose patience, and, dropping Hex hands from her face, she looked at me with reproach in her tear-hlled eJ"Were we not happy enough before yon came?" she demanded. _ Why ahould yon come to spoil our lives? At length a light began to dawn npon me. I could have laughed aloud. She thought that I was taking her place with Mr. Durant! She was jealous of me! "Miss Dalrymple, I assure you you are mistaken," I said, as earnestly as I could. But she paid no attention to "Wasn't Mr. Ronald Keith enough lor you?" , "Mr. Ronald Keith!" I repeated stu--pidly, but I kneNv that the tell-tale blush was mounting to my cheeks. "Yes; Mr. Ronald Keith. Can you .deny that he is always following you ! about, always trying to find you if you are out of the way? You are welcome to his attentions for anything I care—only, if L were you I would take care that he is not——. It's none of my business." She broke off suddenly, and rose to leave the room. But I caught her by the dress and forced her to listen to nie. I was careful not to refer to Mr Durant by name, but I told her that whether Mr. Keith continued to pay me attention or not—whether he was serious or not—l cared nothing for the homage of anyone else. This.was not only true, but something more than the truth. Of course I would not have said it if I had not been anxious to clear myself in Miss Dalrymple s eyes. ~ i After that I did notice that once or twice Mr Durant appeared at my side when I could have dispensed with his presence, and I began to wonder whether there was anything- in Mass Dalrymple's hints. However, she said no more and as her manner to me was itist the' same as it had always been I forgot her little outburst of jealousy. The cloud seemed to have passed away. There was not a shadow on my path. I o-ave myself up to the enjoyment of the summer days, and in spite of al I was happy. The bolt fell on me out of a' clear sky without a moments warning. . ~ It was a glorious day towards the end of the month. The hills were glowing in their purple beauty, and through the morning mist the lake and the woods surrounding it showed like a scene in dreamland. The day was so lovely that it was arranged that Miss Keith and Miss Marjory

Keith, with Miss Dalrymple and myself, should climb to the top of one of the nearer hills., and there meet the men of the party, taking lunch together, as we had done once or twice oefore. I tie programme was carried out. Luncheon was duly discussed, and when the meai was over we lay about on the heather, chatting, or lazily dozing in the shade of a boulder. The men had declared with oue voice that it was too hot to do any more tramping over tbe moors that day. I was sitting a little apart from the others, making believe to sketch a spray of heather bell. Marjory Keith and Mr Durant came and sat clown close by. By and by Miss Keith got up and strolled away. Mr Durant was lying on his back, blowing rings of cigarette smoke into the warm air. Now'and then we exchanged a remark, but for the most part we were silent. "Don't you think the view of the lock, is better here than it is down at the Castle?" I said. "I quite agree with you, Miss Grant, By the wav, is that your name?" For a moment my heart seemed to stand still and a chill crept down my back in spite of the hot sun; but in a second or two I had recovered myself. ._, , "Of course, that is my name. What do you mean?" Irflatter myself that no one could have guessed* from my tone or my ! manner the state of fright I was in. I fancied even that my tormentor ! o-laneed at me with admiring notice jof my self-command before he answered: . "Well, you see, Aye all took you for Miss Grant, of Scarton. She is the only Miss Grant known to Mr Mitchell, and T happen to be aware that he certainly believes you to be Miss Sidney Grant, of Scarton, Cumberland. -Yon are making a mistake —a very natural' one," I said, coldly. "Miss Grant, of Scarton, is my sister." The relaxed figure, stretched luxuriously on the thick carpet of heather, became suddenly rigid. The cigarette, held an inch or two away from the smiling lips, that instant became motionless. I fancied I heard the words "1 thought so" breathed softly from underneath the silky moustache. '?J "think I have heard it said that Miss Grant, of Scarton, has no sister. Her only sister died in infancy." "That is not the fact," I said, hotly. "And in any case, Mr Durant, I fail to see what'business it is of yours." , "puite true Miss—we may say Grant fortn-e present. I accept your rebuke. Mr Mitchell is really the only person who can claim a right to be interested in your identity. I wondei what he will have to say to it. Mitchell!" he called out, and seeing that he had arrested the laird's attention he rose and lasily strolled over in his direcA sudden pain gripped me in the region of the heart. I felt as if I we're about to faint, but I kept my eyes steadily fixed on the cardboard before me, and my fingers moved mechanically with the pencil. What I was thinking at that" moment I do not knOw. I doubt whether I was capable of thinking at all; but the fresh breeze blew none the less sweetly on my burning face, the grasshoppers went on making summer in the grass, ' the bees hummed in the heather, and a bi* mottled spider ran out from his refuge under the grey stone and began to repair his web, which I had broken. I looked round. The two men had separated, and Mr Durant was coming back to mc. Then I began to wonder what would happen. Would Mr Mitchell let me go away quietly, or would he expose me to the contempt and ridicuie of the Keiths? What would they say, what would Ronald think of me ? "You are very diligent, Miss Grant Upon mv word I admire your cOolnes. —on such a.hot day too. But I can'i say that I think your heather bell is very like the original." "What does Mr Mitchell say?" 1 asked sharply, without looking up. "He say's we had better shoot over Little Glen Finnart to-morrow morning." "What did he say about me? "About you? Nothing. I don't think your name was mentioned." ' So he had been wantonly tormenting me, as a cruel boy.will torment some small' creature before he kills it. How I hated that man at that moment! 1 I was even a'little afraid of myself, my hatred Was so perfect, so whole-souled, L don:t £now what I mig-ht have actually dene, but I felt as if I could have killed him., • '«Wnen do" you mean to, tell Mr Mitchell that I am not, in your opinion, the person I have represented 'myself to be?" I asked, still without looking up at him. "I don't-know* I haven't made up my mind on the subject." He stood just behind me, a little to one side, looking over my shoulder at the sketch on which my fingers were still busy. "What business is it of yours? Why do you meddle in my affairs at all?" I asked quietly. "Well, you know, Mr Mitchell is my friend. One doesn't like to see one's friends— imposed upon." ,1 was silent, digesting the insult. Hut was it an insult?- Had I any right to call it an insult? Was it not true? "How did you discover, that I am not Miss Grant of Scarton?" 1 He laughed. "Easily enough. I wrote first to the school-mistress; but she didn't take the trouble to answer me, so I wrote to a lawyer at Carlisle, and got him to send out a man to make inquiries. I found out that the real Miss Grant was at Scarton, and has been there for the last six months." "You seem to have taken a great deal of trouble on my account." "Not at all. A pleasure, I assure you." I will not deny that I was frightened, I was to a certain extent in the man's power, and I knew that he could-have me ignominiously expelled from the Castle-at a moment's notice. But I hated him much more than I feared him. I had no doubt about that. "Poor Miss Dalrymple!" I , ca.ught myself thinking, "to make an 'idol of a creature like this!"

"Come, Miss Grant, suppose we stop squabbling and talk the matter over in a friendly way." lie stretched himself along'at my side, and though f shrank from hi in in my heart I had not the courage to allow the loathing I felt for him fo appear. "Whether you are Miss Grant's sister or not matters nothing to me, and I can't see that it matters very much to you in the present instance. You are certainly not the girl you have been pretending to be, and that should be enough for Mitchell, and enough for most people, I should think. But- I have no wish to press hardly on you."

To this I made no answer"You know, I think it was awfully j plucky of you to come here and beard the lion in his den—under another name too." He laughed softly to himself, "By Jove! not one woman in ten thousand could have done it." Still 1 made no reply. I knew that he was staring at me, though I kept my eyes sedulously fixed on the sketch'of the bit of heather. "Who was that foreigner 1 saw you with when you first came here?" he asked sharply. "A friend of mine." "Not one you have any reason to be proud of, l'should imagine. If I am not mistaken, he is a man I once saw tried in Italy on a charge of.being accomplice to a murderer. Seems to me the less you have to do with him the better." 1 was silent. "Was it by his advice you came here?" "No; the idea was entirely my own. "But he has been helping you, I suppose?" "Yes. he has been a kind friend to me." Again that soft, hateful smde. "fell you what, Miss Grant—" and he threw himself back on the heather, and looked at me lazily out of halfclosed eyes—"how should you like to have me as a partner instead of that Italian fellow? I fancy 1 could be a goo'i deal more useful to you than he." I dropped my hands in my lap aud sat staring at him in open astonishment. "What do you mean?" I breathed half unconsciously. "Mean? Just what I have «aid. You want to find out certain things about your father, and so on, but it is evident that you cannot do much by yourself. Now I could be of immense use to you. 1 know Mitchell down to the ground, and could easily get from him all you want to know-." 1 drew up my knees, 1 remember, looking the man straight hi the face. "Why do you make me this offer. I said. .

"Why? Because I admire you immensely, and would do anything I could to forward your interests." "Was it to forward my interests that you laid a trap for me the other day "through .Miss Dalrymple?" He laughed easily. "That was when I wanted to find you out; but now that I. know all about you I want to tie your friend. Is it a" bargain?" T was still confused, bewildered, Ij,v tho man's offers of help. What could be his motive? Was he really disposed to be my friend, or was this merely a trick—an attempt to gain my confidence and frustrate my plans? Most likely it was the latter. I felt—l knew—that I could not trust him. But I felt at the same time that it was absolutely necessary to allow him to think that I did trust him. I rose slowly to my feet, and he did the same. When he put out_ his hand to help me I did not reject it, "Mr Durant," I said deliberately, "I am not in a position to refuse your help, or the help of anyone. Indeed, I shall be grateful for it; you know already that I Want—l want to learn whether—" I was about ,to say, "whether I am really Mr Grants daughter," but ,T saw it would not do to let him see that I was in ignorance on this point. I went on with hardly a perceptible break,—"whether I have any relations living besides my sister and who they are. And besides, I want to know why Mr Mitchell has hidden me away from .the world all these years, pretending that I was dead But is it not time that we were o-oino- back to the others? They will wonder what has become of us."

(To be continued.)