LOST BY A KISS

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 148, 24 June 1901, Page 6

LOST BY A KISS

(By VIRGINIA VAUGHN.)

CHAPTER VI

AWAKENTNGS. Throe days went by before Ei*berti Aldersoti again presented hiir.seli atj the Cedars

He had not stayed away lik;> this

since his engagement had received the sanction of Charlotte's aim I. and that lady herself would have wondered at thi.s non-appearance if her mind had not been tilled with a more personal, and. therefore, a more eugruss-

ing subject

Charlotte, on her part, went through a good many variations of. feeling during this time. She had a fit of repentance, and while it lasted she wrote v humble letter to her offended lover.

Writing- the letter and making her excuses on paper, however, exiiau.sted her humility, and .'die. consigned the epistle to the fire instead of to the post box.

Thou she became reckless

"She didn't care," she assured herself; "there was as good fish in Hi'.1 sea as ever came out of it, and she was not going to break her heart for

any man."

Isola smiled sarcastically when .she hoard this sentiment expressed, for she was slowly coming' to the conclusion that Charlotte had no heart to; break. I \ am inclined to think that Char-] lotte missed (sola's sympathy and friendliness during these three days more than she did the absence of herj lover. Jsola was her aunt's ward, and was] possessed of a moderate fortune,! which was an advantage which Char-j lotte could not boast of; but the; dark-eyed girl had always been satisfied to yield to the other, to listen to her chatter, and out of sheer good nature, to help her to escape the dif.-l fieulties in which she was constantly involving herself.

For Charlotte Carrington was one of those, women who surround themselves with an atmosphere of decep-j tion, and who are always fearing ex-1 posure, and, while trying to avert it,! contrive to involve themselves in some fresh complications at every turn. It was not that she committed any glaring- offences against conventionalities, but she was always getting; into some petty scrape or other. To begin with, she was extravagant,! and overstepped her allowance for dress and pocket money in a way that would have greatly astonished

her aunt. In all her own affairs Miss Arden insiled upon paying ready money, and she impressed upon her niece the desirability of doing' the same. And Charlotte professed to do so, though, in point of fact, she owed! bills to almost every tradesman in Littledene who supplied ladies' clothing.

She kept these people quiet with little "sops," as she called it, from her allowance, but when she paid five pounds she managed to get credit for ten, and thus the sum of her liabilities increased.

But pecuniary difficulties were not the only ones that this young lady managed to involve herself in; admiration was to her as the breath of her nostrils, and she could not and would not live without it.

It was this insatiate vanity that led her to flirt with handsome Jack Eadeliffe, and now, when Egbert seemed to have deserted her, she madly and recklessly resolved to give the young fellow one more opportunity of sunning himself in her presence.

"One must amuse one's self," she muttered, -with a defiant toss of the head as she pulled on her sealskin paletot, the price of which had been a present from her aunt, but that was still unpaid for. "I am not going to stay in the house with an old woman who seems to have something on her mind that is too much for it, and with a girl who is on the stilts because of what she is pleased to call my unwomanly conduct. I shall go out and walk down by the side of the river to the sea; the walk in the snow will freshen me up a bit."

Then she tied a bright silk scarf round her neck to give colour to her general get-up, and, burying her hands in her cozy muff, she sallied iorth.

Lsola watched her, and felt sure she was bent on mischief of some kind or other, but she had not been invited by Charlotte to go for a walk, and she -would not volunteer to accompany her.

Miss Carrington walked down Highstreet, conscious that many admiring looks were directed toward her, and she met one or two acquaintances to whom she bowed, though she did not pause to speak to any one.

The Dene was not a large river, bxit several small vessels traded to and from the port, and in the summer months some steamers plied, carrying passengers and provisions between this place and towns on the French coast.

In winter, however, and with the snow on the ground, as it was to-day, nothing could be more desolate than the river banks and the seashore, and Dot a solitary creature was seen by Charlotte as she walked past the RadeliiTe's cottage as she passed by, but she believed she was herself seen by one or more of its inmates.

With a quick, elastic step she walked along the path, the keen frosty air making the blood tingle in her veins, adding a fresh lustre to her beautiful blue eyes, and deepening the brillint colour of her cheeks.

She never looked to the right or the left; she seemed to be walking rapidly to keep herself ■warm, and to enjoy the cold, invigorating- morning. But soon after she had passed the Radcliffe's cottage she was conscious

I that somebody was following her. j | Of cuursi! sVie never looked back—| .I never turned, i.-ideed, to the light or, 'i to the [fit, unitl :-he readied a "slop-1 '| [;.:■■ pali; tlwiL led do-.vii to the shore.! ,1 ft vvas sot i-as'.y ■.vnikini^ here, tor 'i Hie s;io\v liad drifted, leaving socu.-j ulaees bare, and covering over many, ; which required earei.uJ walking. I'.ui Charlolle went on her way. without doubt or hesitation. .Many ifinw she had trodden ihis, sumo ground, and she- knew pre.liyj vvelJ when- she would find safe I'oot- ■ ,'llg. She Reaches. I lie I'uot of the low. chalky eiitT, walks along a little way,; find Null) pauses before two deep re-j cesses, almost side by side, that are ioo shallow to be dignified with the ■' name of eaves. i«\>r a moment she hesitates as to ! which she shall rest in; but the snowj has drifted into the nearest to her,, ! aril she finds also ihat the keen wind | 'scarcely enters ilic; second retreat. Here' she seals hersji' upon a large; ' liloel-: o,' hardened ■■luilk, and she, \ hikes out a magazine from her lnulfj i arid opens il aw though tioout to road, j i'.iu her eye;; wander out to sea and | \ her ears are listening to the sound ol'i i'outsloi*? tlial tire every instant becoming more distinct. 1 They pause before her, and she, having for the moment protended to ■ •■■;! d. looks up in well-aifecfced surprise, and says: "Good-morning1. Who would have j expected 1o see you." •'I suppose you emne here to see : me," said .lack' ttadclifl!e, who was in, 'j anything hul an amiable frame of : liiind. •■Then you suppose a very great. deal," she'replied, with a bewitching 1 glance, while her smile revealed her white teeth. I "It's well you've come," he remarked, doggedly, "or you'd have ! hoard of me soon." "But I had the pleasure of seeing ■ \-ou the other night." she replied, in

a bantering- tone. "How lciind it was of you to bring those flowers to Taola; they were really beautiful", yon must have taken a great deal of trouble to get them. She was quite flattered by your devotion." "You know why I got them," he said, ;mr;n!y. "You said you wanted (lowers, and 1 wanted to t;ee you in \our finery —to sec you dressed up to o;o among your fine friends." "And I hope you were satisfied

with my appearance. "Satisfied?" he growled savagely; "you are enough to drive a man mad." She laughed a low, silvery laugh,

as she paid: "Other men don't find me so disagreeable."

""It will be bettor for another man if he doesn't, come near you again," he said, in a threatening' tone, "He nnd I wilt have au account to settle together before we. are many weeks older."

"And to what purpose?" she asked, disdainfully. "You are very nice, .Tnclc, and are very good-looking and all that, but you know I couldn't marry you." "And why not?" he asked. "Yon have told me, over and over again, that you loved me." "That may be; but suppose we wore 1o get married, would you take me to Jive with that changing mother of yours?" "Don't sneer at my mother; she's Veen a good mother to mo," ho said, with sudden dignity.

"I have nothing to say against her," was the answer, "but 1 don't want to live with her."

"No^/on care more for fine clothes, :>nd for a big house, and for all that money can buy, than you do for me arid for all your promises."

"I am not unlike other women in that respect," she replied, coolly; "and, besides. I suppose I am free to change my mind if I like." "Have you changed your mind?" he asked sulkily. "Have you promised to marry Squire Alderson because you love him, or because he's a rich man? Tell me truly!" he added, eagerly, as she drooped her waxen eyelids and seemed to hesitate.

"It isn't fail- to ask me such a question," she replied, with downcast eyes- "I must marry him —my aunt wishes it—and I have given my word, and he would not release me now if i asked him to do so."

"Do you wish to be released?" he asked, eagerly, drawing- nearer to her side.

"Don't ask me," she replied, in affected distress. "It is cruel of you to do so."

"I won't," he replied, while a fierce look came into his eyes; "but you will give me one more kiss, Lottie— just one before we part." "You shouldn't ask me. My kisses belong- to somebody else now," she replied, averting-her head, but without taking- away the hand he had clasped.

She'knew the fiery, pasionate, generous nature upon which she was playing so cruelly—knew it as well as a book which she had carefully read through and committed certain parts of it to memory, and she was not in the lease surprised to be caught in the young man's arms and strained madly to'his breast.

""You belong to me," he said, hoarsely, "and no other man shall have you while I am alive. He shall have fair play, but he shall prove that he is a, better man than I before he takes

you from me." " Charlotte grew alarmed at the form this threat had taken.

Fair play, as Jack called it, was not what she wanted. li: Jack would assault Egbert, and thereby get himself into the hands of the" police, or make things so unpleasant for himself as to find it detiirnble to go permanently out of the neighbourhood, she would be satisfied: tut she was particularly anxious to k(-eP aer own narae from being mentioned as the cause, of any breach of the peace. „..,..♦ Ho anxious was she on this last point thai she tried to make Ja.-k promise not to mention her name io svny person under any circumstances whatever.

"But she only half succeeded. He would be silent about her to everyone but Egbert Alderson; but, unJt'ss she would promise fco give up the young squire he vowed he would

Iflwht with him for her. | °So resolute, was he on this point Ithnt Charlotte actually nhed Icar.s in jher tifiorta to mulcts .him yield to her eiJtrtmtifti not to lot Mr Akler«m Ib-now tiJiir fho had ever lent a wiping ,V r to ri.;; pussioVi; but her teara had ; ;c oi"eet. i Hiie had been playing with fire till sir; now bep-an to iear she would burn her ■ vvn lingers. -\i let; iTth, ' nJ'ng she oouVl make no"i:iip^':«^-i upisi'M* dec-isioi, vw\ ■ that sin; eouid n'.'t exact any pvomiaa • ixoic. him, yh(" s:i >l. angrily: .{ ■•);,'- of nn ii;:1* 1 your slaying here !, v ;], ~!(■, i, ; , ~v won't do as I ask. I ,;,,,,-; [,!■•,;• |)i'.>ii mud to :um' you the j chance of using my name as you ' iljccaieu i» do, In it 1 won't continue/ Lueli lolly; ihis is I ho hist time I shall 'meet you unless you promise what 1 ask."" "We mnv not. have the chance of ! meet ing agai.i," he replied, moodily. (Jood-bye, J.oliie. and don't, play fast and loose again with a man like me, ,„■ you may not gel oIT s<> easily as ! you're now likely lo do." ' -Kasily!" she rctovtcd, angrily. "When yi'ii threateu lo ruin my pro-; specl'B for life," I "You have ruined mine," he rej plied, quietly; "but 1 have one ue- ! count to settle, and then you Will | ; .■;■(> no more of me.' i The uo:i instant he was gone. -[W i,. l(i m ,t letiiruod by the way 1,., i,. u i come, but had gone further j

iilnr.n- the shore. "I.' seem to have got, myself into a vU ., r ,,. : .- s ," thought Charlotte, bitterly,"'as sh<- folded up her magazine •»n,l'shook tin- snow dust from her fur iaeket; I'm afraid ihat between these two stools I may fall to the ground. Of course, 1 can swear to Egbert that what Jack says is false. The question is. will he believe me.'; she was thus thinking, and she had walked a few steps on her way homeward, when a womans voice causedhh r to start, with alarm and, looking up. she saw old Mrs Radcliffe. A single glance ut the place where the woman was standing told Charlotte what had happened. The young man's mother hud followed him, knowing whom he was after had hidden herself dose to whore the interview had taken plnce, and had listened to all that had been

l<tor a moment the giri fell as though she could kill the woman who had detected her, but as this was impossible she resolved to put a bold face upon the mutter. "What do you want of me? she asked, haughtily. The old woman seemed to be strugrrlin"1 with her own feelings. " Sin did not- resent the girl's tone or manner, and she asked almost humbly: "Do you love .lack Would you marry him if ho was well born and

had plenty of money?" '•What a question to ask," returned Charlotte in surprise. "How can he be well born? From whence should he OTt money?" "You love him?" questioned the old woman, suspiciously. "If I did not should T have cowpromised myself by meeting him as T have done?" was the cold, steady answer. I "No. A proud woman like you must jhave loved him before you could forget the seeming difference in position between you. But 11;-re really is no difference. Listen, and remember I can produce proof of what T any." And then ill!' old woman told the girl a story which surprised the listener not a little. "Does .Tnelc know of this?" she nsked wVn Mrp TRndeliffp had finished. '""<>" "■■•« i' reply. "He hasn't a suspicion of it." "Then don't tell him for a few days," said ("hnrlotte. "five me a little time to think and see my way more clearly." "You will not breathe a %vord of what T have told you till T give you Inave?" asked the old woman, imperiously. "i will not," was the reply. Then Charlotte walked b'-ek to the Cedar.-. Hut the plnee seen-ed to have changed since'she left it a couple of hours sse'O. The change was in herself, and In the new nspect of affairs which Mrs Hadcliffe's story had revealed to her.

(To be concluded.)