THE HEIR OF VERING: OR. THE QUEEN LILY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 36, 11 February 1904, Page 6

THE HEIR OF VERING: OR. THE QUEEN LILY.

3Y CHABT.FS GAEVICE. CHAPTER XViL—Continued. He- i-iT. icr live minutes looking H.t ifa.e blazing coals, and the old habit of s.lfccnimuning out. '•What am i to do with it all?" he murmured, his white hinds babind his head. "What am Mo Jo with it v And, still deeper question, what ;im I :o do with her? is a child now— yes, a child as yet. but <;':iildren have an awkward knack of growing, and. ere. i know it. she will be a woman—a woman ss beautiful as Cleopatra—and a* untamable. What cm an Unmarri'-d,, solitary m-n do with such a creature? Already 1 am hemmed in with perplexities. God knows that I miss the child as much as she uii<se- mc, who am her only friend and protector; and yet, can I have her here without getting: every scandal-loving i tongue in the euuniy wagging? Ko! 1 feel that she cannot come here, child, as she i≤, world-worn as I am: then, what am I to do with her? He rose, and paced up and down- his arms folded, his miad on the work at the knotty problem. ''She cannot remain at the inn; I tt!o\r no ore woman in the world who { Would take her in charge—r.o one to j whom I could trust her. What shall i 1 do wj»h her?" Then he sank inro the chair again. With a sigh of irritation and indecision. The hours passed, and the new earl ! fumbled still at the twisted knot. At { last, with a grim smile, he rose, j for his man, and slowly paced along the j great hail, and up the staircase to his own apartments, to dress for dinner, the spirit of loneliness holding him so tightly in its clutches that he looked longingly, to the snowy plain, and frozen woods of the Wanahi, for there he could enjoy the perfect, trustful smile of the Indian child ho had succoured and grown to ertre for. Dinner had been ordered in {he morn-lEff-Toom—the room in which Percy had Paten his luncheon on that eventful visit- three years ago: and Mr. Wornisb, the bntler, h:id done his best to dispel something of the gloom, that had. of necessity, hung over the place for so many year-, and reached its full depth dnrin-j the last few months. He had spread out some of the Vering plate of -olid g-old on the carved sideboard, and had lit all the candles in tan del s-bra: two great ppprpne* of glittering silver ran over with choice exotics, and the table vj- furnished with more Ulan the usual u > pointments. "It"> somctniiig painful." said Mr. V oruish to Monsieur Dupres. the cook, '"to see the unnatural, quiet way of the younjs earl—uuiti- a. you a" man. raonsieur. am! a-; " liuudsoaie as an > in the ah. find i gnod-hearti-d one. tun. or I'm no judge of voices-! It's qune painful, monsieur, aud I think it's my duty to liver, things up a bit. and. if you can *tmd up somei'iing extraordinary —something with a little trvnius in it. monsieur — I -hall take it as kind of you." '"Ah. yes!" "xelaimed the chef: ''but milord doe- not cure—does not appreciate my humble efforts. Did 1 not produce a ma-terpie <=■ in the way of a salmi yest<:!Jay? And it came back untouched! Ma ie;: but I will do my best: perhaps the o'her young milord v.'ill know something _of the divine an!"' •'Mr. Merivale is too young: for that, monsieur." the butier. shaking his head, solemnly: "but he may learn in time, and he could not learn in a better pk>ee than here, monsieur." At this compliment, the Chef declared again that he | world exert his genius, and he kept his I word; the young earl and his cousin sat down to a dinner worthy of the gods. Charlie ciYsip down looking fre=h and glowing after his walk —handsome and strong as a young Apollo, and quite propared to assist Sir 'Wornish in chasing away the gloom. "1 say, Perce," ho exclaimed, a= a clear soup was Tα-;ed, ''you h;tve inherited a good cook: this beats the •Beaufort,' and that is something , ." Mr Wornish nodded to a footman. and instantly the word of praise and encouragement was conveyed to the great artist. " 1 es. hi- is a good" cook." assented Peivy. aWntly, "but I am afraid his art is thrown sway on mc. I spoiled m y palate In the backwoods. Charlie." '"It'll eorne back—it will coino back." pronounced the young epicure, devoutly. '"Th.ise backwoods set mc longing again/ This meant """tell mc trie story of your adve.r.tures," and Percy complying." tie c::ei's achievements were accompanied by a running recital of Percy's travels a.H'l doings—all mention of Kyra. however. bein2 avoided. Mr Wornish and Ins assistants listening as intently as Charlie Merivale. and the opinion of their new master going higher every few minute?, until it reached its zenith in the attitude of '"hero." Then the conversation veered round to Charlie's doings during Percy's absence, and at last, with a suddenness, the light-hearted young fellow brought it down to his walk of the afternoon". "There is beautiful scenery in the neighbourhood. Perce. and it is all stamped with your hall-mark. Everytuin.i is Tering. The Yering Arms. Ah, by the way. I have had quite an advent\ ire —speaking of the inn reminded mc of it. I took a complete round from the park, and came up the hill, you know— at a pretty crood pace. too.'for J- pulled tip at the top to take a look round, just in front of the inn. While i was looking at it. and admiring it a young girl C3mo and Ptr , od in onp - of tl]e ba> widows. T though it was a woman at first, but. at a second glonee. I saw teen or - qustP ?°™p— about thirsnTalil Hi I" ° nly rte was *n tan-tan and straight, p.rri slim as a ™wfVif na witb n fac * "ke—like— ™«js the name of that dirk goddess.

jin the first book of the "'Odyssey'? I never saw such a face —very dark* with gTeat coils of shining hair, and eyes like an antelope's. "I was chained to the spot, and couldn't help staring: not that that muttered much., for she was only a child you know, and she didn't see mc, for, after a quick, eager look down the bill, she half sat down at the window, and. to my astonishment and dismay, covered her face with hands, and loaned forward, as if she were crying— what's the matter?"' ''Nothing!" said Percy, almost sternly ; he had knocked over a glass. The butler hastened, with noiseless alacrity, to replace it, and Lord Percy I said: -You may leave us now. Wornish" then nodded to Charlie to continue. "Weil. I was so surprised and—and— upset that I had made start for tbe inn door, when 1 remembered that it j was no affair of mine, and I pulled up. By that time she had taken her hands from her face, and I saw that she hadn't been crying; all the worse for her, I think, for I never saw such a miserable, lonely look on a young girl's face in my life! By Jove, it quite upset me—it did. indeed! I watched her— quite out of her sight, you know—until she left the window, and then I had to pelt off home. A good thing for mc she didn't stay longer, or I should have missed that dear soup. "I couldn't get the child's face out of my sight all the while I was dressing, wondering who she was. and the rest of it. Bur at last I hit upon a solution— the right one, I'm nearly certain." "What was it?" asked Percy, as Charlie hesitated, with an a"ir of triumph. "Why, I expect there's a school about here, and the girl had been left at the inn while her people went to see the mistress and make arangements, and all that. Don't you think I'm right? A young foreigner. Italian or Spanish, brought over here for her education, on her way to school, you know." Percy looked up quickly, and with a sudden flash of retort in his eyes and face, but said nothing. "Capital claret this, Perce! Well, what do you think? I'm afraid you haven't been listening! I've bored you. dear old boy, with all the things you have to think of. You see, it quite'interested mc, a lazy, nothing-to-do dox; and. by Jove, I should like to know who she is, and to whom she belongs. I'll take a stroll down to the inn to-mor-row and inquire." Percy looked up, with a smile, half grim, half amused. ''I can save you that trouble. Charlie. The little lady is a young Indian girl; her name is Kjra, and she belongs to— mc: that is. if she belongs to any one j beside herself—for I found her lost and j astray in the backwoods, and I brought aer to England." v... .: lie's, stare of astonishment was good to see! it ruised a smile on the grave face opposite io him, that was also good to see. '•Why. Perce! And you never said a word "' Then the young fellow Mushed deeply at his ungenerous reproach, and pulled up short. Lord Percy rejoined, quickly: '"There has scarcely been time, and I have been so perplexed that The subject was one almost of annoyance; but that perplexity has been dispersed by you. As you surmised, so it shall be. Kyra shali go to school! (To be continued daily.)