AT BEAUTY'S BAR

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 246, 17 October 1910, Page 8

AT BEAUTY'S BAR

BY ROGER K. WENLEIGH. Author of "Friends and Rivals," "An Irresistible Temptation," "A. Prolonged Truce," etc.

CHAPTER XII.— (Continued.) "Now, dear girl, tell mc what it is you have on your mind:"

• Celia's hands are on her face, hiding it. He draws them down, and takes a long, long look upon the crimsoned cheeks, the full red lips, the fringed lashes covering eyee half tearful, yet passionately glad. She bears this look a moment or two, then quivers like a flame, and breaks from him to fling her-6-elf on her kneee beaide the great armchair in which justice at times sat enthroned.

Captain Northcote gazes at iier thoughtfully, and deems ft wise to change his tactics. He seats himself ." in the huge chair, and lays a caressing hand upon her arm. "See here, Celia; I do not wish to be unkind, but. I.jmust leave you if you do Hot" speak out at once. This is not a j time for childishness, and foiiy; I am 'too 1 muck troubled to bear with these now. Tell mc. at once what you ha"c to tell, ..orgo to Mr. Willoughby, if you like that ". "•better, s-nd do mc all th& harm you ': "can." ■_ •He leffiioves his hand from her arm, _ and "gazes out straight before him into vacancy, and whistles lightly. Not that lie is light-hearted—his 'heart is sore and heavy enough at this moment —but he knows a frightened, hysterical girl can ■only be managed by cool indifference. No one but herself can juess now she has longed for the touch of Captain Northeote's hand. Aβ that 'hand glides away coldly from her shoulder, her head sinks lower on her arms, and a sense of -loss and loneliness runs through her veins. Then she grows angry with her- - self and ashamed, and 'tears stand on her "-long lashes.-as she raises .'her eyes, and sice his "co-ol ease," his grace, his maTked indifference of aspect.

She rises to her feet, and by a supreme effort calms herself. "I am only a poor girl, Captain North- - sote, J , , l !*! J on S&FdtyP'fZb I h .°? e . : you: will' excuse mc : for having troubled you. if think you are right, and I will ;• i to ;Mr, Willoughby, as you advise." '•Just as you please, Reed. But hand mc the newspapers before you go, will you'; They are on that desk." This is too.crtiel. The girl's lip is quivering and her "hand; trembling as she lays the papers .before him, and Ac can . scarcely hold back her bitter tears. He ~ ■ eees this with half a glance, and his own eyes' smile. He keeps quite silent. "Why do you callr&ie Reed?" she says, passionately. "I will not .bear it. You always said Celia when I was a little child. Wiy not call mc that still?" "If you are my friend, you are Celia; if you 'keep your place,' as you call it, and will not "be a friend, I..shall keep mine, and ealLjrou Jleed. Why should 1 make any difference'in that" case between you and the^others?" ; ■ —• ■ ';* "There'is •&-difference,"; ehe- persisted, .'efcilLmore passionately. "I am .the liouse-"_nSepEi?sraaughteE.-3 -haye : 4ived-α-t- Wil- " aoughbjCever since I-was-jborn.- We ha-ve _.play:.ed .together as boy and girl. You cannot treat mc as you the others; you 'have no right to do it." "I have the right, but not the wish. You can choose yourself whether you •Will'-be— Recdrthe eraid, or Celia, the friend." . The girl's heart beat rapidly; elie was full of grief, full of love,..fuil of longing lor a caressing word.- She.had fought so lon» against this ill-placed affection, she •had passed him by so often without a word or a look—she who hungered and thirsted -for his very shadow; she had -"-suiTered- and wrestled, . and been con-que-red,--and now. she was weary, and her strength was spent. . "I Tvill be your friend," she said sob.bingly, "if you will let., mc." ~, . ~" "If--I will let:you/' repeated Captain NorthcoEe, as" with "soft, insinuating hand lie drew her toward him closer and closer still till their lips touched. Her heart ©yooned within her at tha Ids's, and she trembled with terror at hEr_ own- joy. All-the passionate anger and misery of her love through the hope-les-S'-years, when she had beaten it down and' hated it, passed a way "in this wave oj-mingled-fiery-Miss andiear. "We must try to be true fn-ends, Celia," whispered Captain Horthcote, in his most caressing voice. "Promise you will stand by me,-as. I_wilL by you,-, till death comes between US"."". '. ".. ..' ". "I promise," she gasped, and she looked „..-into-his..ey£s,.e.age:rly for the great pas""■"eioriate love , -which ■burned in her own. It -was not there—it never would be there."She saw only what she would not xecognise-4he cold,"hard glitter of tri' —■umph, the-cruel smile of-power. But he i could hide these in the music of sweet - -words, -and 'the fascination of rose-leaf touches* and .beneath the spell of these she was' bewildered and madly happy. -"-Now, tell, mc all" you. have in your heart I see-it is full"to the brim," he eaid, soothingly, as. though he were epeaking to a: frightened child. ■ « ». "..If needed but this question to gain the "-, ihasfcry- of/her long,seeret,-hopeles3 love, "_and Captain Northcote, as .he listened, •Knew .he" had won a devoted slave who iwotild . do his bidding, were it evil or

good. "Surely there is nothing to grieve for," lie said, as with broken words and tears she finished her sorrowful confession. "You shall never repent of having given 3ne your love and confidence, Celia, and I will 'be your true friend through life." He said this sincerely; for one fleeting moment the girl's love ennobled him, and lie 'believed in himself. "Yes, -we will be friends," she answered, '. drawing back from his caressing arm. " "There cannot be any real love .between j-ou and mc, Captain Northcote. I am . iweak and wicked to think so. Let mc go while I have strength to say good-bye." "STou are not going?" exclaimed her poo , . - idol, returning to his true self once more. "You have told mc nothing yet. I do not even know why you wanted to tee Mr. Willoughby. Is this the way you 'keep your promise of friendship?" | His" arm was around her once more, i ami his lips touched hers again. I •This is not friendship," she cried. tremblingly, as she drew herself from ]-.\~ embrace. "1 must go! I will goi line I shall keep my promise to be _your friend, Captain Xortlicote. I will, indeed! 1 found this letteT in the folds of Ln.dy Alexia's shawl. It is torn right across", but it is still easy to read. I know I ought to have given it to Mr. Willoughby, but one word from you, one touch of yours, stopped mti even when I ■*ras at the library door. Oh, how hard it is to do one's duty!" "Your duty now is to stand by mc, end help mc always," he in ; — ft— «!.cru voice. -- ZZ " was! J£ea3lr\ pale, and the. hand ~" "which" hVkept pressed down on the torn letter on the table troarbied visibly.

" I looked for this," he hoarsely murmured. "I stole into the room the night she died t and searched all about and round the bed. It was horrible! I thought her eyes watched mc all the time. I oould find the letter nowhere. I fancied then she bad destroyed it. Where was it? Where had she hidden it?" "I have told you. I found it within the folds of her shawl," Celia said, with frightened eyes fixed on his white face. "And this was all you found?" "Yes," she tremblingly answered. " You had better tell mc the truth," he continued hurriedly, his voice very low, but strangely threatening and resolute. " See, here, Celia, if ever you deceive mc, you will bitterly repent it. I will hate you then as much as I ?nve you now!" His disengaged hand grasped her wrist, and. he drew her close against his side in a strange mingling of anger and passion, which both subdned and fascinated her. " I found nothing else, so help mc, Heaven!" she said, clasping her hands together on his shoulder. " There ■was a little book beneath the pillow, but you took that away yourself." " And there Was nothing in that of importance," he answered. " Now help mc to hold this. I can't see the words," ho hoarsely added. "Wait a moment, and I will sew the fragments together," said Celia. And taking a needlebook from her pocket, she accomplished this task deftly. The letter was whole again now, and easily decipherable, yet he read it vary slowly, and with ■ a white shadow creeping from chin to brow till his face was like a dead man's. "Am I right? Would the letter have harmed you?" asked Celia, in an eager whisper. "Harmed mc?" repeated Captain Northcote staring into her face with an odd, blank look. "Yes—l don't know—it might ruin mc! It was well 1 stopped you at the library door. Do you know who wrote it?" " N0, ,, she answered and her black eyes, full of fear, blazed into his in an agony ofjove and terror. "It is from Fleetivood—the man now lying in Wrangham jail." "Oh, Heaven!" Celia moaned forth, "what have I done? ilr. Willoug'nby is a magistrate. I ought to have given him the letter."

"Ought you?" he answered, crushing it in his hand. " I see you are well named Reed; your affection is not worth a straw. You are sorry already for such a poor bit of friendship as this." " No, I am not sorry," she eriecT, " although I know I have done wrong." " You have done right—that is, if you care for mc. Do you caret" he asked in a low passionate voice. Her eyes answered him; they looked like two lost spirits which burned, yet loved.

He saw his power, 'and used it selfishly. All Ms feelings, thoughts, fears, were at this moment concentrated on himself; no touch of pity for her moved hiai as he drew her to his side and laid a cruel kiss upon her lips.

"If you repent," he whispered, "it is not too late to turn back. You can still go to my stepfather and tell him of the existence of this letter. Then, of course, he will ask mc why my mother corresponded with Fleetwood, and if I answer him, lam ruined! But that is nothing. Do it if you repent."

"No—no!" the girl cried, clinging to him with both hands. " I repent of nothing Ido for you! I cannot understand what I have done in giving you trie letter, but I do not repent it." A thought passed swiftly through Northeote's mind—a thought on which he acted. It 'would be well to frighten her, and make her look on herself as guilty. There is nothing so secret as guilt. ; " Look here," he said, with a short ' laugh, " it is fair you should understand what you have done —what we are doing, if you like that expression better. We are withholding evidence — that's the simple fact. If you had put the letter in my stepfather's hands, he, as a magistrate, must have sent it on to the authorities, and certain inquiries would be made, which ——" He stopped and laughed again, a shorter, harder laugh than the first. Celia Beed, confused and troubled, kept her eyes fixed on Mm in a bewildered way. "Do you mean the letter would prove anything against Fleet wood?" she asked, in a troubled voice. "Against him? No," and he laughed loudly this time. • The girl looked in his face for one single instant; then a ghastly whiteness overspread her own, and falling into a chair, she uttered a low shriek and fainted. (To be continued daily.)