AT BEAUTY'S BAR

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 270, 14 November 1910, Page 10

AT BEAUTY'S BAR

BY ROGER K. WENLEIGH.

CHAPTER XXXL—(Continued.) "Do -yon. know where Frank is now?"' I'tfho said. * . .'J: "You may know; I don't," lie answered. "I haaded him over his mother' 3 little fortune, through my lawyer, Hunger—lie would not accept a. penny from me—and our business since has been ..arranged through him. He has never Twritten mc a line—too proud, I suppose. iWell, perhaps I deserve it." " "While Lady Alexia lived you did deServe it," she returned. "While you put your stepson in your son's place you could not expect liim to plead his own cause." ■ The old squire did not defend ihfan•elf. He looked at her wistfully. "But Algy and I have quarrelled, and he is gone; and now I see at last with a clear eye what a noble mother my boy •had. By heavens! I'll have him back— ah, and I'll establish his good name again before all the ■world." "Hurraii!" cried Miss Manwaring. •'Thank Heaven!" •And, giving way quite suddenly, she hid her face in her email black silk apron and cried. The squire sat, with clasped hands and agitated face, staring *t her, and not uttering a word. ; "1 am not crying," said Miss Manwaring. "I—l'm so glad to see you in ■your right senses at last, that's all." "It will be rather like the atory of the prodigal sou reversed, won't it?" reeumed the squire. "That is if the boy can forgive the poor Minded old father, rwho is not worthy "

He never finished the sentence, for Miss Man waring started up and amazed him Iby putting both her arms round his neck and closing his lips with her hands.

"You are not to utter another ■word!" ehe cried. "Do you think I'm going to sit still to have my heart broken?"

The squire kiseed her hand then and there with great satisfaction.

"I see it is all settled now, and you'll go with mc."

Miss Manwaring tried to interrupt him as he said this, but, since tears would come, she only choked, and had to let Jijtti continue.

"Yes; I've had this on my mind a long while," said the squire, successfully overcoming her resistance, and planting her ibony figure triumphantly on his knee; "but I would not say a word till I was convinced Algy was a scamp. Poisoning your dog and my hounds would be proof enough to any jury of gentlemen under the sun; and 1 am more grieved than I can say that he has persuaded Minnie-;—"

■ "No, no!" cried Miss Manwaring, still struggling -with tears, and still striving vainly to free herself from her absurd position. "To promise to maTry him," continued the squire, "and I said to myself, 'Now is my time to go to that dear, comical, good, capital woman andsay, "My rascal of a stepson has taken away your child, but I offer you mine—the poor, motherless lad whose sore heart you so often soothed in the old time, when he come to you from his sad home for comfort."' There, you can't resist my appeal if you are the woman I think, you."

" Here the squire stooped and kissed Miss Manwaring in a hearty way, while she, being past resistance, sat quietly on liis-knee,--crying- her-cry out, and apparently biding her time to bring the old gentleman back to reason.

"You see," continued the squire calmly, "we can go together in search of Frank; then if I can't persuade him to return home, you will. You can remind him of the time when he was a boy, and you were good as a mother to him. He'll listen' to you, and we three will come back to Willoughiby in peace, and make a home of the old place for him at last, and I hope he'll foe comforted for this blow about "

"Goodness gracious mc!" cried Miss Manwaring, taking the squire's/head between her hands, and holding it tightly, for he was making demonstrations toward another kiss. "Will you never believe that Minnie is as safe from Algy 'Northcote's clutches as I am? Even if it were true, would you induce mc in gratitude to make a ridiculous old fool of myself, whether I will or no?"

"Not at all," said the squire; "you'll never be a fool, do what you will."

"Now listen," returned Mise Manwaring, skipping from her perch in an unguarded moment, while,the hearty old gentleman was smoothing his mffled locks. "You are bothering mc to marry you because you believe your stepson; ihas (broken up my happiness, and your absurd' old head can strike out no other idea of consolation; but if I prove to you that Minnie -won't run away with Algy, and if I get your son home again without so desperate a plan as becoming his stepmother,- will you leave mc alone in peace? And will-you be content with Frank and Prank's wife at Willough'by, without wanting a wife of your own? I declare I won't get Frank back to put another stepmother over : him. You can always come up here when you want to •be 'henpecked or worried."

"I -.assure you solemnly," said the equire, who was rubbing his knee with a wistful air, "I will marry no woman if you will not have mc. I have known you long enough to know your worth. Do you think I would marry a stranger, or run after kittens who would be counting the years .till the old man should die? No, no; it is true I offer you a home, thinking your own will soon be desolate; tout, if I am mistaken, and you ihave no need of your old' friend, depend on it, whether his son returns to him or Dfffc, his heart, shall be a solitary one for the few yeare of life still left to ■him." Miss Manwaring , , as he spoke, looked at him with moist eyes, and felt she'd like much to perch herself on his knee again. "But it won't do," she said to herself. "It never doee for a woman to comfort these men; they malce love to her if she does." So she put on a severe and proper aspect, and .told him "not to talk nonsense. "Let us 'turn to business," she said. "We'll soon have your wanderer home again if you'll only order Hunter 'to ferret out the proper evidence to clear his name." "Ah, there's the difficulty. Fleetwood is dead, and the other rascal is mostlikely hanged by this 'time." "That remaine to foe proved. Hunter will find him, alive or dead, if you set him to work." "I'll promise you I'll do that at once." And saying this, the squire rose, yet still lingered, and, rubbing his hat round and round with his broad hand, he said, with a wistful look: "I see, if Algy'e 'boast is false, I have not the ghost of a chance with you." But here his generous feelings prevailed,

Author of "Friends and Rivals," "An Irresistible Temptation," "A. Prolonged Truce," etc.

and he added quickly: "Well, tell Minnie from mc thaft she has- any consent to -marry, whomsoever she' pleases, if ehe will only refuse Algy." "Will you adhere to that?" asked Miss Manwaring, a curious smile flitting , over her face. "If so, put it dn writing. I like things in black and white." "Write it out, then, and I'll eign it," said the squire, laughingly. 60 Miss Manwaring wrote quickly: - "My Darling Minnie, —If you refuse Captain Northcote, you have my permission to marry whom you please, and Mr. Willoughby adds his consent to mine, in token whereof we both append our signatures to this document." ■ "Well, I hope this will do Minnie good," observed the squire, as he signed •his name. "You don't mystify mc much, you know, by this " But here he stopped, for Miss Brown entered the room abruptly. "Isn't tea ready yet?" she said. And then she simpered and stared at the squire, who stood twirling his hat round and looking as horribly conscious ac if Miss Manwaring had left a photograph of her waist on hie coat sleeve. That lady, however, severe and proper in aspect as ever, answered Miss Brown with all the serenity of a clear conscience : "You really should have come down earlier, Miss Brown. It is quite late for tea now. Please ring for it." The squire smiled over these words as he rode away. CHAPTER XXXII. "Well," remarked Joseph, opening his eyes to their widest extent, "tnax's a boy no older than mc, that is! That's a boy that wore charity knickerbockers a year or two ago, and asked mc to lend him a ha'penny, which he never paid, and now —now I really see him a-kissin' his hand to my young missus." This soliloquy was called forth by the apparition of a figure vanishing among the gloom of trees in the gloaming, and waving a hand to Minnie .in adieu, as sne was standing on the west terrace, and the dim figure had evidently come from the same direction.

Joseph's active mind, immediately Tushed to the conclusion that Ms quondam friend, Mr. Antony Cridge, had again availed himself of the capabilities of the old elm to take a surreptitious view of Miss Penrberton in her walk, and that it was he who, under cover of the twilight, was now waving hie admiration toward her in a daring and open manner.

,r Wbtever missus left mc here for in this 'siponsorable situation I can't tell," continued Joseph to himself. "Am I fit to be garjun to a young lady? I wish Miss Brown was here in my tight livery this minute —I do. Or missus herself—, that -would be better still, and teach her besides not to cramp in a boy's feelin's in a jacket as is bu'stin with excitement. I've got too much put upon mc —that's the truth. I'm only a boy—a boy forbid to grow, with his clothes that tight that his feelin's bust through the seams if he only gives way an inch, and I do think it hard that a fellow like Tony Cridge should try 'em that much that I feels like expl-odin'. Well, dooty is dooty, and I'll do mine if I has to go down i-n a diving bell to do it, which I consider speaking to Lady Margaret is -worse of the two. But this sort of thing can't go on, and I speaks to her, or I licke Tony Cridge, big as h-e is, within an inch of his ugly life."

And so saying, Joseph broke into a whistle, and "continued his walk across the park with a thougntful and manly air.

Meanwhile, Minnie Pemberton returned to the house and stole draw-ing-room in' a silent and unobtrusive way, as if she hoped tv escape notice.

But Lady Margaret's senses were too acute for this.

"So j'ou have come in at last from your stroll?" she said. "Your walks grow longer and longer evefy evening, Minnie, except when your cousin Algy is here; them I notice you are "content to bear mc company, and you always refuse a stroll in the garden, no matter now lovely the evening may be."

Minnie blushed vividly, and turned uneasily from the keen eyes regarding her.

It was true that on the occasion of Algernon's visits she always carefully avoided the garden, fearing that even at some unexpected time her lover might ■have ventured within its precincts in the hope of seeing her.

Often this fear had led to some little coquetry on her part, some more than -wonted civility to Algy, as, by means of a song, or a game of draughts, or some other feminine device, she' induced him to forego his intended stroll and cigar m the grounds.

"You puzzle mc," continued Lady Margaret, after waiting a moment for the answer which did not come. "You are so attentive -at times to Algy that I believe you love him,-and mean finally to accept him. At other times you are so hard and sharp with the poof fellow that I believe you hate "him. Now, which is it, Minnie?" "Neither," said Minnie quietly. "Now, my dear, don't tell mc that, because I have no faith in such a negative regard. And, besides, here are little notes and messages arriving in n sweet shower every day, and apparently always receiving a gracious welcome."

True again. And what could Minnie say in answer without divulging the fact that the same messenger who brought Algy's notes brought other and dearer ones?

"One is always glad to have little attentions from a cousin," said Minnie, with an embarrassed laugh.

"But that, is hardly fair to Algy. He is not thinking of you ac a cousin, my dear. I "will do him justice. He really loves you. I will not say he does not care for your money. Such a fortune as yours might tempt any man. But I will say that his love is genuine, and has lasted long, and caused him much

pain." "You are always his advocate," returned Minnie, "and you put him in his best light. For my part, I can never believe in Algy.caring for any human ■being but himself." "You do him great injustice, then. 1 understand .him better than you. I know his nature has been warped and ■twisted into evil by the great wrong done him by his father. Yes, and by his mother, too; but I believe if he were blessed with a good woman's love it would cleanee his heart from the sense of bitterness that has -weighed on it so long, and his heart would growfresh, and pure, and young again!•., Give him happiness, Minnie, and a thousand

virtues would spring Tip in him that hitherto have had do room! to shoot forth."

Did Lady Margaret really believe this, or was she endeavouring to deceive herself "with, a,,jner.e h.ope—a hope iwhich ■was the excuse to iher own heart for the ■help she ihad promised to her nephew? She did not -wait for Minnie's reply, but went on in that sort of monologue people use when they are setting down extenuating facts in their own behalf. " "You see, my dear, I own there are .qualities I don't like in Algy, but, then, I have made allowances for him. and pitied him ever since he was a boy—• teircumstances have been so hard on ■him. I am sure you can make him a good man, co you liave my consent to take him." "Thank you," said Minnie, with a light laugh. "I am afraid he/won't suit mc, grandmamma," The old lady's piercing eyes again regarded her -with a puzzled look. "Mind, my dear, I am his advocate if you love &a —only if you love him. But, frankly, I must say I consider him the most fitting husband for you —the only suitor. among your admirerg •whom you should take. There, you need not colour up so angrily, or say a word. I know all about it. Your firet lover is irretrievably ruined in name and fame — an outcast, discarded fry his family, and ■without a place in society. So he is out of the question; while this otheT man, who is really good-hearted and •honest, is beneath you in .position,' and has, besides " "Don't say a word against Mr. Moberly," interrupted Minnie, "for he ie a great friend of mine, though I don't want to marry him, and he does not want to marry mc." "Well, I'm glad to hear it, for, knowing what your airnt does about his family connections, I consider her inexcusable in having encouraged 'him. It was to save you from such a frightful marriage I asked you here." "Thank you again," said Minnie in an amused tone, "but I assure you I ■was never in danger of marrying Sebastian." She answered lightly, fearing in fact, to take all this in a serious mood, lest it should lead to serious questioning. "And young WiHoughby, as I reminded you ibefore, is out of the question," continued Lady Margaret; "so really, my dear, I do not see why you should not take -AJgy—a man of your own rank, connected with you on your mother's side, and devotedly attached to you." "My dear granny, your own eyes and mine are' not alike. We see quite differently," returned Minnie in the same light tone. "If you do not care for your cousin, why not banish him 1 Why encourage him, as you do, by accepting all his letters and attentions?" asked the old lady, in a very logical voice. (To be continued daily.)