AT BEAUTY'S BAR

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 272, 16 November 1910, Page 10

AT BEAUTY'S BAR

BY ROGER K. WENLEIGH.

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

CHAPTER XXXIII. I which he spoke, in -which some miserA rick room in which Diana's step, firm a oh? and unknown felon had dded, who Te: .-oft. -and Diana's voice, low and clear,! called himself .by 'her name. la torturbrins.' with them a sense of soothing com-1 m S doubt, with the words, "Brother! for;. The window i* wide -open, but the ' Brother:"' ever surging up through her snowy .-.irtauj. partially drawn, excludes ■ si"k pain, she saw, through all her lovthr '.:■' briihi sun. \Vithout, th" trees ! ing care for the sick man, a continual way.- a;:d the shadows play, and from i vision of this haggard prisoner cowering t-h- Rills comes t-he music of many ■ in his cell, and hiding his .face from her sniuid.—:hp cail <<i the reapers across. with his hands lest s-he should call his t!ie:r pn'den harvest, tiie -shout of the na-:no aio.id in agony. yj.-.'"i!-rs bearing the bound' J'"' P'"' r,r vagabond she tended scarcely s-iu'.ivi-. the plaint'ivv civ o: iratti. , ual hecdcJ her, burs lost in his own tiu- sl : ;:_' of bird.-, ai: bU-nding in h.irmony though:- as she laid fresh, cooling band-■w'-h th~f "loriiiH ru-i '•! :ny nc-a upon • a ? rs °" ' ] ' s brow. v ,. sounding siiure. Wlibin, the heavy' "Carriage: How could I ihave a quir;. the- -:l:rv -:!enrc of hout and =ick- carriage? I tell you I was beggared by U'\--. sin , su'iprr-s-ej fear watciirrs,and that rr.iiror:" Then, changing his tone, liif faint muan oi th" .-i.'k man un his; he cried out, not loudly, but in a voice of restle-s bed |angui*U: "Alke! Alice! I was going to

"Will you try t.» drink Lhis?' , «udj« Diana, ;eani:ii' over him kindly. o; Hi , nTicnfd his heavy eyes, and gazed at !r her iVJjIv. Fur many .'lays he had kill w wi'-hoai .-'t-nso of :-unVrin<r. but now there o: was a ehaii_v. an! ihe awakening brain tl hal broug'.r. itu-k tiie power io f«M. He 3< kept his eye? fix-.! Un Diana with a | strange look, then painfully they n.uider-js; ci round ti.e ro.im slowly, returning to hi-T ia-'f o- ::' K<*«'i i:hen he closoU tlif-n. aa-i [■.:'. nis Sund on his biadaged D tow. . '-= "Dri\i~-. a.'i ho mutrercd. h It n.i.- ih" iirsl lime be had gjve -.n indistinc: murmurs, a-ni Diana & etaned a: ;hs tone a:id clearness of his ■words, which had a ring of reason never n ye; heard in the poor wanderer's speech. £■ He did r.-t herd her now, but moaned, ■with ryes siil! dosed and quivering fingers w pressed on his wounded forehead. "Will joii drink this?" said Diana s agTin. mor» softly, "it will do you good; it i , - cooling." H- , rt-artod at her voice, and, opening hi-3 eyes whli a heavy >igh. he seized her ■wrist and drew her lace nearer to him. Diana was somewhat frightened, but .. Eh f stood calm and Still. . t "I thought I was dreaming," he said, t b?. relinquishing his grasp, his relaxed fingers, with their old quiver of pain, q fell back en his wounded brow. Ilia lips s movci ;us if to speak again, bin some t sharp agony caught at his breath, stoppins his word? as they rose. v Diana leaned over him in pity, puttfcg v the cool draft to his lips. He drank a r few drops, jr.izing at her the while in the same bewildered way. bur c-iosing his eyes I again instantly a≤ ii to shut out some l painful sight. Att-er a little silenc-e he ?pnlce again. '•} nil nn very kind." he said, with a nervous nuivi-r of the lip. "1 do not de- s serve it." From t!ie feverish eyes there cre|it tremblins hut tear.-, which Ml upon Uis [ hollow tiieok. a.~. turr.itig to conceal them. ' he hid his face from view. Then there ' was silence ligain. for Diana, respecting hi> grief and uncertain as to his return , of reason, would not disturb the current ' 01 his thronging memories Dy a word. So not a sound broke in upon his busy thnughn: gave the twitter of . the rustle of a honeysuckle bough, that beat soft time upon the windowpane to the music of the summer sea. Silently, and without a sob, his emotion ceased, while Diami. with her head turned away, saw. hs. though she saw not, that while brushing his wet cheek with th'.n fingers, he was regarding her furtively, shading his eyes with vis hand. "Why do you not spoak to mc?" he said suddenly, in a weak voice. "I feared you could not bear talking." she answered. "This is not home," he continued, as his heavy eyes gazed wearily round the room. "How did i get here?' . He put his hand to his head and sighed. "It hurts mc to think. 1 can remember nothing."' "Do not try to remember," said Diana kindly. "I will explain it all when you are b<?tter."' But she drew back in alarm as a look of horror sprang suddenly into those heavy ej-es, and he called -out witi a sharp cry: "1 remember now!—Alice—Fleet'.vood —alii It. was after her death I first felt pain here.' . He pressed his liana | on his forehead. "It was yesterday— wasn't it yesterday?—l s:oo<I face to -face wirh that villain at his trial. And. do you know" —here he looked at Diana— ''do you know he called himself Moberlyr* The blood rushed to Diana's face in a tide of fear and pain, and she bsgan to tremble, bnt i-he remembered S:'bjstian's •warning, and rrsolved not to be terrorstricken by a few delirious words. "Hush. hii«h! Do not excite yourself.'" she said gently, her pale lips making her ■words faint and low. ''Do you know he killed himself in prison?"' risked the man in a ghastly ■whisper. "I taw him dead. I bribed one of the warders at the jail, a-nd went and looked at him. I noted his hand — the hand tint struck down Alice. To see it then >o cold and powerless one ■would noi have thought it had done such a. cruel died. 1 told you of Alice, didn't I? the was to have been my ■wife, and he stole her away and killed her!' , "Yes. yr>. you told me."' answered Diana, soothingly, and her white !ips ehook. "Do not speak of these thing* BOW.' , "Not speak of them!"' They run in ray reins a.nd hide in my heart; silence does not quench their burning. And he dedared his name wa-s not Fleetwood, but Moiberly— he said it to many people. What do you think of that?" Again Diana, trembled, and her face gTew death-white, and a.gaJn she strove to reassure herself by the thought that ie was raving. "He was very wicked." she said. Her rmc mounded strangely far off ajid holiow. "Do not think of him."' "Is that aJI you say?" asked the Bufferer in a sort of fierceness. "Are not you called Hobprly? Do you care no more for your name than that? Tiirak oi the disgrac-p—a murderer —a felon! And hn had been my friend. It iva? throug'n mc he knew" Alice. Oh. 1 U-Il you. it drove mc mad!" Fotgetting his crushed head, he flung it outward violently, th-n drew it back with, a cry of psin. . T.."" 1 " 11 mil=L n&: e - ert that hand," Duna, striving bravely to ma ke her •white Ups speak w Hh kindness " Th* ! ■Mh*!, you know, crushed it " I «« carried away t Q that h ~ 0 \

■o ivherc they had laid thee! I hoped i that grave to die in peace. But even . tifatii I shall not be near thee! I as on foot, and weary, but I wandered i and on till a voice told me —was it lino': —to turn a.side to Hyloote and vk "' He stopped suddenly, the old wildness iringing into his eyes. "Who i= that below?" he said. I: i> no one you need fear," returned iana ii: her sweet, soothing voice. "It the doctor. I will go and speak to Un.'' Slw wa; glad to escape, and she hurried Dwnstairs with a swift step. TLp doctor was sitting in Mrs. Viney's little shop among the odour of jap and candles. ■■\VeJ:f he said, as Diana came forari. "He is better. He has spoken senib.'y." "'Ah.' , returned the doctor, much in-Te.-w\L "1 have kn-own instances here a violent chock has restored the rain to its balance.' , "But I do not think that is the case ere,' , Diana, with a shudder. I am sure he still wanders, -though here is a great change in him, cerlinly." •■"There is method in his madness,'" noted the doctor cheerful!}'. "Well, we hall -~eo. Will you wait here while I go' o him?" ••Yes,' , said Diana unwillingly, for her en- heart was sick within her, and she .as loaging for the shelter of her own onm. "Do fit down, miss,"' said Mrs Vinney, resenting the only chair she kept for her ustomers. "You look worn out, and he candle box will do for the doctor when c comes down. ln ten minutes this gentleman pre?ntod himself again in quite a happy aood. "It is a successful case," he said, nib•ins his hands. "He is much better, and i ,s reasonable as you and I, my dear Miss doberly. It is a most interesting instance if a shock and concussion changing " . But here the doctor suddenly stopped, or Diana, after wildly staring at him a noment. slowly let her head sink on the :lbo\v of the chair, and fainted. my soul!" cried the doctor. •What's this*?" "It's worn-. And I said yesterday this ivouid happen, if not said Mrs Vinney triumphantly, "lknow whathe is to tnke carp of; he's worse than twins on ;i woman's miad. Go and fetch Miss Arabella, and don't stand staring there This*"last to her red-haired daughter, Matilda, who itocd aghast, licking her £ngers, which were streaked with moias;e». Aided by a push in the back, this j'ouug lady now shot herself out of the doer, and v.'ent down the village street at full speed. She soon returned with the kindly Arabella in a dumb state ol wonderment, who, finding Diana suffi-ci-sntly recovered, took her home, refraiung from questions on the way, and put her quietly into her bed. "Xo more nursing of lunatics for the ■iresent," she said to herself as she closed the door with a soft hand. "I'll take care she don't go near him for a week." Left to herself, Diana feverishly re:alled each word and look of the poor wanderer. If the doctor was right—and !:e had vouched for his reason —then he hud spoken of actual facts, and the man he called Fleet wood. Oh, heavens'. Who .vas ;his man? What was his real name? Turning deathly cold, Diana clasped aev hands in terror, and all her thoughts shrank away from the horrible suspicion that tortured her. Then again she faced it. and shaped her terrible fear into words, and prayed in agony that she find her brother in any way but .hi?. Drowned, wrecked, dead, if it so pleased Heaven, but not in this ghastly form, in a felon's dress, and hidden in a prison grave! prayed with wrung hands, with dry ryes, and with a cold and shapeless horror hovering over her which seemed to drive, her broken words back again upon her own heart. Exhausted at last, she flung her arms above her head, and, shivering and tearless, dropped into a = ound sleej). (To be continued daily.)