LADY LIL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 154, 30 June 1913, Page 10

LADY LIL.

By ARTHtTR APPLIN. Author of "TJic Chorus Girl,' , "The Girl Who Saved Bis Honour," "The Stage Door," etc, etc.

Sensational Story of ct Society Bea-aty A RO3IANCE OF LOVE AND THE SALVATION ARMY.

Author of "The Chorus Girl" "The Girl Who Saved Bis Honour," "The Stage Door," etc, etc.

CHAPTER VI. — (Continued.l Tn the next room a man lay who a few moments ago iiad been within an ace. of death. Savage i-culd have killed him. and plrad-cd eelf-defeuce. Even now his life was in Joe Savage's hand*. And he knew if fee were merciful he would tak>- a. Merer! He =T" T oik the word. [t had no meaning for Sir Rupert Roper, alia? Oeorjre Crawford: i: should have none for him. There could be no mistakinfr f"ne cvprassion on Jjidy L£Fs face. w'm»n he had'told her that her husband, ■xonl.i *rvo*rr. Not relief, but abject | terror. And again a dreadful little laogh escape,; Joe Kavasf"? Irps. did not know -qrh.it ?hf had to tear yet- He would leivp to teach her fhat. and. if he cb-.'TSP. protect her from it. He rose and across the room: io the mantelshelf, abovp whi<Si a large mirror was sEFpraded. And he looked at the' renertioa oi his gnarled and knotted jeaiurps- the upper part of bis ungainly body. And then he raised his right arm and looted at tbe stamp, and again he swnr»" an oarh he had first sworn in a framing African jnnjde fifteen years

before. Mercy? \'o man or woman should know nrercy from him until Sir Rupert Boper ha*i paid hi* debt to him in full. ■And. in order to pay. he mnst live. One cannot torture the dead. Limping back, to tJie bureau, he wrote out a telegram, which he addressed to Peter Allen, and signed with Sir Rupert's name. Before going downstairs to the lounge lie knocked at Roper's door and beckoned to Lady Lil. "YouTl not be afraid to be left alone with your husband for a few minutes?" She looked at him in silence, as if to try and read his thoughts. t!he understood nothing now- What had happened was like a ghastly nightmare; sne only remembered a sudden and reasonless straggle. Her husband and this man lighting lLke wild beasts. Terrible tnintix said and impli^.

And now it was all over. Nothing eeemed real. Not herself, nor her husband, nor her marriage. ■■What have 1 to fear?" The simplicity of the question, ils directness, startled iSavage. "Nothing—tor the present," he repKed. "A doctor will be here in a few minutes. I will explain to him before I bring him np." ~Whai are you going to tell Mm! , Lookinu at this girl, this bride of a few hours. .Savage wondered it he would ever feel pity in his heart again. All lie felt now was interest, curiosity. The interest and curiosity a vivisertor experiences when, knife in hand, lie looks at hi- helpless victim. •You must trust mc." he croaked. "You are a stranger: i don't know yon." "Nevertheless yon mnst trnst mc. fiO b-if-k Uj jour husband. He can't harm T(JU —yet." With that he turned and limped from the room. Lady Lil watr-hed him go. She stood en the threshold of her husband's room. Joe lavage's word* echoed m her ears: "Go back to yonr husband : he can't harm

>be went -bark to the room. She stood beside th<= bed. Her husband, the man | =be loved, inio whose hands she had | smell her life, placed body and sonl —he lav ther? anietry. his eyes ckeed. bxeath•rxz deftly but regnlarfy. He lookeo? as if hi? were sleepma. Of couarse she had jiothing , to fear from him. Because a stranger, a imm defortaed | in mind anti body, unered foul, meaning- I ;pis a<*uiiHtiCUjns. vhre&tening him and j buickinailiiig him. fdioald she be mad •■noosh to Usten—to beEe-Pe? Fear be-j reft her of her smk«6. She knelt bytb* beusiiie. and laid hex fiajers on herj itiEtiaEff < forehead. >Ie tttmed nis. bead, opened his eyes, ac-i iocked ac hex. i She trembled when she saw the ex-| •resFion in his eyes. No longer fear; or rage or any violent emotion disturbed! their serenity. Their expresion w»s that of imroceoce. He looked' at her Ttonderiugiy. questioningry. tried to speak, but her Tips and no words issued from iixTn. She ■mfeht in iime biiag herself io beHere that tbe dreadful accusations -which; Joe Sounders had hnried at her hnsbandj ■were the fool vapoirrings of an unclean j miiKF-; lies and dreadful Imaginings. She might in time forget the way her husband had looked at this man and spoken to him. But she eonld never forget the dreadful incident, or that it happened on her wedding night.

oaresse;! her: They had been guilty of unmentioname crime?; unutterable torture-. Lady Li I bit her lir*= until they were the colour of the red roses which kissed her. She could not. she could not. believe it! For. if she did - believe, she would go mad with the horror of it. •' Hold up yoirr head, old girl, and look at mc. How long have we been here?" . She forced her eyes to meet hi?, praying thai in the twilight of the room he would not read her thoughts nor see her fears. She forced a laugh. In her own ears it seemed as -horrible a≤ the laugh o I -Toe lavage. "Why do you tease -mc, Rupert? You know we -arrived this afternoon—our wedding day." He pulled her closer, and. taking her left hand in his, he kissed it. But Lady Lil knew that he was looking at the gold ring glittering on the third finger of her left hand-Jur-x so she had looked at it a few hours ago—so gladly and proudly. Proud that it had united her to the man of her choice. Glad that it was typical of a union only death could sever.

vViiii a eudden movement she turned her back to the bed and brushed the tears fro-tn her eyes. "Come here: don't turn away." Rupert spoke gently. The old domineering voice to which she had grown accustomed when she was his fiancee, which she had learned both to love and fear, h-ad disappeared. '" 1 was only teasing you," he continued. He sat upright aaid put his feet t-o the ground before Lil could stop him. "Though 1 do feel a bit quee.r; everything seems sort of topsy-turvy in my head. 1 supposed I must have fainted. Come, wiiat 'happened ? We didn't quarrel: did w—m>t on our wedding night?" Lady Lil gl«.need anxiously towards the door. How was she to tell him? At any moment Joe Savage might return with the doctor; perhaps he would remember then. >She almost wished he would remember, so that she might question him—and hear his denial! He woul.i have to deny everything that hod been said or implied. "" Why. you are trembling, little one! What is it?"

Ho roso to his fcpt. and before she codd escape he caught her in hia α-rms. At the samp moment she heard the door of tlie sitting-room open and close. Joe Savage had returned—her protector and her husband"s accuser! " Lpt mc go!' , .she cried, trying to push him away. " Rupert, you must lie down again: you must keep quite quiet. 1 sent for the doctor: he is coming."' Rupert laughed and held her closer. " I'm all right now." As she spoke then- was a gentle rap at the door. It almost instantly opened. Lady Lil stood almost on tip-toe right in front of her husband, trying to shield ■him from the sight of the person who entered. She didn'~t dare look herself. A moment liter ehe heard Joe Savage's v-orce:— "Tie doctor has arrived. Lady Lilian. Shall I ask him to come up?" "" Yes. please." , she TepHed quickly, without turning her head. " Wait in the sitting-room; I will see him there." The door closed. She drew a deep bretell, TTyin°r to force Rupert back on to the bed. But she was afraid to look at him now. terrified less perhaps he should see. lest he had heard and recognised tie voice of his accuser. He Bat down and. pat up his foot again, bnt h< , kept tight ijoid of 'Lady life ha3*d. "Who on earth was that felhe asked. with no -more than the faintest trace of surprise in his voice. "An ugy-looking beggaT ! And what is be doknr in oar rooms, Lil?" CHAPTER VII. Lady Lil "waited in the sitting-room for Joe Savage and the doctor. The atmosphere seemed suddenly insupportable. She pulled up tJie blind and tiling open the window, and. leaning out. took deep breaths of the sweet-scented air. Paris was ablaze now. and the seduci tree voice of Paris rose clearly from the lesfv boulevards and streets. The etar3, lost in the deep blue of the sky. ! did not shine «o vividly as the countless eyes of the street. i'rom the hill-s of Mantmartre and Mont Parnasse they gleamed a red welcome. Where the river whispered beneath its nine bridges the lamps twinkled like fire-flies in a forest, and threw into dull relief green trees and -white buildings.

No matter how deep her lore, how strong her faith, she knew shp would never persuade herself that it was merely a. dream, a dxeadfTtl nigitmaxe. Yet, as Kupert tamed his head and looked at tier, smiling:, shp instinctively felt that he had already forgotten. He spoke, and neither his voice nor his faf-r suggested that he had even dreamed. It was this which redoubled Lady Lil's fear, and made her tremble. iN'o man ten minutes after being engaged in a life-and-deatfh struggle could have looked at the helpless witness of the fight as her husband now looked at her!" •Halloa. Lil. old girl! What on earth tire you doing here';" The question liardly surprised her. The strange, child-like expression in his eves hud prepared her for it. Yet. while she demised herself for it. the question flashel through her mind: — "\Y;is he acting?" ••Don't wj remember? You fainted just now.' <he made a great effort to speak naturally. She saw his brows meet together in a puzzled frown. "You left roe an honr or two ago to go out ami do some shopping, and when you came Lack—" The frown deepened. Tie turned his head away and glanced across the room towards the dressing-table. A large box i'ood upon it. Rupert stretched out his hand towards it. "See what is in it, Lil."

She obeyed. Rising and crossing the room, she removed the lid, and a great rnaes of red roses met her gaze. 'She took them out, and carried them to the bedside. Rupert smiled. "'Oh. yes; I remember. I ordered those for yon. - ' She buried her farp in the scanted petals; she was afraid l<*st it betrayed her. And then ebe felt her huffoand etrnrlcitKT her hatr. And again she heard .loe Savage hurlins his terrfble accusations iicross the iook. .ju*— , . r—- &*~i Iwmds which

Paris locked more like a great garden of pleasure than a modern crty. Away on the left, beyond the Arc de Triomphe, a crescent moon was rising. Again Lady .Lil wondered if it were not. all a, dream. It w.- ■■■- wh t> nieht she had dreamt she •.»■ ' : : ; ' . i-i' in her husband's arm? ■ :... >.. .. ■_ standing beneath the s■ - • ... -,-i rh ,■■:■" :: wrapped safely and sf- • . i -,; 1.-, v.■. She Wretched out her -•■.- ij i~:ii-.<j\: to the 'heavens. Thei •• .rf'.V ,i. ; fr«Jtu the basement of the !■■. i ..i.ii'i". \' ;• .- music and laughter. Heaven was silent, I , ' •/ '.ox- .■■Ky on her wrth its milli' ■ ■ •-. She heard footstep ' ■. \--c- -, ■~'. dropping the blind, s: ■ ' 'rin. -v.,, :.;_.-. Just as Joe « ■■■ '' > ■-'■■. •» ■- :i tered the room. -Uγ. Duhardt—Lady \.''»:> ?.<>]■.■-." Ijady Lil bowed. Tl •'■ ■ i .', tall, bearded man. ■■•' ' ,■'•'■' "-' f-'" ';' eyes; long, thin, but 'H>w>Tf;.l hi..•:-.. f T r addressed her in Fγ ' ■ ■' '■■'• '■'"■■• '■■ ' vaguely relieved tha '■■ >".- ii:. '. Englis-hman. For si ■•-ni.; v.t ruh herself of the feeling .' ~'.v.,,< al a- , . 4. had happened, and o . ;: •' .vliat yet to come. Joe Savage limped . ;,:." y.-'w and laid his hand or '• * 1.-.-»i

'"I have explained i I»i T J'i'. ■ that Sir Rupert had Mitdl: and fainted. I told 1 '-" ;;- ' was responsible for ) ■-''.' ■ i. by talking over old '■.:■■■' i i.-. husband and I hadi ' i! ' >• 111 ; years, and had part i i ■<( i. i; ..i famstaiices." Ijady Lil found her-'-':' :ii!cin« t.V fully at Savage. Sh- •■*■ i-1 ' ■ him: she wanted to '< tin • liar: a blackmailer. fJni. '<* i • nlx-ii: everrthins. she had 'c .in; was ponerou*. He "is miikin" lliinj ea=T for her now. Sh- wa< n ■ t.rn-nj: in a strange.city, an.! "if-* , w.u n..t n oiher soul on whom si' , •" "I'd r. ; F fho —'-neat she was k bis power.

She h.iJ of everything —the Engli«D ConaiiJ, the Hritish Ambassador, iu.'.}uarntancei who ived in Paris. Until eh'- kai'-* t!.i truth she would not dare aiij.rixu-h uSe.m. -\hove all others she i'.'.nfd :•) r-voi.| ;..-.i;.l<» who would know ,- r?otuuly. '■> "i ■ aJy -her own honour, uuc her father's honour, was at stake. The thought of happiness she put aside. '" I would like to pee the patient at once."' Dr. Duhardt said. " I understand he has recovered consciousness and is feeling better."' L-ady Lil nodded. " Yes, indeed he seems guiLe himself again, perfectly normal with the exception of one thing. ?I She stopped with her hand on the handle of the door. Dr. Duhardt looked at her inquirinjrly. '" He seems to have forgotten the meeting—with this gentleman. There were other things he had forgotten, too—until I reminded him." I>r. Duhardt nodded. " May T pro in?" She opened the door, and a> the physician entere.l. looked at Ravage appealinjrly. '-' s face was still .1 mask, hiding all feelings of passions, of desires. A mask he had worn for many year?. Yet always to those who looked on it for ihe firs-t time it was terrible: or perhaps he had worn it so long that its teattiree had impressed themselves upon it. Like his body, it w-a-j withered and twisted—u-nnatnral. inhuman. " I will wait here."' he whispered, answerrng -her unspoken thought. '" If he rras forgotten mc, we will not remind him of my existence—yet." If there was a threat, it was in the bare word, not in his voice. (To Be continues daily.)

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