THE WAY OF A MAID.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 30, 5 February 1925, Page 14

THE WAY OF A MAID.

By CARLTON DAWE. -Im; i*|.,/ '•/.':, ronlr i.i /. »•!• •'. '•-■•-'">■ ;;■-• Thnn I - ',-".- r:,, : <h-i MarTin: \d\ i.s 1 i 1:1 \;' iMi: i>i..\-'" v I -,- ji- ~..,„ i, . ~!-'■ 1:11 - ii '"'■ ■ -,'.',:''" ..'-- ' Jc'cll. '.- '•':'• l'" ! ' " '- ' ;- ■ , ... 1...1 I ~-:- .. . a .rrl.i'.n -nuUv , ti.l'ill': i;.' l"-n-l r.l'.'rll.. ":i; !!'«; '-■» ! »,-'.'. ' v ■ i:-" 1-!.; ' i- '■■•" i' 1 '"-- '""'" I ~.,,: _ ~■■■ ;.,.. .: wil 1 him. I'"' 1 " j . ~,• ~-:.' ■ ■ |.;.i\ ;'.-• in. ,m--|»i.-ii.*ii- I ~ |~,. v ..11'. I -he i'\i'!- ri'iill.v i-iii-i' l'"r !,;,,.. ~,,-,. > t 1,-,;,- iim-rly al fault v W,. ~ a,.111.m in !»' '.Mill I.v waiun.? uf,,.,, :'" u.i- ii,.-lim-,l n. doul.i. V.l in :,:- ma.iin".' In- iin.l -*d ""' to ,•<„.- , .;, : ;;: w I- iti- nit'lll'iil. i"l'l i w;1 - ---:,., ;.,•,. • 1 iiir.'i* it mnv. '.rin* *. i-"-,- -- . ~.-.mil ,i,lMH'iitiiil hv Uriii iniuiir I.M-ii.'.vll'lM' -lUl'.''*.lf.l l.i'tti'l-: li 1.M11.l ,„„ !,„'■,.. ,!.,„.' vol--.'. ii.l liis <l''-ii'' in. ;.. ,'..nnnlii*-i'il [ihlll. >OllH'timi'S he i.n_.,,-,| ,r tin- folly of liii-. r.-colloitiii-i ,1:1, in tin' lii'-t llii.-'li 01 )>a-sion he had ,i il iu'sitaii'il 10 ri-'k .-ill. Since lln',, ~,. Im,l i.,-I'll -.vayi'il hy hnr mental uiilI.ink. Had he i-om-eiled too mnohv Ihnl ii not lifi'ii for tiie lliiisin? ot an M.-i-ioioiial crumli he would have •.I'lrtnl!, "'Siinietinies he almost fainii"! lii> ,«■ tli'e lijilit in her eve';. A warmer j.ri*---iiro than ii-uiil tinjiled his finper,i|,-. She iiiiilil he kiml. I'on-idcrate. svmpiuhotii*. Ilnl «',is youtifr. ami aiiibitinn puiiled IIIT. The world is ai.vays waiting with n]ien arms for the forKim-rer. She had lier dreams, and lie I.mid rini help her dreaming. 1" this khowli'dire was a -ecrot joy. I.onkiii'-r almiit him. lie saw no one like her: he had never seen anyone li:<e her. How -he might appear to others interested him not at all. Xever had lie known a woman for whom he had fell -iieli an overwhelming attachment. Ti -.In* had faults he refused to see them. And lie was ~nre. whatever others might >iiy ~i the contrary, that the theatre had not .-poilt her. To hi in the added independence had enhanced her glory, given her a fuller splendour: she grew mmc desirahle, not less: lie maddened with the desire for her. The lights in h--r wonderful hair. tiie curve of her ied' mouth, the snow of her nek. .'> . . . .There was nothing trite, commonplace., hackneyed about all t!ie-e image-: she enrbodied them all. and magnified the miracle of them. When she walked across the shabby little rnnm she metamorphosed ihe very walls: I here was about her a fragrance of sunlit gardens. Then he started from his dreaming. A lwu-seater had pulled up next to his own. and she and Bruce Dorringham alighted. She was in a fur coat and were a close-fitting pull-on hat of the colour of jade: lie wore a cap and a rough reddish brown overcoat. They were a smart, handsome pair, and people turned to look at them.

Moraine -watched for their entrance into the public room, hut they did not come. Then he lit :i cigarette and strolled out into the garden. He had prepared himself for the meeting; the usual surprise would he shown, a few commonplace words passed, and then. "Hood-bye; so pleased to meet you." But fie also drew blank in the garden. Could (hey be having tea in one of the private rooms upstairs? His eyes blazed at the 1 bought, his nerves throbbed. Dorringhani ought not lo do that sort of thing; she ..'."What if she were really in love with the fellow? .Somehow he always doubted it: yet this looked singularly like confirmation. Could he have been mistaken in her after all? The thought was a hard one and reprehensible; lie would have nothing to do with it.' Yet there it was t lin.ldling, insistent, emphatically declariiig""that it would not be thrust aside And women hail done strange, outrageous things from the dawn of' time. Whs shoul(|'she be different from her sisters'. If she really loved this man, then-love Wou-M- liml ah excuse for any and ever\ act. When does wrong cease to be ;i wrong? "We judge ourselves with sin gular leniency. Ashamed of • being- discovered. "am fosferful,that he might he accused o spying, he went out to his car hopin; to get away unobserved; but on glanc ringr up at the window above the tea .'room lie sawthe curtain suddenly pulle, • wide and Fae's excited face appear, only ,to disappear again almost immediately Tie fell sure she had not recognised him nor. in other circumstances, would hi have connected hef with the apparition 'but now there could be no doubt. Whai 'could it. mean? Was she in any son of danger? That sudden appearance: .tliaL equally sudden disappearance whici suggested force. ; In a moment he had re-entered the hotel and was dashing up the staircase Tliere was no need to ask his way Without a moment's hesitation lit k ked at the door. Xo answer; tin. people wilhin were very still. Again he knocked, lhis time in more peremptory fa.-hii.il. Tin. lock was turned and the door partly opined. He pushed it wide with ins foot. Hruce Dorringhani. eves furiously Hashing, blocked the entrance. booking p.,.i him. Murium* saw Fae standing over against the mantelpiece. "Y'.u!" sphiticred Doniiighaiii. "What '*'';;'.','''' ,l " yon ,I, ink you're doing Wilhoui answering Moraine miictlv '••••""■ '1'" do„,. h,| imi | ~: ~,,„ ],',. <::»:icr:_:_- ;?:.;:• sh " w »- ••»'- •»■' I'M'itlMl ' NM ' r '' Nvillll > "I'h'llse take ,„,. , lwnv ■• «.,,„ ~ , 1...-"! i.'aih ',',", s'nio,"" '" '' iU ' 1 ' " Ul " n'rH," ,'''"'" "" ''" -'' Ml S t'*V. '".'"","" '•"''"led. "I don't know- wh ihi'.',. r ."il'i! '"' w yo " '' M '" 1 "' 1)l,t im linn. I il.. know. VVI . ~„, llis , )( . ns ,. w|t •;;:.",.::'i"::r::;:l ,,, ; l „;;i:^ 7^ '" '"'" lvi ". Moruiue. lunu'd 1.0 V'hb "I saw you ~,„„. ~, ~,,. winl , inv j ■i<<»- " i- 1 '""" 1 lome. . .wai-I^vrons-•"l hen I am „| >,„„. „,,. vil ,. - He slepped a,-,,,-, ,„ ,„.,. „„,, }[ ■_,__. It- «•'"«»« fed it trembling. J; lv ,

Dorringhani intercepted their progress 10 the door. '•Send this bounder about his business, l-'ac. How lie conies to he here heaven only knows: spying about as usual, it seems." "To some purpose,'' Moraine answered coldly. Then with his free hand he waved Dorringhani aside. "You are in our way.'' "Yon are not going with this fellow;' "Yes." she said. '•Stodge," he sneered. "I forbid it.'' ''You!" Her courage was returning. The hand which held hers was steady; Moraine's whole manner suggested calm confidence. "Yes. I," Dorringhani snapped. "\ou don't suppose I'm standing for this sort of thing. Yon came with mc and you're going with mc." -1 wish to have nothing more to do with you; 1 wish never to see your face again." "You hear." Moraine said in a cool, exasperating tone. "I suppose even you arc not too dense to understand plain Knglish? Is there any need to prolong the discussion':" ••Everv need. Oh. I know all about yon. and what you're after," Dorringhani burst out in a torrent of passion: "what you hope for. and what a fool you've 'made of yourself, and I daresay the treatment received is much too good for you. But you're all wrong. Sludge, aiid over-estimate the value of iimdest merit." "J." lease let us go." Fae said, beginning i., tremble again. Anger flamed in Dnrringhain's eyes, anil she was afraid of ii. liven now he terrified her; there was nn knowing what such a violent man would do. "Don't you think we had better avoid any soil of disturbance *"' Moraine i asked. ■•Keinemlier. we are not alone in i ,h :.V I ion arc over-scrupulous. Stodge." he sneered, '-more damned particular than ihe case deserves. She's not so squeamish, •1 Jul mc. tall you." J Moraine* face flamed. But he asked in:, u„,r s,n-ularly cam- and curious: I Why do you call mc Stodge' Mv name is Moraine." "It seemed more appropriate, and 1 prelei it. luushcd the other. did not strike you that I may

'•I never considered the matter; in fact. I never thought you worth considering at all. Be. damned to you for an interfering busybody, who's going to get one of these days the whipping he deserves." "I thought you were merely a. blackguard," said Moraine; "I see you are a fool as well." How it happened Fae never quite knew. She heard Bruce utter an oath, saw an inflamed visage, was conscious of his springing at Moraine —and then came a sickening crash, with Bruce tottering back against the wall. Moraine had hit him full between the eyes, and he now clutched blindly at the wall for support. She saw a new Moraine. Stodge had vanished; a giant had suddenly come to life in his form. Ho pressed her back, out of harm's way, as it were, and not a moment too soon. Dorringhani was on him again. There was a brief scuffle, a whirling of arms, fierce gaspings for breath, and Dorringhani was knocked back against the table, from which he collapsed to the floor. Moraine turned to her a white, hard face; she would not have believed there could be so great a change in any man. He smiled, but she thought the smile had something unspeakably cruel in it. She had never seen two men fight before. It frightened her. "I'm sorry," he said. 'Let us gel out of this." Dorringham stirred and looked up; then he clutched the table and struggled to his knees. The blood was trickling from his mouth. Fae turned aside with

a shudder. The brave and beautiful Bruce. " you." he snarled, "I'll get this back on you one day." "I am always .at your service," Moraine answered coldly. " your service! -And as for you"— ho was address'-ng Fae now; —"you're making another of your bloomers. Stodge is not the man to find the money you require." With a tierce, quick, passionate gesture Moraine flung Fae's hand from him. She heard a bitter word come from those usually calm lips; she saw him catch Bruce by the neck and shake him with incredible ferocity. Then with a crash he dashed the insulter to the floor. With clenched fists, he stood over Dorringhani. Never before had Fae seen a man with the devil of anger let loose in him. She knew now how men killed. (To be continued daily.)