THE PAINTED LILY.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 95, 23 April 1926, Page 12

THE PAINTED LILY.

By OWVE WAPSLEY. Author 'of "The Flame," "Frailty » t »Ifey#rtheleaß," etc., etc, CHAPTER XIII. 'Til come up with you, top, I simply Jlolly Sfiid excitedly to Val. ''I say, this is great, it's like a miracle. Ronnie never even dreamt he'd inherit; Old Riyeysdale Sands hated him. Why, I dunno, but he did. He was in love with Ronnie's mother, I beijeye., and never forgave lier marrying the ppor of the family, fqr Iqvc, And now,'after §\\, he's, left Rgnnie his fortune! I'll'bet that cable from England is to give him the news. IVIy hat! Val, I haven't felt so excited since the old war stopped. Come on— " He has hojd of her hand as the lift stopped, and pulling her along the corridor, he hammered on Ronnie's door. "What the on earth?'" Ronnie began. / Holly waa dancing in front of him like a .dervish, and sincei Val's hand was still held in his, as he leapt and twirled, she, too was forced to keep time with him. Ronald gazed at him, first with a sort of chili amazement, then with growing obviqug distrust. "Look here," he said brusquely, "stop gyrating like an idiot, Holly, and tell mc what's up. Is that a cable in your hand, and who is it for?' , Holly stopped, "Its for you", he said, handing Ronald the cable; and as far as I can make out, nearly everything .under the sun is for you, too." " Ronald had torn open the cablegram. As Jie read it, his face went first white, i then scarlet, then white again. i He looked up and said ,in a ™ voice which he controlled by an obvious effort:— .' - j "How did you two hear?" j "It's in aU' the papers," Holly "cried, , "Ron, for God's sake, what does the cable say?" ;. In answer Rpnald handed it to him, and* Holly read aloud; "Reg,to inform you your cousin the Earl of Sands died yesterday. His Lord- ! ship left entire fortune unreservedly to I you. Respectfully suggest s earliest posjsible return. Hedges and Darwin, solicitors to the estate of late Earl of Bands."

Holly drew a deep breath, looked up. and asked point blank:

"What was the old boy worth t" "I don't knowi" Ronald told him, "but he held a great quantity of the Pacific shares; and since he 'bought them they have soared. He himself told mc, when I America last year, that he had netted a saw him by chance, on the way across hundred and twenty thousand-on them. He told, mc to make mc sore, I suppose, because he disliked mc so. I ; can't imag: ine why he's made mc his heir, unless it was simply because he -wouldn't let the title down; that?s possible, of course—" "Never mind why he did it," the irresponsible Holly exclaimed, " What else had he got you know about ?"

•' "He owns the Sands collieries, everyone knows that," Ronald said briefly, "and he kept up three places in tremendous style, and his racing stable must have coat a small fortune to run."

"Well, Val, what about it?" Holly laughed. "A title and a fortune." Val had been looking at Ronald, and she saw a quick expression of something which was neither bitterness nor regret, but which L el d a, suspicion of both, flit across his face. (

Her own falee. hardened as she said languidly:. ' 5

"Well, what about it, after all? fton knew he'd haye to have the title according to what you say, and as for the forshe gave a little tinkling laugh. There w-as a silence, which Ronnie broke by saying dispassionately: "Well, that's that. I feel, though, we ought to do something to celebrate this occasion despite Yal's rather caustic comipent on its value! D'you think you could raise a bottle of real stuff anywhere, Holly? Get hold of the manager, hike him put of bed, and tell him the glad news, and see if he won't do us proud." "Oh, boy, mc for the gay life tinted with champagne!" Holly chanted with an absurd supposed American accent. "Give mc five minutes,' an' the drink is ours!"

He went out of the room at a run, and Ronald and Val were left alone.

, "Would you give mc a cigarette?" Ronald asked.

«i Val fetched tl|e old battered silver box Ronald had had with him ever since he had come-to America. I| had his crest on it; he had won it, he had told her once, for boxing. As she held the match for him, she said unevenly: "Gutiss —guess you* think I acted pretty cheap now—about all this. I—l didn't want to sound mean,' but—you getting all this—now. Oh! I don't know, Ron, it seemed to tangle things up 39. As long as you hadn't—hadn't a lot of money—l—we—"

Ronald put his hand for a second on hers. ■- 'Z- >

"Look here, kiddie," he said, "I did think you were rather, well, I suppose, I thought you heed not have shown your lack of interest quite so plainly. But, of'course," it doesn't matter an atom. You* are at liberty to feel as you choose, naturally, so don't bother any more about \t. Let's drink to the future, and I for one, I confess, feel extraordinarily excited about it all. Old Morris won't be able to keep mc here after Saturday, when we sail for England!" He had been kind, he had been verygentle and courteous; but Val felt she could have burst into tears.. She knew she had been hot only ungracious, but rudej and for no reason- save that, she resented Ronald's luck. She realised now that must be Ronald's vieW, and Holly' 3. Even his, flow of spirits had been quenched.

She moved away to the window, and stood there looking down into the goldpierced darkness. From his bed Ronald studied her reflectively. Oh, irony of only Dixon had lived a couple of weeks longer, or his cousin died a couple ot weeks earlier!

* d Penniless, save for his moSSi. 1 * 7 * now had more money than he could ever spend, a great title, and a wife he scarcely knew, and cared for not at all. Every inherited instinct in him rebelled agajnst this marriage anow—whenever he had thought about it all he had thought, however fleetingly, that his wife, must be a woman who would uphold the name he gave her, bring to it graciousness; dignity, and breeding, perhaps beauty. His sombre gaze rested on Val's bent'golden head—at any ** rate Val brpught the last attribute, loveliness. " -. .

The sound of. voices broke into his thoughts, and he turned with surprise" to see Holly standing back for Iris to enter. "He met in the corridor, Holly'and I— and L simply had to come and tell you how.glad I am, how wonderful it all is, [Bonnie/'lris cried. >. \ ._■'

She...jras. * standing hy, the bed, holding both Rpnnie's hands, and suddenly she , hent.and kissed Wm with--ilititlesbaky laugh. . •'"•■ x . . -A

'I 'nius.t kis? yqvt just qiice--,this, ip all go pplendid," she sftid. As she looked UP, Val mqyed qyt L of the shadow of t-lle curtains." . x '"' "Oh, my dear!" Iris said,.' ''Aren't you, too—too exaltee tq hrea'the almont? Aiid, pf course', yp,u dop't know what it aU Weans, I suppose 'Rpnnje's n e^r described Sftpd.B Qa|tj| tP yqq? It's too {Uyjnq for words. It stands high above the sea, and' it's said the loveliest gunk gardens, and Isr'a'ss terraces iu'England; then there's SHano, that's in Sussex, h\\t inland, it's |j|izapethan,' and- — -" , "Here 'we are, herp ftre," Hp}ly called out. "Oyez, oyez, oyez! Foundby the gentleman in blue w hed, Several estates, a fortune, nnd a title—herd's to him, may he live for ever iii .all the estates, spend all the money, and have all the happiness* going! 'Rpnald, your health." * ' * Iris touched Ronnie's glass with her own:, "Ronnie, your health and happiness." "And that of the Countess of Sands," Hpj'ly cried- "Hurrah j Cpme pn, and no heel-taps!" As they drapk, Iris, after a charming but quite perfunctory smile at Val, turned and looked straight into Ronnie's eyes. (To be continued daily.)-