"HIS DIFFICULT DAUGHTER"

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 79, 3 April 1928, Page 22

"HIS DIFFICULT DAUGHTER"

By WINIFRED CARTER -

SYKOPSIS OF PREVIOUS CHAPTER* CABMEN BUCKTON la thb beautiful, impetuous daughter of 81ft JAMES BUCKTON, K.C.. the great criminal lawyer. His wife had rua away from him and joined her brother la Italy, where .Carmen was born, and where ahe ■pent the first eighteen years of- her life. On her mother's death Carmen la brought to; her father's 1 home by MICHAEL ROCHESTER, who la a relative of J Sir James, as well as his secretary. Before, leaving Italy Michael has to rescue hjs charge from the attentions of PAuL VAKLEY, a dissolute artist. Jo London Carmen finds ' life grey and restrained, and one sight her father is astounded to find her giving an exhibition dance at a cabaret. MRS. WESTGATE, a designing widow, suggests to Sir James that he should marry again, la order that Carnen may be properly brought up. Cars, en overhears the Voposah aad announces that-lf her father re-murrles she will run away.

r . CHAPTER IX. jSir James looked at Mrs. Westgate il silence. What'could he say;? How make .'A'toeOdS for barmen's- words. ' "Ettlt uind t bit,'- said Mrs. Westgatoi— v l&iws*me,Slt~ J amet; 1 lympatfifiKieitf yatt most rthicerelyr She Aftei mir£tVW--tXmv&-*fW:XCsmmi neSleA*:* ' ffritf »«■ glance,' She-was HiH handsome, a 'striking, personality- The idea .of marrying again shocked liim, 'tut Carmen was Toe much for a man/ and il ha married Mrs. Westgate Carmen would have to lie better. He ignored her last remark utterly. That waa a naughty girt's temper.. Really amother's * hand,Tw*'» fcrhit she .Heeded. „ Ira truly sorry Carmen haa been M rude. What can I say;in apology? I U( ';" n t tuppose you feari forgive her." 10 • h ® w J 10 * absolutely Ido I will t£ke back what I said. I will go on c|aperoniM her," 4 "Why, I eall that fine of you," he said ; * ; .Into Mrs. Westgate's face eame a look of triumph. The- idea of being Lady Byckton wa«.a moat Alluring one. Ora hid lately guessed what jU. mother ickinjDg; toing about. Mrs. Westgate was a smart society Woman»*e and Ora made a big displiy on very >*b wi. OTIS H "'jlilWAW not «oti3 a»nch husband yet. If she became Sir James' second wife Ora could wait ab|t and pick and choose. It looked as was not so ithmd. sssmed.. Rising to-her feet, she moved with dignity to the d<>or, but Sir James held up his Impsxatiwly.

''You must let me thank you," he said, "and surely I can drop you somewhere on my way to the Courts?" So the household had the astounding spectacle of seeing Sir James drive off with a woman. Carmen saw it from the window, hanging half over the balcony to watch them disappear. She cried, angry, bitter tears. When Michael came it was no sort of welcome he got. Red-eyed, sullen of face, the dark brows" drawn together in an angry line, her eyes like smouldering torches, she presented herself to him. "Go on," she demanded. "Go on. Be nasty and tell me what you think of me. It seems to be the favourite amusement of people in England." "I wasn't going to be nasty," said Michael, taken aback before the concentrated furv of her Irjk. She was -somewhat mollified at his look of surprise;'l^ "If you are half as cross with me as the rest of them are, you're not going to be very plcajant company," she said trloomily. < -"Just because yesterday I danced, and showed the old tabbies how todoift": . '

"WeHrPm npt cross about that," said Michael "It 'was a little unusual, and your father does-reaßy dislike .<Ji»ffiiWMaLyar,y afraid he'd raged a hateful old cat! She means'to mArry my father! Well, let them 1, They'd pay,, each other out for a good thing." "Carmen!" said Michael, in a scandalised voice. "I never heard of such a thing." v

"It's true all the same," said Carmen -Obstinately. "They're gone off in the car together; Weill If you didn't come to start rowing at me, what did you come for?"

"I waqt to teach you how to ride," said Michael eagerly. "Betty is going to meet us in The Row; Come along and pick your mount."

"Going to teach me how to ride," mimicked Carmen. "Arent you scared after the dancing? I might do something unusual."

"You can't do anything very unusual on a horse," said Michael good-humour-edly.

• she had gone, Michael paeed up and down the room for moment or two, at the thought of her youthful V" u s*° c *» *he n his brow puckered. What about Mrs. Westgate worhonentm u her! He was *° admit that it was only 46 di,iikc her »° th°r-e-V°?-C,lrmen 1 Carl - ***** her, He doubted,

even if Sir James did marry Mrs. Westgate, whether Carmen would ever submit to that rule. Neither Sir James nor Mrs. Westgate were quite aware of the force they were trying to harness. He forgot them all as Carmen appeared. He smiled his approval at her. She looked superb with a vengeance, and she had been quick! That to Michael's masculine mind, was a virtue not to be despised when it was discovered in the \ feminine sex. "Good girl," he said. "Come along, now. I've got the car here, and we'll go right away to the stables." She was quiet as she sat beside him, but she enjoyed that run. Michael was a good driver, and she applauded him once or twice, but she also rather scandalised him by putting her fingers to her nose at a particularly irate taxi-driver who tried to cut in, but who had failed. "You must not, Carmen,"" he said. "That's not the way a young lady behaves." "Then I am truly thankful that I shall never be a young lady," Carmen retorted. He waa silenced, and by this time they had reached the stables. Betty had got there first and was waiting for them. She greeted Carmen with a warm kiss. "There's a very quiet nag I think will just do for Carmen," said Betty. "I told the groom to bring her out." Carmen turned up her nose at the hack that was brought before her. "I'd never learn on a horse that colour," she said scornfully. "I'll choose my own." Poking her nose into all the loose boxes, she came' at last to a mare of which she approved. "Is she safe ?" Michael inquired of the groom. "Perfectly safe, for any lady," said the groom. "As a matter of fact she's the pick of the stables for gentleness of temper." "But for a beginner ?" said Mining dubiously. "That or no other," said Carmen in a dictatorial tone. Michael swallowed his doubts, and helped: her up into the saddle. She obeyed hia instructions implicitly, and her, docility delighted him. "You don't do badly for a novice," said Michael approvingly. "Does she, Betty?" 451 "Indeed she does not," Said Betty lovingly. For answer Carmen took, the rails in fine style, and set. off on a rare old gallop along the tan. Hell for leather she went, her head flung baek, a look of supreme bliss on her expressive face. "She has fooled you again," said a voice, a sneer in it. "Carmen's got us all on toaft. She delights in'springing these pleasant little surprises' on üb. For my part I' think it is sensationalism." ' It was Ora Westgate,' and something not quite'jleaaantgleamgd

in her eyes. "The girl can ride better than any of us!" she cried. "She likes to make us all look like a pack of fools." j "It'g mischief, pure mischief," said Betty. "And I for one can understand it. She must be a bit fed-up with us all condescending to show her things when she's far cleverer than we are." "She's fooled Michael, but look at him." Ora pointed with her riding switch at Michael, who had raced after Carmen. Plainly Michael was not angry. He was even pleased. His look sent a stab to Betty's heart. He was looking at Carmeii's teasing face as he had never looked at her. And Carmen was laughing now, white teeth gleaming. How red and black and white she was. How beautiful in her tantalising impudence. "If we don't look out," snapped Ora, "Michael will be head over heels in love with her before any of us realise it, least of all himself." (To be continued daily.)

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