TOSY; OR, LOVE CONQUERS ALL.

Bush Advocate, Volume I, Issue 73, 23 October 1888, Page 4

TOSY; OR, LOVE CONQUERS ALL.

.CHAPTER V. (Continued.) ! " ' V V ' " ' ' /■ ' ?■ ' ■ •' I ) r * v ; Saying this 'hiß^a^about.tp leavje ' ! $E $fcpm> "but f^Alpliester, with ja ' mali?i|us siniie oi t triumphj inte rput in a shrill " .'-x yoi(s6|s-' .'-',,' '■-...-.: : -'• .•■•.-,' ! ! J : irWmist fiear me.? You^claughter .shall sojy)e sacrificed. -.-, I know not .^ifyjau ar>4 aware ihat Dormer, wjs <^6rjassy married, : but I ani ...certain c^iinpt know, : ,.that his lio&i^fp>*fail io&i^fp>*fai rjiyeß." i ftrft '%<*< lie.l J" thundered; the . old vtwap^r "TJiewdrHs are as false ds H& 14lttiwho' gives utterance to them." -at f.flldo>not lie, Colonel Harvey. -i^Confronttme with Roland Dormer tt^and lshall prove my words.'' - ;x,^By^Hpavenß ! you shall. ; I cnahail njptu allow :you to leave this house until you have retracted ybiir ; and begged for■*Mffi&A ffoni< the mari^you malign.;" 'sliiu^e^naU fcee,"' 'said Alchester, Jl *f6leling 'his ariris; and striving to 'appkaxtool md collected. . 1 The; cblonelrang $he bell violently, Va^d^leryan^sloo^in the door--:^oi:U "■■' . iV; ■ ' '.■"''•"■ ■'■'•■•} *£\ *» tell Sir Mind Botiner I 1 Wish 'Lto'sei'biM'kt^n^^i^ air, repeat •'* %e^ciftrge #;#jtt;d&e. M ;;.-'; : ■ '■■'.-• " I dare, Colonel Harvey, because •^ I csn .prove my words." „ . - c THis^aa said in sure ;an issued, '~tssis/Qbisio&', "tyifc in.% |tpok pains fco vjtiicif! '* his . wtonishment, . and . : only ■■'£.^e}gnei|',;.a: glance of utter contempt , .Iv'f^laj^dentered.^ejroom a ■ smile, but when he met the „; gajage, ,. triumphant glare of Altrpubled and .'Cftngr£look;dath«i colonel's face, he ;„ /assumed a serious expression . •,^,J^Yqu- sentifpr me, Colonel Har- .• vey ? ; In: what way can Lbe'.of-ser-l. yice to you ??' ; -y •; # That mari, ; Ronald, has made a ? mpßt:iiifamouß charge against you." 'I Do^er lookiin a dazed stupefied from the speaker to Ai- > Chester, and from his . glahc^i lighted on the wbman y . who v siilli kept her- veil do wn. ?At the " r sigiit of : her Ronald's face assumed apalei hue. ■•'-'■■ ••■>■'« You make some charge against 'me, : Mr Alchester. May I ask what it is?" ' u« You- may, and I am ready to repeat it/ ' j « Speak out, sir," cried the colonel. , I' l am prepared to do so» I charge, you, Sir Ronald Dormer, ; with being a deceitful, dishonourable villain." / : ' : _ "Ah!" said Roland, with great difficulty restaining himself. " Take care, : ilrAicneßter ; those are strong „WMds." i; / ' V Strong, but ttiie.' You have secured the affection of a young and innocent girl and the esteem of her father by falsp preteqces." " What db,;ypu mean ?" said Roland,, haughtily. ; "I mean what I say,/ and you know I ; speak/ the truth. You played the par^ ljoi\ a , single man, knowing you had been already married twelve years." , "Bs jmore ; careful, sir," Roland exclaimed, in a tone of suppressed passion. *' Knowing this, you would have betrayed that fair and confiding girl, and deceived her father. You sir, villain that you are, would stop at no crime.* ;< Yf. ej-e it not for my intervention you would have committed bigamy," At this Roland gave a bitter laugh, "Another time, Mr Alchester, when you undertake to enact the roh of detective you must get up your caße.a little more carefully. That I was, unfortunately, married Colonel Harvey is aware j but allow me to tell you, sir, that the deluded woman who called me ■ husband is no uiprtv,. She died more than twelve months ago." "It is not true, Sir Roland Dormer ; your wife still lives- And," he stdded, with a cry of triumphant maliciousness, r f • you know, it." '^Liar I" exclaitned Sir Roland ; , ; * > - i f^6.e*hea^bd,''Vtr^acHerous' Jiar ! The unhappy wonian is dead." "Who is this, then?" Hugh Alchester led foith the woman, who, lifting up her veil, disclosed what had once been handsome features, but they were now disfigured with deep lines of care and dissipation. " Clara 1 Clara 1 and living !' cried Kolarid, stretching out his hands aB though to ward off a terrible spectre. "My (Jod ! my Godl this is a terrible blow." paying this, he reeled like a . . drunken man, and fell on bis face, senseless. "Away ! away !" called out Colonel Harvey, kneeling by the side of the man he loved. "You Jiave had your revenge, Alchester; out of my sight, or I may have mine. Roland lay in a death-like swoon for several minutes, whilst the colonel and. Robert bathed his hands and forehead. At last he opened^ his eyes, gazed wildly around, and a violent shudder passed through his stalwart f amp. Colonel Harvey motioned to Robert to leave the room, an order which that individual obeyed with military alacrity, although he would fain have had his curiosity satisfied by hearjng what Sir Roland said. '■■j" "Is that you, Colonel Harvey?" f!s feilwd, feebly, " WJjat fas.

happened ? Tell me, is it true, <jrj was I but dreaming?" j "I am afraid it is but top true, my dear old fellow," tha colonel &nk •• j \iered, with a heavy sigh. ; Roland leaned and closed his eyes, whilst an ash^ pallor spreaji itself over his features ! *It is true, "he moaned; " m^ poor little Tosy." "Well Roland, my boy, you must cheer up a little, I pity you, old fellow, I know it is not your fault;; but we must try what we can do tjo keep it from T|osy.". ' "Tell mci how?" tiaid Roland, eagerly. , " Tell me, colonel can we screen and protect her 1" ; "It will be rather a difficult matter; Roland, but we< must try. My poor little girl loves you dejtrly, and if she thinks she is to lose you it will break her heart, She must be spared, Roland. • . " • "She must, and shall !" exclaimed the younger man. " Now about the means," said th£e other. "I must say, Roland, I thinktyou have acted -very foolishly in allowing this adventuress to mak,e snch a tool of you. .• •No i dne can appreciate a high sense of honour more than £ do. JJ> .foe. same, feiirie I really think yoii havo allowed your; sensitiveness to carry . you too far." " I leave mj self entirely in your hands, colonel. I will do anything at all you may suggest. Only say what lamto do and it is done. I would willingly sacrifice my life, if I thought by that means I could spare my darling one moment of pain.'* " rknow it, I know it," said the old man, with feeling. " And now, to come to the point, my advice to you is, to sever your connection with this base woman at once. ■ ' . " But how?" "Easily enough. Pardon me, Roland, but I am afraid the conduct of this woman has not been so pure that you have no ch*ance of proving your case." " You mean then, that I should obtain a divorce ?" " Certainly." " But think of the disgrace and the publicity. Should I take this step it would be impossible to keep it from the knowledge of Tosy.*' " I don't think so. By a little care and caution I think it might be done. There will, of course, be no defence, and the case might be kept out of the papers altogether." " In that case I shall be only too glad to rid myself of this terrible curse." "Of course it will be necessary for you to leave England for some months." Roland started. " I think you can trust Tosy ?" "Trust her? Aye! for a lifetime." As he said "this his voice shook with visible emotion. "And after — after the case is concluded ?" he asked, tremulously. " May I still rely on your consent ?" (To be Continued.)

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