LITERATURE.

Bush Advocate, Volume VII, Issue 477, 4 June 1891, Page 4

LITERATURE.

TROUBLES. ]„.. v , .Chapter IV.— (Continued.) "- 1 « I will not do it ; I have given -.yott.alll will not ruin myself. Why >HBt-l>uldT.>. ; ; . . . keep my lips scaled — to pireyeht disgrace falling upon, you; A tip^n ; a "grave— from preventing the '■f ..!.- . ■ 1*...-** 1 . t^ iafc t^ ie fcom^ sfcone 1 Vepoyding the death of Harmon _;-. Margrave . wife is a dcccit — that — ' -<W. Si-en.-. 1 broke in Christine, passionately, 'If you dare apeak y \\\ dfcrdy .mother I will not hear you. yj ! Will. gO.' - Ay 'It is your fault if I do. You : Cdriv6 me to it. Why are you not 7 wiser?' ./ ; . I. tell you I. have not the _n6__ey. -■-•---■ . * And I tell you-I must have it. •^liisten to me, .my dear. If you manage it. I shall go to. Miss or: whatever is her name. I shall say— yes, 1 will let you off easily at _rst r ~that you are my sistet •th .t :4 our father was j, wice ;/; fharried." I" shall s^/'tKafc 1 am your proper guardian } you are not yet of age. I do not- choose, that r lyou should he playing governess, 'that I wish you to ba at home, and, I will make-yow. come, or I will t ; ! speak. I will be silant no longer.' . . "" " Christine remained awhil . silent. Her arms were diopped, her hands -^were clutched rigdly ; her head was sunk on her breast, which heaved 'spasmodically. ' Have a care !' she at last said. - *-Do not make •" me desperate. Do you mean this? That if I do no. - -givifyou this money yoii will declare our relationship, and — ' . '•;/ Take you home. Whore, pray, ''is ''there a fitter place for » girlalone, unprotected— than under her brother 's roof .V he remarked, with .a.mpcking sneer. 'We should be .. Ye?y happy, no doubt.' Y . _. You- have not the power to do Aj_w?' ■■■-■ ' .2'; y ' '"' "', •" f That shows how little you know . "of. the Jaw,'" he. answered, coolly, aware she. ip_ew. : nothing, and was j no -iikely tp ask. ... 'Of course, if you declare OUr.true relationship, your 'disgrace* protects you.' -s ; '- She shuddered, and stepped back from him. -„ ;■- WeU.? he enquired.' ;, : 'You shall have my answer tomorrow. Now it is impossible. I „ ' have not the money in my possess- «.- -io_i. If Idecide tp procure it for .; you it would he. impossible to do; so : - ; /before to-morrow.'". YY. 'That's true; but I must have it y -. hef ore to-morrow evening, my dear.' >-. ".You shall have my answer by 7 ; then? she replied. 'I need stay no > longer.' Turning, .she moved away from ;^hirn.' HeJApked after her with a ''"' smile. ". She kicks against the pricks,' he muttered, ' only to find how useless "i-_t:is. She'll get the money. She can't help herself. There'll be , a a" fe tf "tears of. auger— then she'll find 'it. safest to borrow the money from Miss Hypatia.' ji\ But there wero no tears iv Christine's beautiful eyes as she hurried " f ""* back across the heath. Theexprcs- ] sion never changed until she reached '- Hypatia House. Tnen, by an effort, she assumed that habitual to them. . -".. Tlie. restraint brought a . fe^n-isl. A, flush to her cheeks, making her so beautiful that Miss Winstey, glancing up from, a scientific; ;' problem, exclaimed, on her. entering ; the sitting-room — ■'My dear, how well you look. 7 The Blackheath air agrees with you, . there-cannot be a doubt. ' Christine laughed, then "requested to .work the problem for her old r goy^fhess and. save her. the trouble. '"'•..;. *r\woulii. 'far rather you played .. me some oi those dreamy German airs, ray;4ove; I can work the better.' "'■■* '-•' Christine at once went to the piano. All that evening not a -wish did .Miss Winstey express but Christine, almest eagerly, if possible fulfilled it. Never had she been -:-; more affectionate. But she never once even hinted, at the loan of the • five pounds. A '.On separating for the night, ._ C,hristine,'.kis-ing her, said, with an ! outward laugh but serious sorrow y , beneaUi that mask — :. -'*• Dear Miss Winstoy, how^ good t-yotf have ever been to me. „ When -:. ' I wp your pupil you forgave me ' _,11 my faults ;"' will you forgive ... those of your teacher also ?'• 'Certainly, my love; when I have discovered them,' was the response. 'How good you are. Miud, I shall keep you to your promise.' Then Christine kissed her moie affectionately still, and with a ' Good-night ' they parted. Miss Winstey was soon asleep, but not so. Christine. For a time she sat or paced her room. That set look returned to her features. Then she , wrote' a letter. It was hot so long ! as it appeared difficult to write ; •Often she had to pause, blinded by tears;- Once, dropping hor face down on the table she sobbed — *Oh'! : papa — papal how could . you f Ended at last she placed it in an ..envelope and directed it. Then .;-. rising noiselessly, she began to pack ■: aileathbr travelling bag. " What was she intending to do ? : *Td : "#hat steps had Eugene Margrave VdriVeri her % ] . Was she going to fly — fly and hide herself froni those who knew her? » ~c -■■ When sii was completed she laid down tn her bedj dressed. as sho '■' : was, aiid '.. finally fell' into a lia;l_t rqistjess • No sooner,' .however, had dawn tafa#b--tQ light'. q tbe blinds thau. .hi?

arose and attired herself in her ha.fr:, and mantle. After softly op .ning the door :she listened.. All was still ; the servants never came down until six. Cautiously she descended the stair, passed through the kitchen to .the back entrance, left the house, and struck across the heath to Greenwich, making for the river, where she soon found a lad to carry -the bag. Here she waited for. a boat, ..went on board, and speedily was 'on her way to London. ; r Reaching London-bridge she took a cab to her destination after having breakfasted. The hour was about half-past ten when she knocked at a shabby-looking house in a shabby, street— shabby, yet with an air df assertive respectability —in the neighbourhood of Oxford-street. .Having exchanged some words with the untidy maid-of-all-work who : opened tho door, Christine entered the dingy hall, redolent with the odours of tho matutinal bacon and bloaterr blended, and; ascended ' th e : ' : StarVs. 1 Stopping, on the first landing she paussd a second. Her graceful, well-carried figure, her plain but good attire, contrasted forcibly with ,her shabby surroundings/ .■ -* | In a moment "she tapped on the panel of the front-room door. A voice, short and sharp, called ' Come in 1' and she entered. f -The first 1 thing observable was the noxious fumes of stole tobacco ; the next a cheaply, tawdrily furnished room, untidily kept. A much-soiled tablecloth littered with breakfast, pulled here and there in a heap, and a man in a worn dress-ing-gown, greasy __smoking-cap, and slippers down at the heel, lounging in a chair enjoying a pipe. It was Eugene Margrave. At sight of her he sprang in amazement to his feet. ' What the duoce brings you here ?' he. ejaculated. Christine placing the travelling bag on the ground, turned the same set features and stony expression upon him as she answered— . ' I have come home.'

Chapter V, Afc that announcement, so quietly spoken, Eugene Margrave stood silent from intense astonishment. He stared at the calm, face of the girl, his brows down. Then he. ejaculated, sharply — ' What do you mean. V ' That, as you have said you are . my only, kin, I am yours. The proper place for "me is beneath my brother's roof.'-- • The man bit his lips at thus hearing his words repeated back to him. . A 'This is absurd !', he exclaimed. 'You cannot remain here.' (To be continued.) |MW— - »»— 1 _— ' _»__—^»— _. ■ I |_»»_M«__W— — _»—^