A MAD BETROTHAL.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5694, 29 November 1889, Page 4

A MAD BETROTHAL.

[BY LAURA JEAN LIBBY.] CHAPTER XLV. HE WILL NKVKR FORGIVE—AND FOBGET. When Nadine struggled back to consoiousness she found Aunt Hester seated beside her couch, weeping softly. *'Naddy, my darling," she said, as the great dark eyes opened slowly, " are you better, dear? " Should she ask Nadiue to confide in her ? Aunt Hester ruminated ; aud while she was debating the question in her own mind Nadme caught her hands in her own with a bitter cry. "Oh ! Auct Hester," she sobbed, " you cannot guess who is here." " I know, Naddy," was the quick reply. " Gilbert Wetherell, his mother and his sister. I hnrried to you to warn you of their presence here, Naddy, but you had gone out into the grounds. I feared you would meet them. Did you, Nadine ? " " I met Jessie, Gilbert's sister," murmured Nadine. Then, with an impulsive motion, she threw her arms around Aunt Hester's neck, and amidst her choking sobs told her all that had transpired. " There "Is but oue conclusion, Aunt Hester," she added, faintly: " Gilbert could not and would not forget my—tuy —deception ; for it was that, and nothing else, withholding my terrible secret of the past to him." The shock of hearing for the first time just why Nadine had fled from Gilbert Wetherell was indeed a startling one to Aunt Hester. She could hardly credit her ears as to what Captain Oemond had been to Nadiue. Wedded and widowed, and she but a child ! It seeraod moro like a dream to Aunt Hester than a roality. No wonder it had shocked Gilbert Wethcroll. '• All tho tubwquent trouble that has been brought about would havoheen spared you, my durling, if you had but made a oonftdant of Gilbert when ho naked you to bo his wife," said Aunt Hester, gravely adding: "Ah ! dear child, there never should bo any dark secrets iv the lives of either of the two who stand before tho altar, which they strive to hold from each other; misery and sorry are sure to come of it." " If I had but made a confidant of you, nunt, life would have been different perhaps," sobbed Nadino ; " but what is done cannot be undone. We will go quietly away to the other end of the world. Gilbert Wetherell shall never look J u P on m y face again in life. He would not listen to a reconcilation, and thought that the best way would be to leave Edinburgh without delay, that wo might not meet face to face." " Do not grieve over it, Noddy, darling." said Annt Hester. " Say this to your heart: ' Wo can live without him.'" They set about making their preparations to leave the place at once. The landlord of the hotel was dumbfounded when ho heard that he was to lose two more of hie best paying guests in quito as sudden a manner as tho Wetherells had gone. " Was there anything the matter?" he asked himself. " A few more such cases of sudden and mysterious leaving, aud the public would enquire if the fault lay with the management of the hotel; that would bo a serious matter." While Aunt Hester and Nadiue busy themselves over their preparations for their departure, you and I will look into the truo cause, dear reader, of the suddun and unaccountable departure of the Wethcrelle. To do this, we must return to the hour in which Jessie parted from Nadine, promising to send her brother to her. Jessie fairly flew back to the hotel, and to their suite of rooms : but her mother and brother wero not the»e. Suddenlyit occurred to her thatlier mother bad gone to tho train, to sec a ludy friend off; of course Gilbert had accompanied her.

With all the impetuosity ol a thoughtless sohoil-girl Jessie hurried after them, for the railway station was but a few blocks distant. Catching sight of Gilbert's face at a window of one of the couches, despite the guard, who would hate stopped her flying footsteps, Jeas sprang aboard, calling to her brother. At that instant the train gavo a sudden lurch forward, precipitating Jess at full length to the floor of the conch, and with each force as to render her for a mometit unconscious.

In an instant Gilbert was by her side, laving hw face with cold water, which he had takeu from the tank, assuring his mother Jessie was not hurt, merely stunned. There was the greatest commotion in tho compartment over tho affair, for Mm Wetherell waa greatly frightened. In the excitement the guard's voice calling " all aboard," wuh not heeded, and an instant later the expret-s swept out from the station under full headway. They realised their position at once, but thcro ■was no help for it; tho train whs whirling away from Edinburgh, carrying tber.i -vritH it. Tho nest .'topping plaeo was Bomo three hours' ride distant, and they made up their minds to make the best of it. As wo have s:iid, Jcssio's faculties remained stunned for only a few momenta : then full consciousness returned to her. When she realised what had occurred— that they were on the train speeding away from Edinburgh as fust as steam could carry them, —she burst into hysterical tears), crying out that the train must be stopped at once, and refused to bo comforted, when Gilbert assured her that would be practically impossible. •' I have something to tell you, Gilbert," she went on, breathlessly. " Oh, if you only know about it! It would drive you mad to know that, with each moment, you •were being taken farther and farther from Edinburgh," she added, sobbing. " What in the world does she mean, Gilbert?" exclaimed Mrs Wetherell, turning helplessly to her son. Gilbert shook his head aud smiled. " If he only knew what I know, he would not stand there shaking his head and smiling," cried Jess, in exasperation. " Then why don't you tell him, my dear ?" suggested Mrs Wetherell, complacently, as she turned away and resumed her seat with her lady friend. " 1 could never have told what I havo to tell yju before mamma, Gilbert dear," the eaid, making room for him beside her; " she would have fainted outright, I am aure."

Gilbert Wetherell began to understand that it was certainly something out of ihe ordinary that so disturbed Jenie. He took her little hands oureesingly in hij. "Now, Jessie," he said, banteringly, "1 am willing, nay, anxious, to listen to this wonderful story !" A few moments later, JMrn Wotherell, who was sitting at thu other end of tho coinpurrmeut, heard a deep groan, and glancing up, Maw Jessie »nd Gilbert talking earnestly, and Gilbert's face, an lie rained it from his trembling bauds, was as white us death.

"Now, what can be tho matter?" she murmured, in an agony of doubt, as cho made her way toward them aa best she couid, owing to the swaying motion of the coach.

"Mother," he cried, as pho dropped into the seat opposite him, "listen to what Jessie tells me ! Nadine—is—alive .' She hae seen her—talked with her ! Nadine is at this moment ia Edinburgh !" "Impossible, my buy!" exclaimed Mrs Wetlim.ll, in bewilderment. "Jessie has made some groat mistake." " You will not cay th.it when you hiivo heard all," declared Jessie, laughing through her tears." And very briefly, fur the second time, Jessie recounted her adventure of that morning; how she had run across Nadino, their mutual recognition of each other, and the wonderful explanations that followed on both sides, and consluded by telling how she had left Nadine sitting , by the fountain with the understanding that Gilbert should be sent to her there. " I found you had gone on the train, and I hurried ou after you, that Gilbert might be sent back without delay. You know tho rest. Oh, dear! oh, dear! what will Nadine think!" Mrs Wetherell was almost overcome by the startling intelligence ; but, as usual in all cases of emergency, the lady was quite helplese as to what to advise. "In the face of all this, shall you take Nadine baok to your heart, Gilbert ?" sho asked, anxiously. "Did you doubt, eveu for a moment, mother, that I would ?" lie asked, repioachfully. r " I—l did not know," sho replied. "Although I have not the claim on Nttdinc, it scl-iiis, that 1 thought I had," he went on, slowly, "still sho is all the world to me. I have tested what life is without her—a dreary blank—a desolate existence. I shall fly to her at one ?, and never rest day or night again until the is mine; for you hear what Jessie bays— Nadine loves me still!" " But what will she think when you do not come to her?" persisted Jessie. " She is proud-spirited."

" I can soon explain all that when we mec-t," returned Gilbert, gaily. They took th. ; next returning express train, iitriviiig: :it Edinburgh just as the first gray shadows of early twilight were aeitliug over the Scottish hills. (TO BE CONTINCED.)