MY LADY'S PLOT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6566, 2 December 1882, Page 3

MY LADY'S PLOT.

By the Author of "The SL Ahem Grace-Cup," I "Kobbed of a Crime," &c., &c.

CHAPTER XXVII. TIIF. rLICIUT. Doctor Allint.ham's deep blue eyes flamed with a new lustre. He swept on like a resistless whirlwind. Step by step he advanced nearer to the fleeing girl. Nina, turning her white face over her shoulder, cast one quick, despairing glance backward. Only too well she recognised the tall, fair-haired pursuer. " Oh, Heaven help me!" she thought, "my strength is failing! Death would be preferably to falling into his hands ! but I may not take the life Heav—" The thought ended in a low cry of thankfulness. On the little wooded plateau, to which she had nearly descended, she had all at once descried a rude cottage. "The toy-maker's!" she gasped, recalling Mrs. Allingham's answer to a question which the lonely habitation had drawn from Doctor Jeffries the previous evening. Inspired with fresh hope and courage, her feet bore her swiftly toward the haven. As she neared the cottage her flagging strength was plainly evidenced in her reeling steps and diminished speed. Doctor Ailinghani watched her with a maddening anxiety. " She will kill herself!" he thought. "I shall lose her after all ! Ten thousand curses on Lady Beaucuamp and her cursed pellets." Almost as the thought framed itself in his mind Nina pulled open the rough gate leading to the toy-maker's humble tenement. In a moment more she had flown across the porch and tottered into the room. At the sound of the gate-latch and the sight of the pale vision of loveliness that instantly confronted him, the artisan dropped his tools, rose hastily from his seat, and exclaimed in German, "Ah! what is this J What is this ?" With a wild, anguished cry Nina flung herself at his feet. " Oh, save me ! save me ! For the love of Heaven save me !" she cried. | " They are poisoning me ! They are plot—" The words died on her lips in a frantic scream. The rush of feet, the loud bang of the gate told her that her pursuer was close at hand. In the extremity of her terror she clasped the toy-maker's knees with the desperate clutch of the drowning. "Oh, save me from him! Pity me! Protect me !" she shrinked, turning a swift, shuddering glance backward to the door. As the wild appeal broke from her lips the doctor bounded into the room and to her side, and bent over her in a glow of passionate tenderness. "My poor Nina! My darling girl!" he cried, his voice tremulous in its caressing fervour. The words, the look, the tone, completed the girl's terror. As her shuddering, abhorrent gaze met his, she uttered a low, moaning cry, and the next instant swooned at his feet. The toy-maker warned by her relaxing grasp, hastily extended liis arms. But, before he could do more, young Allingham had caught her and lifted her to his breast. " Water, Rudolph ! Water !" he shouted, imperiously, bearing his insensible burden to a rude, cushiored settle against the wall. "Water! wine! brandy! anything that you have ! and be quick !" Almost before the command was spoken the artificer had disappeared, running hastily into the little kitchen beyond. He returned with a bowl of water and a bottle of Rhenish wine. Standing the former on a chair at the doctor's side he proceeded to uncork the bottle. It was done quickly and with a will; but his shrewd eyes watched young Ailingham's half-frantic efforts to restore the prostrate girl with something more than interest in the result. There was a brooding anxiety and questioning doubt in them that the doctor could not have failed to notice had he been less absorbed. The cork drawn, Rudolph poured a portion of the liquid into a cup, which he had brought with him, and hurried to young Allingham's side. For a little the latter took no notice of him. But presently, as a gasping sigh and a fluttering movement of the eyelids betokened the return of consciousness, he dropped the wet han&kerchief, and with a stifled "Thank Heaven !" wheeled round and seized the cup. Hastily drawing a compressible little silver cup from his pocket lie poured a spoonful of the despised Rhenish wine into it, and putting aside the remainder, gently raised Nina's head and pressed the cup to her lips, as she opened her eyes. Too weak to resist, or even to think of resisting, the girl sipped its contents, and again sank back to her former position. For a moment Doctor Allingham gazed down upon the white, exquisite face with eyes of mingled ardour and fear. Then all at once softly turning away, he motioned the toy-maker to follow him to the porch. "Dolpli," he said, rapidly, in lowered tones, " you must go up to the castle for me. It won't do for me to leave the lady, and a carriage—" He stopped short. The air of hesitating doubt with which the man was looking at him all at once called up the recollection of Nina's accusation. A half scornful, half angry smile curled his moustached lip. " You idiot!" he exclaimed, " you are thinking of what she said !" adding more quietly the next moment, "you can ' banish her words from your mind. She is insane. More than that, she is my patient and my betrothed wife." He paused again, ejaculating quickly an instant after, " And Heaven grant she may be spared to me !" That aspiration was spoken with such a depth and fervour of passion that Rudolph's last doubt vanished. " The master loves her," he said to himself. "It's all right. And, true enough, she looked crazy as need be, poor, pretty thing." That conclusion had barely been reached when a struggling sigh from Nina struck upon their ears. Pausing only long enough to silently and imperiously wave the man on Ilia errand, young Allingham at once hurried into the room and to her side. She still lay as he had left her, her eyes closed, and licr face deathly pale. "I wish," he thought, uneasily, "I could move her now, before she is able to say more. Rudolph is shrewd, and far too honest to—" The anxious thought was suddenly lost in a smothered ejaculation. His quick ear had caught the beat of hoof 3 on the distant road. Ho cast a glance at the doorway, and then, with aaotiier at Nina, bounded lightly to the yard. The sight of Rudolph's short, sturdy figure was enough. The man was running at full speed across the plateau, shouting and gesticulating as he went. With a satisfied amile, the doctor ran back to the room. " I'll get her out of this," ho said to himself. "The colour—or such colour as she ever lias, poor darling ! —is coming back to her face, and I won't risk her sweet voice against me. The sooner she is safe at the castle the better." With that thought he stooped and took her gently in his arms. At his first touch i the girl's eyes flew open wide, wild, and full 1 upon his. 1 CHAPTER XXVIII. i M OTHER A N I> SO N". ( It was but a momentary look that Nina 1 fixed upon lier persecutor. The horror of 1 realizing herself his captive again proved too : much for her feeble remnant of strength, and < without a struggle she once more dropped 1 into unconsciousness. < " Better so," muttered young Allingham, 1 bending down and pressing his lips against 1 the lovely bronze hair. "Better so. Silent ] lips are safe lips. But she must be cared for < quickly. I do not like these swoons." As Doctor Allingham spoke these anxious words lie hurried with his light burden across the garden path, and in a momeut more was rapidly making his way toward the approaching carriage. As the little gate crashed to behind him a bent, decrepit ' man, aged, probably, by eighty years, ' stepped from a, tall corner closet, and, after ; a moment's hesitation, Btolc with a surpris- * ingly quick, light tread to a wide casement ! commanding a view of the scene enacting without. Silent and motionless, he stood j there regarding it till the hasty arrange- j meats for Nina's comfort were completed, (

, and the carnage driven off. Hia oaze theis ) turned upon Kudolph. It was an earnest, questioning look, as though reading or > Jtrmng to read, the secret of the Wsthoughts. Bareheaded and coatless Rudolph • old man watched him his countenance cleared He seemed to have gathered something from the swarthy, full-moon face i immensely consolatory to him. His first : worc.s as the toy-maker entered proved that it was so. He said, "It is all as it shonld be, then. Rudolph ?" At the sound of the singularly fine clear voice Rudolph turned with a hearty but profoundly respectful laugh. Then he cried, •An, boarder! you have been reading me beforehand again ! Yes, it is as it should be. I, too. was in mortal fear at first. You heard her. boarder ? You heard her, boarder » You heard what she said ?" " Yes. I was just about coming in yonder." With that answer the old man shook his yellow-white locks in the direction. of the tall closet. "Ah. , " breathed Rudolph in frightened tones. "Xo cause for alarm, Rudolph,' , answered I the other, quickly and sadly. "I always | listen. But go on," he continned, returning to the point from which they had wandered. " How do you know it is right?" "She is insane, boarder, and his patient and sweetheart." "Ah :" There was a world of doubt, fear and anxiety iu that simple ejaculation. Rudolph read the tone, and cried cut cheerfully, once more resuming his seat at his work-table, "Never fear, boarder. It is all right, I promise you. I saw him, remember. He loves her as he loves his eyes, and no wonder. She's a ocauty, in spic? of her wild looks." The old man sat down without reply. His chin dropped to his breast; his hands to his lap. He neither moved nor spoke, but sat with eyes fastened upon the floorThe toy-maker now and then looked at him, but silently pursued his work, with the air of one not unaccustomed to such moods, Mecnwhile Nina was driven rapidly and in an incredibly short space of time to the castle. Mrs. Allingham received them at the gates, where she had anxiously stood watching the road from the moment of her command to Bernard. She led the way into the porte-cochere with feelings she had no intention of betraying. But at sight of Nina's pallid face, as the doctor tenderly lifted her from the cushion, she forgot her caution, and cried in quick, smothered tones, " Berthold ! Is she dead ?" Doctor Allingham's eyes blazed upon her in a passion too deep for words. Look and tone had said as plainly as look and tone could say—" I hope she is dead !" Replying with a stern, negative movement of his handsome head, he strode into the rotunda. stood there ready to receive her charge. "Load on!" called out the doctor, harshly. Tiie placid satisfaction of the woman's countenance was dispelled as if by manic. Grave and frightened, she hastily obeyed.. The doctor sternly followed, Mrs. Allingham, pale and anxious, close at his heels. Arrived at Nina's chamber, he placed the girl tenderly on the bed. That done, he paused one moment to try her pulse, and then wheeled fiercely round to the terrified Brigitta. Seizing her roughly by the shoulder with one hand, he pointed with the other to Nina. "Listen!" he panted hoarsely. "I love her ! I mean to marry her ! Harm one hair of her head, utter one harsh or disrespectful word, and you will wish yourself fathoms; deep iu the tea ! You know me ! Sec that you obey me !" .Ending with those significant words, he turned to his mother, and firmly but courteously takiug her by tiie arm, led her to the door, saying, " Brigitta is capable. She knows what to do and how to do it, and it is better that the poor child should not open her eyes -ipon either of us. Besides, I wish to talk with you." As they passed into the corridor he suddenly paused, with his hand on the door, and looked back at Brigitta. '' In less than five minutes I shall bring. the necessary restoratives," he said, rapidly. "In the meantime get her to bed without. the slightest delay." With those words he cast a last impassioned glance upon Nina and closed the door. Addressing a hasty apology to his mother, he dashed past her and down to his study for the promised restoratives. By no means sorry to be relieved of his companionship for awhile, Mrs. Allingham pursued her way to the same drawing-room from which they had been so unexpectedly and startingly drawn. There Uoctor Allingham, a little later, found her. Mrs. Allingham received him in.. silence. Her eyes fastened solicitously upon. his white and agitated face, she waited tohear what he had to say. He wasted n» time in needless words. Flinging himself into a chair clo;e to her own, he began harahly and abruptly with this straightforward declaration : I "The best." he said, "and, indeed, the only way to preserve our unity is to makft it clear to your mir_d that n.y plot is eminently worthy of your fr-.1l and earnest commendation—that it is one which wholly ancf solely considers our advantage to the complete exclusion of Lady Beauchamp." "Ah!" iuToluntarily breathed Mrs. Allingham. "Lastly," pursued the doctor, heedless ofr ihe interruption—"lastly, it is a plot as deep, as the sea, and capable of being successfully developed down to the minutest particular." . He pau?ed there with darkening brow. Mrs. Allingham leaned toward him in a breathless interest. He harshly resumed: "I am. determined on this thing. All the powers of Hades combined should not stop me!—" He suddenly checked himself, hesitated, and then continued slowly in lowered tones i " But one power could stop me—the power of hate ! It is said that love can turn tohate. How can Ibe sure that she may not drive me to that by her—" Again he stopped, and Mrs. Allingham, shaking off his grasp, cried : " The plot! the plot! Give me the plot?" "Hah!" ejaculated the doctor, in quick, exulting tones. "Sol have interested you in the plot ? Good : you shall hear it!" He paused, drew his chair a little closer to. hers, and began. • [To be continned. J