QUEEN KATE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9611, 8 September 1894, Page 3 (Supplement)

QUEEN KATE.

• BY CHARLES GABVICE, Author of "'ln Cupid's Chains," " Once in a Life,' 11 A Life's ' Mistake,'' " Better Than Life," • "She Trusted Him," etc., etc. ; CHAPTER VII.

When Kate gob to her room she was trembling bub nob with cold, for she was all aglow. . .

She slipped off her web clothes, and changed them for dry ones, and wrapping herself in her dressing-gown . sunk into a chair) with her long hair falling round her, and covered her face with her hands.

She felt almost frightened; her nerves were in a quiver; and it was nob the ducking in the pool that had set them throbbing. Indeed, she did not know whab was the matter with her. Every now and then she felb herself blushing as if a hob blaab of fire were passing over her—blushing with " a sweet shame."

A girl who knew more of the world and love and lovers would have taken the incidents of the morning as parb of the day's work, and would probably have laughed at them ; bub to Kate, ignorant of the world and love and lovers, they seemed tragic. This " wicked" Curll Brendon had saved her life and carried her in his arms—for the second time !—had wrung out her dress, as if lie had been another woman, a lady's-' maid, —had offered to kiss her hand !

Ib was all terriblejusb terrible—to her, and the proud "maiden spirit" was indignant and outraged; and yet, and yet— was nob all indignation, and there was something beside wounded self-esteem. And ib was this "something" thab made her grow hob and cold by turns; for she could nob feel so angry as she knew she ought to feel. No woman could feel very indignant with a man who had saved her life, who had shown such anxiety on her behalf as Curll Brendon had shown for Kate ; and try as she would, she could nob help feeling grateful to him, and, what was far more dangerous, entertaining a reluctant admiration for him.

He was so strong — and women love strength—he was so cool and self-confident ana, alas ! women love the men who are self-possessed and self-reliant; and he was so handsome ! Even with his hair plastered by the water on his forehead, and his clothes clinging to him, Curll's good looks and grace had nob been effaced.

"Bub — she told herself, "he oughb not to haveto have tried to kiss my hand. It was hateful—yes, hateful of him !" Then, rather inconsistently, she sighed. " What will he think of me! He will think that I am no better than the farm girl he mistook me for yesterday ; that I only affected to be angry all the time ; and"—she started from her chair, and began to pace the room, as if her reflections were too painful to allow of her sitting still—" yes, he will presume on what has passed between us 'to—" She would not allow herself to finish the sentence, "make love to me but though she did nob say ib, she thought it, and the thought brought the colour to her face and neck again. She paced up and down, her hands clasped behind her, her head thrown back, her hair streaming below her waist.

" I wish he would go !" And yet, while she uttered the words, she was conscious that they were nob absolutely true. She tried to feel angry with him ; she recalled the way in which he had tricked her into fishing, bub the recollection, alas ! brought a fainb smile to the corners of her lips. Ib is true, she frowned hard the moment after, and she felt that his subsequent conduct had gone far toward wiping oub the offence. She was, indeed, very much like a bird that has been caught in the net of the fowler. It flutters to and fro, dashing itself against the meshes; it skrieka defiance at the hand of the fowler when ib is thrust in to seize it ; it struggles and pecks at the hand, but let ib struggle, and peck, and strive as much as ib may, ib is caught. Kate would have died there, in her dress-ing-gown, with her hair about her shoulders, rather than admit that she was caught; but she felt vaguely that the net was round her —that the hand of her captor was approaching her, and would presently have her in his masterful grasp. But she fought hard against the feeling, and thrust ib from her.

She scarcely knew what she felb; bub she was resolved thab, though Curll Brendon had saved her from drowning in Ammon Pool, she would nob " be friends" with him. She might have allowed herself to be if—if he had not tried to kiss her hand.

She remained .in her room until the five o'clock tea bell rang; then she pub on her hab, and leaving the house by one of the back entrances, went out into the lanes. If she had hoped to get rid of her thoughts of Curll Brendon by a change of scene she was disappointed ; for the sight of the stream shining in the distance recalled him and all that had occurred between them, and, as if she were doomed to be haunted by him, she heard his voice proceeding from round a bend in the lane.

She looked round as if seeking for some means of escape, and climbing over a gate, hid herself behind the hedge. Presently two persons came along. They were Curll and Polly Ford. Curll was carrying a good-sized lamb under his arm, and was talking to Polly in the frank, genial way which most men and women found irresistible. Kate saw thab he had exchanged his web suit for his riding cords, and, of course, looked none the worse for his wetting. She could nob hear what they said. Polly was stepping along by his side with de-murely-hung head, but a pleased expression on her face, and—well, Kate wondered, with a sudden pang thab filled her with shame, whether he had been making love to her. "It is just what such a man would do !" she told herself, as if in excuse for the thoughb. ' They passed into the farmyard, and presently Polly came out alone with a milking stool and pail. She was still looking pleased and was singing brightly; but the song ceased as Kate came and leaned over the gate. "Lor', Miss Kate, how you made me jump! Why, where did you come from? You weren't here a moment ago." "Yes, I was,"said Kate, almost severely, expecting to see Polly blush guiltily. " Who was that with you when you passed just now?" " Why, miss, you know, surely!" said Polly, with a laugh. "It was the captain who's staying up ab the Hall." " What—whab did he say to you ? I mean, how did you make his acquaintance ?" asked Kate. Polly gob over the gate— cows she was going to milk were in the field beyond —and Kate walked beside her, as she had done many hundreds of times before.

" lb was this way, miss : I heard a lamb bleating in the five-acre as if something was the matter, and I went out to see what was the matter. It was limping along, trying to lick its foot, and the old sheep running round ib in a rare fuss. 1 soon saw what ib was ib 'ud gob a long thorn in its foot. I caught ib, and was trying to get ib out, when the young gentleman came up to the gate and asked what was the matter ; and when I told him he leaped over—just leaped over as if ib was a mere nothing, Misti Kate—and he came up and took out the thorn with his knife as neat as—as if he had been the veb himself." "Well," said Kate gravely; for Polly had stopped as if the narration had conconcluded " Well, miss, then I thanked him, and he was going away; bub the lamb limped about still, and bleated as if ib was in pain like; and he said that the foot was swollen —poor thingand that ib miglib fester, and I said that I'd carry ib into the house, and shut ib up : in one of the stalls in the stable for a time. Bub be said ib was too heavy for me, and though 1 tried nob to let him, Miss Kate—indeed I did !—he picked ib up, and carried ib home for me. Ib was very kind of him, wasn't ib ? Him such a— a gentleman, too !" And she turned her innocent eyes upon Kate. s Kate tried to look indifferent, and even stern, still, • * <•- , " Yea," she said; "ib was kind. And— and what did he talk about? . For I heard bim talking as you went by." v ; ♦'Did you, miss!" ' said Polly. ' ( <Was you hiding behind the hedge, then J"" i Kate's ias3cri»sqiiscU,- ! ■ / •

" Nob"-hob exactly hiding," she said. ; Bub Kate was truth itself, and instantly she corrected herself. "Yea, I was hiding, Polly," j?he. said. " I<-I did nob want Captain Brendon to see me." .i ' . "No, miss?" said Polly, with candid surprise—" no? Why— mean, don'b you like him ?" and the innocent eyes opened like saucers. . . . . „ "N-no," said Kate. " That is—well, too, nob very much. But thab doesn'b matter.You, haven't yeb told me whab Captain Brendon said. Nob that .ib is of any consequence," she added, with a fine affectation of indifference. " Captain Brendon! 13 that his name ?" said Polly. "It's a nice name, don'b you think, Miss Kate? It seems to fib him, somehow, like Brindle fits our spotted cow. It sounds brave and—and grand like, don'b it?" ' "Does it?" said Kate, with unnecessary coldness. "Ib did nob strike me."

, Oh," Kate, Kate! "No, miss?" said Polly meekly. "Let me 3ee, whab was it that he was talking about Why "she stopped and smiled all over hen face"why, bless me! Ib was all about you, Miss Kate." 4 Kate frowned, and fought hard with the blush that threatened to rise. " About me?" she exclaimed, stooping to pick up a buttercup. " Yes, miss," said the unsuspecting Polly. "It was all about you all the time, now I come to think of it. He asked me whether you came to the farm often, and I said ' yes,' and then he asked me if I ever rode the horses barebacked, and I said ' yes,' I'd done sO ever since I Was a little mite.'" She laughed. "Iwas jusb going to say that you often rode Dobbin Darebacked yourself, bub I thought perhaps you wouldn't like him to know it, and I stopped myself. ; Bub I was only just in time, and if I hadn't coughed, it 'ud 'a' been out." Kate bib her lip. "Well?" "Well," said Polly, pausing a moment, as she drove a cow into the shed, and placing her stool and pail in position, began milking —"well—Lor ! now, your asking me has just drove it out of my head. Oh, I recollect now 1 He said that he should think, by the way I spoke of you, Miss Kate, that I liked you very much. And I said that there was nobody on earth I liked better than you, and that I'd love you, only that I wasn'b fib to do so, me being so lowly like." "And whab did he say to thab?" demanded Kate, keeping well behind Polly, though it was scarcely necessary, considering that she had her face half buried in the cow's side, and could nob see with the back of her head. "Well, miss, he said that he understood what I meant, and that other people might well feel like me ; and he sighed, miss, like —like thisand Polly, raising her head, assumed a mournful expression of countenance and heaved a tremendous sigh. Kate, still red, smiled faintly and waited. Polly thought a moment, then dived into the cow again. " And when I said that no one could help loving you, Miss Kate— " You should nob have said that," said Kate, severely. Polly looked round, with one eye, in amazement. "Lor', Miss Kate, why shouldn't I? It be the truth. Well, he said I was quite right, and that you were the most beautiful young lady that he'd ever seen, and that I was a very lucky girl. I don't know what he meant by that, Miss Kate; and I was going to ask him, but we'd come to the stables by then, and he pub the lamb down, and wished me good-bye, andand that's all." " You are sure thab is all—nob thab ib matters ?" asked Kate. Polly stopped milking, the better to think. " Yes, miss, that was all," she said; " except that he hoped that the lamb would get all right, but that he shouldn't be able to see, because he was going to morrow." There was a pause, then Polly remarked : "I wonder you don'c • like him, Miss Kate ; he seems such a nice young: gentleman. And he's so handsome, isn't he she added, naively. "That's a matter of opinion, Polly," said Kate, coldly. " Yes, miss; and it's handsome is <as handsome does," said Polly, wisely. " But anyhow, lie was very kind about the lamb, miss ; and they all say up at the house thab he's the nicest gentleman they ever met, and that it's just a pleasure to do anything for him. They're all mazed about him." She laughed. "Sarah, the second housemaid, says he's got the most beautiful smile, and that it's quite nice to hear him speak, and"she giggled again— calls ail the maids ' Mary,' and all the men 'George,' and that they don't mind a bib ; for Mr. Tribble, the coachman, was saying to father that Captain Brendon was the pleasantest-spoken gentleman that he'd had in the stables, and knew more about horses and dogs—" Kate started from a reverie. Was ib possible that she was listening to these praises of Curll Brendon, and listening with pleasure ?

" What a chatterbox you are, Polly," she said, gravely, but with a smile, all the same. "1 mustn'b stay here listening to you all day. Good-bye." " Good-bye, Miss Kate I'm real sorry you don't like—" "Mever mind," said Kate, looking over her shoulder ; " and—and, Polly, next time you meet Captain Brendon— you should ever meet him again—you are nob to talk of me; you will remember ?" Polly looked round with penitent dismay. "Yes, miss." There was a moment's pause, then came almost tearfully : " You're —you're not angry with me, Miss Kate ?" " No, no !" said Kate ; and she ran back and laid her hand on Polly's fair head carelessly and forgivingly. "No, no, Polly; it wasn't your fault ; I'm sure of that. 1 know that Captain Brendon could make you talk about anything he liked—" " Yes, Miss Kate, thab I do believe he could," admitted Polly, thoughtfully. He's gob such a winning way with him, hasn't be, miss?" Kate frowned. "Just as if he's known you for years, and you was his own particular friend. Bub if ever I see him again, I will be sure and not mention you ; and if he speaks your name, I'll tell him thab you told me not to talk about you—" Kate laughed. " You are quite hopeless, Polly dear," she said. "fro, don't tell Captain Brendon that. But, there, never mind; good-bye," and she ran away lest she should hear any more. She wenb down to the little village, where her appearance, as usual, met with a warm and eager welcome, and stopped at one cottage after another to ask after the old and the sick. As she stood talking to an old woman old woman who was always in need of blankets and port wine in winter, and beef tea and arrowroot in summera group of men, just home from work, were talking within bearing, and a word or two was wafted to Kate. '"Tain't no wonder we licks all created nations, when we've gob sich soldier gentlemen as him," said one, musingly. "He be as straight as an arrow and as strong as Samson, as killed Delilah, and he sits bis horse as if he'd grown uflon his back." ' "Ay, he do," assented another. "I'd a-like to see him a-ridin' into the midst o' battle, alayin' about 'un with a two-edged sword or a battle-axe." " I reckon as he could knock Jem Saunders"Jem Saunders was the Ammondale",strong man"—"down like a skittle ab one blow, iff** so be ho hib straight from the shoulder," remarked a third, expectorating slowly and thoughtfully. " Ay, I'd wager a pint on it ; and Jem's hard to down.'" The first man nodded. " Yes, he's mortal fine and strong, and as pleasant wi' it all as if he was just a Tom Thumb of a man. He comes into the inn just after dinner for a light for his pipe, and he gives us all good-day as if we was dookes; and then he stands a glass o'. ale all round, and drinks 'un hisself too; ay, just as if he was a mere nobody, instead o a real captain in the Queen's service." Kate's face began to glow again as she listened; and for once old Betty Martin found her rather inattentive. . , "All right, Betty," she said; "I'll send you the beef tea." . h > i " Lor'. Miss Kate, ib wasn't beef tea I was a-talking about 1" said the old woman, rather huffily; "ib was a pair of Stockings." ■ r, ; / : "Yes, yea; I beg your pardon. I— must have been thinking of something else. You shall have them.., Good-bye? I'm rather late,,".. , - ' .. And she hurried away, the . men's laudatiQlUtf ths following h§f, ; ' f,. : ~*-lTel& f Co#Mttuea»| . ' - .Vi. i