FOR LOVE'S SAKE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 10014, 28 December 1895, Page 3 (Supplement)

FOR LOVE'S SAKE.

BV DORA DEI,MAR, Ao(b , >r of "Sinner, nr Victim?" "In the Golden L'i'v,"" H.nl She Foreseen," " The Secret of I'Ftcourt,"" A Tempting Offer," Ac.

CHAPTER IV. r F p cottage from whoso lattice windows the light whs shining, and at whose door j, |~M Wilson paused, hesitating a little in ,' K > chill darkness of tho autumnal dusk, ~-u a tolerably spacious ono, with a protty fn l uMialiy well-kept garden before it, ,•!,:« niingl.v situated in the wooded roof Sir Geoffrey Lislo'a beautiful j tieli hid been built, some years previous to the late baronet's demise especially for tho ecruion of his head keeper, tho un-[jriiia.-ito man Drew, who was an old and ( 1 servant. Thoro wero rooms on p ]: i,,r -Mi' of the porch, and tho hall door ~ no »Imittanco into alow-ceiled passage, li:; l the hju-e had a second storey and a o .:.„nt high roof, with dormer windows. It „ ,s not .Mrs. Wilson's first visit to tho ] 'v little house, set so quaintly in tho v . •io I recesses of Sir Geoffrey's broad K mi l she had ofton thought what a I i; v and picturesque home it was. lie: heart was beating fast, and sho was r.i'.'kil' a little, as if she had been running, viii she knocked at tho door under the I . -h. Site knocked lightly, for over tho i ;,t the shadow of Azrael's wings hung !„ vi.v, making everything dark. Intro was no answer to hor summons, a- i after waiting a little whilo sho li-..vkt-il again, with the same result, t.: - v trying the door, she found that it re; ied toher hand, and pushing it open, j •lie entered the little passage, which was 1-:; dimly lighted by an oil lamp on a l:,„i;et against the "all. Simple as the ; i.'? was. it showed signs of some refineir- i.i and some taste. Two or three pretty i tl plates were hung upon tho painted v ills. A tall clock stood near one of the li.virs which opened into the passage. It was nut going—the lamp facing it showed that the hands had stopped at a quarter to twelve. I'tt.er ami complete silence reigned in the I.vie lio.ise, and for a moment Nellie ii.s'ii, brave, trim hearted little woman t . ugh .-lie was, shrunk back trembling [i.l taint, lest that : lent presonco she -.-tided should be the only inmate of the (m" ire. Then sh« frowned away hor fear j.n i forced back her courage, and softly t. ii the door on her right, from under which ii faint streak of light crept. It v.:!-;?.! toher touch, as the hall door had ii.and with a soft, May I come in?" 6. ■.■ -_-i ntly entered the room. it was a sufficiently spacious one, but !.mv ceiled, like the passage, and it was iunii-hed, not only comfortably, but with th-> same attempts at relinoment which r.t-re v i~: 1e in the hall. There was a lamp lighted and burning triiinn'ly upon the table. A cup of tea, full t>> the brim, and evidently untouched, ■ : Otl near it. The wood-fire was burning low upon the hearth : tho room felt c id itii l dreary. At first, Mrs. Wilson thought th.it it was empty; but almost immediately sae was undeceived, for her eyes fell upon ~e fold of a bhek gown lying near a chair, fibivo th' l back of which tho top of a w-,-man's head, coveted with masses of dark hair, whs risible. " I bei: your pardon," the curate's young wife said, gently; and she cauie slowly lr:ward, trembling a little still, find draw near the chair. There was no answer, and when Nellie Wilson's timid little movement? had brought her in sight of the figure in the armchair, she uttered a sudden exclamation r.f terror and sprung forward, uncertain whether : i was life or death on which her eyes rested. Was it a living woman who sat there, or had a third victim been sacrificed in this terrible tragedy in which already two had fallen! „ Her figure rested heavily and helplessly agaimt the back of her chair, falling a little sideways ; her hands hung limp and pendent over its arm". The face of the dead man in the adjoining room could not have been paler than hers, and her pallor seemed to be intensified and deepened to ghastliness by the masses of black hair in which i: was framed ; hor eyes were closed, and 1 the long black lushes lay heavily upon liar white cheeks. Ii any uncharitable feeling had been 1 lurking "in Helen Wilson's heart against ' the girl whose fatal dower of beauty had brought about such terrible consequences, it 1 i.iel a way completely and utterly before t-hedesclat'ion and helplessness of that droop- 1 ing figure. Her kind heart ached for the ! pirl who, in her extremity, had been left so utterly alone, and all her womanly tender- ' s?—which was not a small amount—was J aroused by the sight of this beautiful, desolate creature, who in so short a space of time had lest father, lovor, reputation, and honour, and had become a by word to those wh.'.m she had known from childhood, and who now, one and all, turned their backs upon her.

'!r». 'iV!!;cn decided that the poor lonely creature ir.'.i-t have fainted on her return from tl)f Li-le Anns, for she -"till wore a lent: black cloak. and her bonnet had fallen to ho ground bo->i 1 the chair, l'erhap*, even .-he wa° unconscious still, since she r-.-te l there motionless, giving no sign that she wa« aware he was no longer alone.

.Mr?. U'iljon gently took one of the helpless hands which hung 00 limply o/er the arm 0! ilia chair. It, was cold us ice-so cr/. 1 "fiat the curate's wife started at its t' ucii anil relinquished it. it foil heavy, mctif.iile.-s, inert upon the folds of Milliceufc I)rew p black gown like a dead hand, and I3tr.cn Wilson shrunk back a little in her Fiiu'lcl terror. The next moment she breahel freely again, for the girl had lav'i'lly lifted her hea\y lids, and was lr.kiiig at her with tlio wonderful, tragic (l.nk f-ve.« which had haunted the curates homeward way and his little lirelit study. "J li-ard you were alone, and I came to pee if I could do anything for you, 1 Mrs. V. 'i Mi i, gently. "I am afraid you are verv ill.'' A iint expression of surpriso crept over the girl's face, fading almost immediately ; hr ugh her lips parted as if she wore at; u! t>> speak, no sound escaped them, and hoi .• .r,i_r !,;.,ck lashes sunk again, as if she wi-rc rl:ifiiug back into the stupor from wiiicli Mrs. Wilson's presence hud mo-ißeiit-.riiy aroused her. ( 41 Vou c.inot be comfortable thciOi the clergyman's young wife said. "Lot me 1:'-.[ v.'i to the couch and cover you up, : 1 make up the fire. You are chilled ti thy Line, I am sure. Come," she ad ii- i, 1 itiier impeliously, as the girl lifted li'T languid eyelids again, and looked at nor iv.iii I lie same expression of surprise; "I wi i litiji you.'' '1 he girl made an effort to move, nut it was evident that fhs was utterly prostrato and h'-liiles' ; and HMen knew that her own sirt'i'.'ili was not siillicient torendor her the a-:s'uire which would he necessary. Sho a.,-, d, however, to lift the semi conscious girl into a more comfortable position, and brought the chintz covered cushions from tl.- couch. She propped her up with thorn, "ipp' rting the heavy head on her arm as -»!.t-lid so? Then, resting it back against ti,' l cushion, she turned to tho firo. It had (i 1 ) down low, but the wood was still red uvli.-r iv coating of white ashes, and Mrs. Wilson's deft little hands coaxed it into ft fi ifllO, which soon began to diffuse an "i'leeable warmth through tho room, which h.n! grown chill and cold. Having succeeded in this, she began tenderly to chafe 'lie girl's ice cold hands between her own warm Halo palms, gluricintr around as sho did »o to see if she could discovor any restorative. Shu could see nothing, however, but the "iitonchcd oup of tea, perfectly cold, upon th; table ; and, taking it up, she held it to lie white lips of her patient, who eeeraod 80 innipable of swallowing it of her own v oition that Helen gently forcod two to three spoonfuls through tlio pallid lips. Small as tho quantity was, io seemed to revive her a little, and the cheering warmth of the fire was having its effect upon her exhausted fr&ine ; for tho death-liko look "a? fading slowly from the beautifully chiselled face. "Are you alone in tho house?" Mr*. ilson asked, gently. " I think you ought) '<0 bo in bed. Is your aunt here!" Millicent feebly shook her head. "She is not gone " No; she will come—back." The words came brokenly from the pallid , lips, scarcely audible in the stillness.

" Have you any wine or brandy in the house, onnlyokiler Mrs. Wilson naked, feeling that the wrist sho held was almost pulse e( 8 . May I look? You seem so very faint that—" "Upstairs— in — my _room," was the answer, spoken very faintly. Helen Wilson needed no further Information. Had sho been less anxious about tins poor woman, who sootned to be almost ! n a dying condition, she might have hesitated to explore that deserted, desolate house; but she folt that ovory moment was precious.

A ith flying, noiseless feot sho ran up the steep little stairway, dimly lighted by tho ha.l lamp. Above, all was dark and silont, and she hid to gropo her way across the little landing to a door from under which a faint white gleam seemed to come. As she pushed it open she saw that the room within was dimly lighted by aprimitivenight light floating in a small tumblor of oil, One glance around showod her that sho had found the room sho sought. It was one furnished with a tasto and prettinoss she had expected to find in tho cottage. The protty frilled hangings wore of dolicato cretonne; there was a writing-table as well as a dressing table, and a shelf with books; photographs in dainty frames were placed hero and thero, and thoro was a square of carpet on the floor. But tho clergyman's young wife had no leisure to give more than a passing glance to these things. With an exclamation of relief, she caught sight of a wickercov<red flask of oau do Cologne upon tho dressingtable. A moment's search discovered a small bottla labellod " Sal Volatilo" beside it; and, snatching them up, she flew downstairs again, to find that, brief as hor absence had boen, the unhappy girl had sunk back into unconsciousness.

Somo minutes elapsed boforo all Mrs. Wilson's endeavours to restore hor gave any assurance of ultimate success; but at last Miliicent opened her oyos and looked up with a conscious regard at tho anxious face bonding over hor,

"Am I dying?" she whispered. " Don't —don't let mo Uio. lam —wicked."

"There is no question of dying," Mrs, Wilson said, cheerfully. " You are weak and faint. Drink this, and then I will get) you to tho sofji. You ought to bo lying down, my poor child." The tenderness with which she spoko, the sweet motlierlino*s with whion sho had drawn the fainting head upon her shoulder, wero of moro avail than the restoratives she had employed. The boautifui marble faco began to work convulsively, and, with a low, broken sob, Miliicent Drew caught tho kind hand which was bathing hor forehead, and, drawing it down to her lips, burst into a passion of tears, which, although they alarmed Mrs. Wilson, actod beneficially in relieving tho tension on tho unhappy girl's nerves.

"Oh, you aro so good!" she whispered through the sobs, which shook her from head to foot; " you are so good I It is your goodness which breaks mo down. But it is so good—to cry 1 1 haro nob cried once since—"

"My poor girl — poor Millie I" Mrs. Wilson said, her own tears falling fast, as she held tho girl in her kind arms, and thought how cruel a fate was hers, who, so short a time before, had been the gamekeeper's adored daughter, the village beauty, admired by all and envied by many, now shunned and deserted by all. The passion of tears, instead of exhausting, seemed to relieve her, and to restoro some of the power of movement to the limbs which had folt a little whilo beforo as if they were paralysed. The girl's health was perfect, and only a very strong constitution could have borno the r-train of the last week, during which she had not slept for an hour, and scarcoly tasted food. " I should have died if you had not como to mo," she whispered. " I think I was dying; and, although I prayed to die a little while ago, lam afraid now. I darenot— 1"

She clung to Mrs. Wilson with a fevorod strength, looking around her with wild, terror stricken eyes. "There is 110 one—here—but you?" she said, wildly. " We— alono ?" " Quito alone," Mr.'. Wilson said, gently. " I am going to make you some tea now. My husband and Doctor Lane will be coming tor roe soon, and I should like to seo you comfortably in bed before I leavo you." " 1 do not. sleep," tho girl said, restlessly. "I cannot sleep the nights nro so long now that I cannot rest. Sometimes"—she put up her hand* and pushed back tho heavy hair, damp And fragrant with eau de Cologne, which clung about her forehead, in which the fever pulses were beginning to throb—"l go out into the park and wander about until tho day comes. It is quiet thero, and there aro no condemning eyes, no reproachful words. This house is full of them," she added, shuddering violently, "Oh, thore are nono horo now—with you ; devils haTe to retreat before angola such as you. But when you are gone—" She hid her face, trembling and shivering like a person attacked with ague ; the icochill of her hands had given way to a burning heat. Helen Wilson, softly moving about preparing Home tea, longed oarnestly for Doctor Lane's arrival. She had not had much experience in illness, bub she could see that the girl was going to bo very ill. " How was it your aunt left you alone, Millicent ?" she asked, gently, when she had prepared a fragrant cup of tea and tho girl had taken it obediently. " She has gone to the iodge," Millicent Drew answered. " She hates me; it is painful to her to be here. She said it would boa blessing if I were dead. And I tried to kill myself, but I dared not. Yesterday-last night—in the nightl went to tho lake; but something held me back.' " Thank Heaven for the mercy which hold you back!" Mr?. Wilson said, solemnly. •' You must live to make atonement, Millio, for tho folly and sin of tho past." _ ( " Does atonement mean confossion?' tho girl asked, fixing her great, lustrous eyes upon Mrs. Wilson's gentle face. "Confessionoh, my heart! Confession I cannot. ! Hark ! what is that ?" Sho started to her feci, clinging to Mrs. Wilson, the heavy masses of her naif tumbling about her black gown, hor wild eyes turned toward the door loading into tho passage. , „ ~ "It is Mr. Wilson and the doctor,"said Helen, soothingly. But it was not a mi\n's footsteps which full so lightly upon tho pavement of tho tiled pa»»ago. There was the rustle of a woman's garments, and the next moment tho door of tho little room was pushed open by an imperious hand, and a lady onfcsred. (To be continued.)