JUST A GIRL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10034, 22 January 1896, Page 3

JUST A GIRL.

BY CHARLES GARVICE, • Author of "The Outcast of the Family," "Queen Kate,"" In Cupid's Chains," " Better Than Life," "On Lore's Altar ; or, A Fatal Fancy," "She 'l'rusted Him."

CHAPTER XX. Continued.) The horses went fast, London was soon left behind, and the green lanes of Surrey reached. With every mile he folb as if he were leaving the pasb—Ada— behind him, and with every mile a sense of relief was increasing. iS'ow and again he glanced at Esmeralda. She was quite motionless and breathing regularly, and he thought of the Sleeping Beauty. A childish fancy for so grave and world-worn a man, but a sweet ono. He had been the prince to call that sleeping innocent soul of hers into life and love. The thought sent the blood coursing through his veins, and filled him with a new-born sense of joy. He thought of her, nob her money, of the girl, nob the millionairess, whom he had married to eave the great house of which he would some day be the head. He had vowed to love her and cherish her ; why—why should lie not love her? The magazine, stored with delightful stories and clever illustrations, remained unread.

Esmeralda was nob asleep, bub sho kept her eye 3 closed and remained motionless until the carriage slowed off, and passing a tiny lodge, drove up a narrow but well-kept drive ; then she opened her eyes. She was pale still, bub tho resb had soothed her nerves, and the terrible tension was relaxed.

"We have arrived," Trafford said. " Are you rested, dearest ?" She started at the endearing term. " Yes, yes," she said in a subdued voice. " How long it has been I" " Yes, I am afraid it has been too long, too tiring for you," he said. " Perhaps, after all, we ought to havo gone by train.' The carriage drew up ab tho house, and the footman opened the door. Barker, who had como by the train, was on tho steps. Esmeralda saw a pretty cottage, with brown boams projecting through tho creamcoloured stone, and with lattice windows daintly curtained with muslin. The hall was a miniature affair, with old oak furniture. There was a big china bowl of roses on the table ; a sweet perfume of " country" flowers— how difforenO they are to tho offeto London orchid-through the place. Trafford dismissed tho carriage —they had Esmeralda's pair of ponies and a "jingle"— a square govorness cart—then led tho way to the drawing-room. It was tiny bub oxquisitoly dainty, with its decoration of white and gold and its light Japanese furniture. Another bowl of roses stood on a side table near the Lilliputian piano. He took Esmoralda's hand. " lb is fairyland !" ho said, with a laugh. "Let us explore." They crossed tho hall into the diningroom, and found it to be almost as small as tho drawing-room. Tho furniture was of light oak, and tho tiny side-board glistened with silvor and cut glass. There were flowers there also. There was a small morning and smoking-room behind it, and a conservatory glowing with simple plants ; no orchids anywhere. Trafford looked round with a smile of satisfaction and anticipation. " I have often dreamed of this kind of house," ho said. Esmeralda said nothing. Its petite boauty and rusticity would have filled her with delight under other circumstances; but it soemed just a prison to her, and no more. " Will you como upstairs, my lady ?" said Barker, who had hovered about them. Esmoralda looked round to see who "my lady" was, then started as she realised that it was herself, and she followed Barker up the narrow stairs, builb and balustraded liko a baronial staircase in a miniature.

Trafford looked up after her. "Get some rest, Esmeralda," he said. "Wo shall not dino till—what hour, Barker ?"

" Seven, Lady Wyndover said, my lord," said the housekeeper, an elderly woman, who looked like a dean's widow ab tho very least. - , , ..-'.. *,< " Look after your mistress, Barker," Trafford said; and the delighted Barker bowed, and said:

" Yes, my lord." Esmeralda's room was small like the others, and like the othora as'dainty as a piece of Drosden china. lb was all white and sea-blue, and flowers were evorywhero and filled the air with their perfume. Esmeralda sunk into a chair and looked round her dreamily. " Isn't it a pretty little place, miss—l 'tteß your iady«hip's pardon—my lady?" said Barker, us she took off Esmeralda's hat and jacket. " I'vo ofton heard of it, but I'd no idea it was so beautiful. And it's all the same all through. And there's a dairy—a tiny little place liko a doll's house. And thoro's an orchard ab the back, and some meadows with cows and a donkey in them. I've unpacked some of your ladyship's things—l'm sure I don't know where I shall put them all—and what will your ladyship wear for this evening?"

Esmeralda roused horself. " Anything—it does nob mattor," she said.

Barker looked rather shocked, as if Esmeralda had been guilty of profanity. " Oh, my lady!" sho murmured, " I was thinking that tho black lace of Worth's—" " That will do," said Esmeralda, indifferently. "Yes, my lady; and"—as sho gob tho dress from fcho white-wood wardrobo- " there are only two men-servants, a gardener and a groom, and the pardoner sees to the cows. So different bo Belfayre, isn't it, my lady? Bub it's'tho prettiest place I eror saw, a paradise in a nutshell, I call it. Will your ladyship wear the diamond or tho pearl suite? Either will go with this dress." "Which you liko," said Esmoralda, absently. What should she do ? Koop silent, or toll him all she had heard ?

" The diamonds, I think, my lady," said Barker. " Your ladyship cirrios them so woll; it's very fow ladies can wear diamonds; they always seem to be thinkintr of them, whereas your ladyship doesn't eeom to know what you have on. And you ought to wear your best jewels to-night, your wedding-night, my lady." Esmeralda made an uneasy " I will wear what you like," she said. "But—bub I want a rest. I am tired, and—"

" Of course, uiy lady," murmured Barker, full of sympathy. "If you will iio down on this couch I will cover you up carefully, and you can try and sleep till it's time for me to dross you. His lordship said you were to rest."

Esmeralda threw herself on tho dainty couch, and Barker" covered hor up" carefully ; but as soon as alio had left the room, Esmeralda throw tho things off, and rose and paced to and fro like a caged wild animal. Tho old Three Star spirit was burning within hor. She had been deceived ; her whole nature rose in revolt. At one moment the thought of flight flashed across her mind ; but that, she knew, was impossible. She had to " face tho music." At half-past) six Barker came to her, radiant and enthusiastic. " There are bees, miss-I beg pardon— my lady; ever so many hives, and the warden is beautiful, and so aro tho lanes, And it's quite out of tho world; I'm sure your ladyship will be delighted with it. I heard his lordship say that ho had never seen a more beautiful littlo place." She dressed Esmeralda, and steppod back, as usual, to admire the effect. "You look-" She paused. _ "That dress suits you, my lady, she said, with suppressed admiration. Traflbrd was waiting for hor in the tiny drawing-room. He looked a little impatient,— the first time since she had known him—and a little restless. She noticed that he wore a diamond in his shirt-front instead of tho black pearl. As his eyes rested on her, they lighted up with a strange expression. There was admiration in it, and something more, something that made hor heart leap for all its aching misery. "How well you look," ho said in an undertone. " You have been resting ? That is right. That is a beautiful, dress. Is it one of the now ones ?"

Two days ago his praise, the warmth of his admiration, would have thrilled her, now— |'I think so," she said, quietly,

He gave her bis arm and they went in to dinner.

"The cook, though a woman, was an artist, and the dinner was a gooa -one. A pretty maid waited, and waited well. Esmeralda could scarcely eat, bub she made a pretence of doing bo, and Trafford, though he noticed her lack of appetite, made no remark. Once or twice he leaned forward, from his end of the table, with the champagne to fill her glass; but ib remained full as the maid had at firab filled it. He did all the talking, and, even to him, she seemed strangely silent. "There are some pretty drives about here," he said. " The ponies are here, and I have told them to send some horses. You will like to ride."

" Yes," sho said, looking ab the plate. The maid brought in some dessert and a plain glass jug of claret, and Esmeralda rose.

" I shall not be long," he said. " One cigarette only." He opened the door for her, and would have touched her—on the hand or the arm, or perhaps the shoulder—but she kept away from him with a kind of reserve,

She went into tho tiny drawing-room and paced up and down. The words she had heard in the anteroom at Grosvenor Square rang in her ears. How could any man— least of all—bo so false— treacherous I Ho protended to love her, whereas he had married her only for her wretched money 1 How handsome he was ! How musical his voice! But he loved nob her bub Lady Ada. Oh, God! what should she do ?

TrafTord smoked his cigarette and sipped his claret, and as be smoked, his past slipped still further away from him and his future beamed more roseate.

He flung the end of the cigarette into the fireplace and went into the drawing-room. On his way through the hall he paused a moment to bend over the bowl of roses ; they reminded him of Esmeralda, She was just as fresh, as sweet, as pure. He entered the drawing-room. She was standing by the window looking ab tho sunset with largo dreamy eyes. As he approached her, he thought her the most lovely of the daughters of Eve. And Bhe was hie wife ! She did nob turn to greet him with a smile, bub stood quite still, quite motionless.

He pub his arm round her waist and drew her to him.

" Esmeralda, dearest!" ho said, and, there was love in his voice. " Are you happy— my wife?" She turned upon him as if he had struck her. " No 1" she said. CHAPTER XXI. "No!" The word came direct from her breaking heart, but), because of its very intensity, it was low and subdued. Trafford started, slightly, thon smiled; he thought alio was jesting; that, girl-like, she wanted him to ask the question again. Ho stood silent, and looking at her. Beauty unadorned is all very well, but beauty attired in a Worth dress of soft black lace, diamonds glistoning it its hair, gives the unadorned article very long odds. Esmeralda was a vision of loveliness as she stood in the light of the window; that light which is as trying to imperfect features and faulty complexions, but which only serves to accentuate the charms of a loveliness like Esmeralda's. It fell upon the bronze-gold hair and lighted it up until it shone softly, it fell Upon her olive palo-faco and touched it with a warm tint, rose on ivory ; and it revealed the depth and the colour of the wonderful eyes shaded by the long lashes. Trafford's heart leaped as ho told himself this marvel of Nature was his bride; his very own, and that she loved him! His emotion kept him silent for nearly a minuto, then he said, with a smile -. " This is the first time I have heard you plead guilty to unhappiness, Esmeralda. I am glad it was only in jest; you—" "It was not in jest," she said; ''lam very unhappy." The smile died slowly from his face, leaving his eyes last, as he looked at her. "I don't understand," he said, gravely but gently. "Do you feel lonely— I supposo a girl— taken from her friends, and entering on a new life—must fool it. But, dearest, you aro with me, with your husband—" "Yes," she said, almost ioaudibly. "That is it." •

Ho stood and gazed at her with a presentiment of coming ill; and ho noticed, for the first time, that her lips wero compressed and her brows drawn straight, as they always were when ehe waaserious or troubled about anything. "Esmeralda!" ho said in amazement. "My dear one, you—you aro not sorious!" Ho took her hand and held ib caressingly, soothingly. " Such words hurb me, though they are only in jest. You cannot be serious. And yet—let mo look at you '." She did nob resist as he drew her round slightly so that he could see tho whole of hor faco, but she was pasaivo only, and her eyos looked over his head and beyond him with a dull kind of resontment.

"Somothing has happened to trouble yon," he said, very gently. "Something since wo arrived. What is it? Don't you like this place ? the servants ? What is it ? We noed only stay the night; wo need not stay oven so long if you would rather go. Toll me, Esmeralda." "The placo is very well,"she said, and her voice camo slowly, painfully. "I do not wish to go—unless—" " Unless—what ?" ho asked. "Bo frank with me, dearest. You have no thought thab Ido not share. You say that you are unhappy. Great heavens! 1 can scarcely faelievo my ears." Ho tried to smile. " You know thab all my life is devoted to making you happy. Tell me what is wrong ?" "Do you wish me to tell you?" she askod.

His surprise grow ab her tone, manner. "I do wish ib," he said, gravoly. " There should bo no secret, concealments, betweon us, dearest." "You think that, you say that," she said, with a kind of sad bitterness. _ Would you answer me frankly, truthfully, if I were to ask you a question, Lord Trafford?" "' Lord Trafford 1'" ho said, raising his brows. " Why do you call mo by ray title, Esmeralda ? For God's sako, let us get to tho bottom of this mystery at once, for it is a mystery to mo. Of course I will answer you, frankly and truthfully. I am not in the habit—" He checked himself and spoke more gently. " What is ib, dear ono ?"

" Why did you marry me?" The face opposite him was thab of a girl, the voice that of a woman struggling with Sain and misery. He started and dropped er hand, and the colour flow to his face, then left it, and left it paler than before. "That is a strange question," ho said in a low voice, and with the ghosb of a smile. " A strange question from one's bride and at such a time. Have you forgotten that we were married only a fow hours ago ?"

"I have nob forgotten," she said, and her voice was altogether sad now. "Bub answer mo; you promised."

He laughod, but with an undercurrent of uneasiness.

'•I will, if you rau«b have ib. I married you because I love you." Hor eyes flashed ; tho Three Star spirit flamed up within hor. "Itis a lie!" she said, nob loudly, bub with terrible distinctness.

Trafford's faco wont white, and ho stood for a moment, breathing hard and looking at her as if ho had not hoard her aright. "What— is that you say, Esmeralda?" ho asked, almost inaudibly. " That is nob -.true—and you know ib I" she said. " Wait; I don't want you to answer mo, to talk to me as if I were a child, an ignorant girl. I- I should hate to have you to lie to me. Besides, it is too late." He stood like a man bewildered by a suddon blow. "Too late i" he echoed, mechanically. "Yes,"she said, with a little catch in her voice. " Oh, if ib wore not—if ib only were not! Lord Trafford, it—it is nob my fault that we wero married. I only knew the truth afterward—soon afterward ; but ib was afterward. I know now— now that it is too late—that you married me for— for-" She paused; the shameful words threatened to choke hor. "Go on," he said, with an awful calmness. —"For my money!" she said, in a whisper, and with downcast oyes, as if it were she who was guilty. (To bo continued on Saturday next.)