A BITTER REVENGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11537, 23 November 1900, Page 3

A BITTER REVENGE.

The Hon. Arthur Day stood under the rosecoloured lights with his face growing darker and uglier as the night wore on. His gaze was fixed upon a slight figure in white gliding round- and round the ballroom in the arms of a man he hated heart and soul. He stood still, with bent head and knitted brows, -while the stupid band kept up the incessant " thum thum" of a Strauss waltz. He could have shot the whole lot—the bandmaster with his ivory stick and the men in their gold braid, and the women who were waiting for him to claim his dances. But better still, he would have liked to shoot the tall man against whose splendid shoulders the fair hair of the girl he loved shone bright and soft. An hour ago ho had not been sure whether he loved her or not. It was only since she had refused him that he had been so decided, and now there was in his heart a whole sea of rage and envy and spite. It was all the more maddening because he had not really meant the proposal that had burst so Wildly from his lips. Governesses and poor people of that kind had no business to be so beautiful. He had been a fool, of course; but still-

He stared angrily round the glittering ballroom with the mixed crowd that had been gathered together for Lady Brent's harvest dance, and once more his eyes sought out the fair face of the girl who, an hour ago, had told him she was engaged to be married to Captain Jacks. Tho sight of the happiness on their two faces filled him with a wild desire to shoot any and everybody concerned. Certainly they should not go scot free. Something should happen. He would end their engagement somehowby hook or by crook—and if nothing succeeded over herewell they wore off to Africa in a week or two, and who could tell what would happen there? Fair or foul, something should happen there. Tho sea of dancers swept past him, and then .suddenly the flashing gleam of diamonds on a girl's neck caught his eye. ■ Her face, thin and'hard, smiling at him over the head of a heavy partner, reminded him that he was pledged to the next dance with her. The flashing of the diamonds also reminded him that sho was an heiress, and that Jacks was as poor as the girl he was going to marry, and during the next five minutes before he wont to claim her ho speculated as to whether it was worth burdening oneself for life with a hideous wife of uncertain age, for the sake of ten thousand a-year, and he found himself staring with greedy eyes at the diamonds round her neck when he faced her. "Who do you dance with next?" ho asked. Sho consulted her card, and showed him Jacks' initials scrawled against the number. "Then lot's sit out, Miss Tumor," he said. " It's cool on the lawn, and the moon is rising, and under tho trees — She flashed a look at him and took his arm, and together they went out, she with a foolish flush on her thin face, he with an odd and ugly look on his. Ten- minutes later another waltz had ended, and hot couples were strolling from tho ballroom on to the grass. Among them were Lillian and Jacks, and just as they passed by the sweeping oaks where Day was sitting with his heiress. Day leant forward. " Persuade Jacks to sit this out, will you," he said, " and I'll come back to you here?" His fingers stole under her soft wrap round her neck. He bent and looked into her eyes, and then suddenly at the sound of footsteps behind hei she started and drew back. "Yes, yes, I'll wait for you here," she whispered, and Day rose, still with the odd look on his face, and went towards the ballroom. He passed Jacks and Lillian as he did so, and tho look grow uglier. "She shan't marry him," he muttered to himself. " I'll ruin him and bo revenged on them both." He went in under the glittering lights and disappeared. Lillian shivered a little as he passed her and tightened her grasp o« Jacks' arm. " Oh, Stanley, I wish you weren't going to Africa with that man," she whispered. He turned to her. " But why, darling?" ho asked. "What makes you say that?" She shook her head. "He hates you." she said. "He hates us both: but. I'm afraid of him for you, and, oh, I do wish something would keep you at home next month." He held her hand under his arm. "But, darling, you know I want to get on for your sake, and if I stayed—" "Oh, I know. I know. I'm only silly, and perhaps after nil he doscn't really mean anything. But I don't like him, and you'll be careful of him, won't you, Stanley?" Jacks nodded, and then handed her over to the partner who came to claim her and went in search of his own.

He found her under the trees where Day had left her, her hard face still flushed, her eyes bright and longing. As the- next dance ended, however, and Day did not return, the flush died away, and her eyes turned anxiously to tho lighted house. She waited with a boating heart, but no Day came, and it fell hopelessly at last when .Tacks asked if he should take her back. He wanted to get hack to Lillian. It was only a week or two before his regiment would start, and after that it would be months and months before ho would see her again. He went forward eagerly and put Miss Turner into a chair.

As he did so some bystanders looked at him curiously and then down at the heiress, and a man behind him exchanged an odd, surprised srlanco with some others.

Miss Turner sank back in her seat, and .Tacks turned to look with eager eyes for Lillian. He could not see her, and he had scarcely taken a step across tho polished floor before ho was startled by a cry. He turned. Miss Turner had started from her seat, her hand to her throat, with a look of startled horror in her eyes. She was pointing at him. "My necklace." she gasped. "You are a thief! My necklace He stared: words choked for an instant in his throat, but l>efore he had time to speak someone pulled from the pocket of his coat a long, glimmering chain of diamonds. He started back horror-struck. " But where— don't understand," he stammered. Miss Turner sprang forward. "Thief!" she cried, fiercely. "Where are tho detectives? Lady Brent—oh. Lady Brent, Captain Jacks is a—— thief!" There was instant confusion. One could scarcely tell what was happening, except that Miss Turner had lost her jewels and that Captain Jacks had been arrested for the attempted theft. Ho stood white and confined and helpless while the detectives who wore attending the dance on the look-out for any members of the " swell mob" who migh' endeavour to be present, hurried forward and prepared to take him away. People camo running back to the ballroom —men and women, startled and surprised, and among them was Lillian, who had heard only half the truth. She pushed her way forward with her little clasped hands against her breast, with her eyes wild and dilated, and pave one look at him. As she looked all the full horror of the scone full realisation of all it would mean for him came to her. He was poor terribly poor—and the chance ho would have abroad meant everything to them both. Yet now this horrible business would put an end to everything—to hit' career, his honour, almost his very existence. •She hid her eyes in her hands with a shiver, then looked up again—with a little gasp for breath, as if to gain courage, and pushed her way through. " Oh. — I —oh, Lady Brent—forgive me," she cried ; " but it was T who did it. .I— I— didn't mean it! Oh, Miss Turner, youi know I——didn't mean it!" She looked eagerly at Miss Turner's face, but her eyes were hard and her lips tight. " T don't know who did it," sho said, vindictively. "But it was found in Captain Jacks' pocket. It was pulled out." Lillian hurst into a hysterical sob. " Oh, yes, I——know. I did it. I put it there. Oh, yes, it was I who did it." They stared at her. It was incredulous absurd. No one behoved her; but, all the same, unless there was positive evidence of Jacks' guilt, her declaration would clear him. Someone pushed up a chair for her and she dropped into it, her faoo growing white and pinehod. She stared round wildly. The questions they were asking her bewildered her. She must invent some story—something that would clear him—anything, so long as it would prove his innocence, or gain time. Her eyes fell on Day standing at tho back of the crowd. She gave a sudden shudder of comprehension, and turned to the detectives with her brows knitted and her lips set. She remembered that Day and Miss_Turner had been sitting together on tho lawn, and sho remembered that Jacks had taken Day's place when he had gone back. After that, ten minutes later, Miss Turner's necklace had been seen hanging from Jacks' pocket. That much was clear tc her and the story to toll flashed across her. "It was lying on thf- grass, she cried, unsteadily, " and I—did it—because—" She broke off and looked round, and something ugly that she saw in Day's face urged her on. _~,., ~, ■»,. "I don't know why I did it. Oh, Mies Turner, forgive mo. I didn't moan to steal , it—l swear I didn't mean to steal it."-

She broke at last into hysterical sobbing, and Lady Brent began to lead her away. Jacks started forward. _ ~ " Someone has arranged this,' he said. " It's a trick. She didn't steal it. Someone has played us a cruel trick." . „ But no one believed him. " Kleptomania people said, and shrugged their shoulders, and meanwhile the excitement began to die down. Five minutes later Lady Brent came back to ask everyone to say nothing about it—to keep everything that had happened that night secret. Lillian was hysterical, and hysterical girls were often irresponsible, and she was afraid if it became an open scandal it might make the poor child ill. Jacks strode forward. "May I go to her?" he cried, "and will Miss Turner come with me and the detectives? She didn't do it. I know she didn't do it! Td stake my life on it! She's said so to save me, and there's something at the bottom of it!" Lady Brent. instantly gave her consent; but though they bent their heads together for the rest of the night, they came no nearer the solution,"except Lillian's frantic reiteration that Major Day had had something to do with it. But against that was Miss Turner's emphatic and absolute declaration that he had not; and if she was not to know, who was? She did one good-natured thing, however. Before the guests began to leave she stood up and announced her belief in the innocence of both Captain Jacks and Lillian Ellis. The theft was as big a mystery as ever, but she was quite sure that neither of them had had a hand in it. As she spoke, Lillian slipped her hand into Jacks' and glanced across at Day, still on the outskirts of the crowd. Was it her fancy that he shot an especially venomous glance back at her? Three months later there had been hot fighting in Africa, and where a battle had been raging a few hours before, two men faced each other. One was lying on his back and beads of perspiration stood out on his grey face. " You are sure she will forgive me?" he asked, hoarsely. " I think I could die easily if I could know that." Jacks bent down. "She will, she will," he' cried. He put his strong arm round the other's shoulder and held the flask to his lips again. I'm glad I could write ityou've got it safe, Jacks? And you'll give it into her own hands and show it to Lady Brent, so that they'll all know—you'll be sure to let them all know?" Jacks nodded. " Yes, yes," he said, uneasily. " But never mind that now.'' It is nothing things are trivial in the face of all this. Try and make yourself easy. Never mind me, old boy." Day turned slightly and tried to look up. "And—you won't—ever let her know— that I tried to shoot you out hero, will you?" he asked hoarsely. " You won't tell her?" "Never, never!" cried Jacks. " I'm a cuir. I'm not fit for you to touch me," cried Day. "It never occurred to me— when I tried to shoot you yesterday—l—never thought of her. And nowto-day risked your life for nunc. You nearly got killed yourself. Oh, forgive mo, Jacks." But Jacks had done so already. And later on he handed Day's confession to the girl he loved.