MAIDA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11878, 1 February 1902, Page 3 (Supplement)

MAIDA.

BY CHARLES GARY ICE, Intlior of *' With All Her Heart," " At Love's Cost." "Love, the Tyrant," " The Shadow of Her Life," " A Heritage of Hate," etc., etc., etc. CHAPTER XV.—(Continued). . As if the storm fiends had been dispersed and driven to the caves of the wind by the God of Love, the sky cleared, the winds dropped and the sun came out and shone down in a benison upon these two, who, unlike our first parents, had entered theirParadise and not been expelled from it— yet.

They were seated on the bank again hand in hand ; the shyness, the timidity that wait upon the first moment of the great discovery had fallen upon Maida, and Heroncourt was hi led with the awe that follows upon such a conquestthe conquest of a pure woman's heart —as his. They had scarcely spoken since she had yielded herself by that kiss, that voluntary token of her heart's surrender, but eyes and hands can talk a sweeter love's-language than even lips, and every moment of those wonderful moments Maida had been learning, realising, how deeply, how unspeakably she loved him. His nearness wove a spell of happiness that coiled round her heart; the thought that he must go even a few paces from her, that they would have to part, if even for a few hours, was a positive pain. It was so strange a joy to sit there with him; and yet they must go! She turned her eyes to his. "It is late." - . ' i-

"Is it?" lie said, as if he bad lost all count of time. " I don't know. I":— laughed, a low laugh of apology—"l can scarcely realise where I am— is happening. Maida, if you were to tell me that I had dreamt all this—that you did not love me, I should believe it; for the'other, the truth, is too wonderful. Tell me again" " I have told you so often," she murmured, with a faint, tremulous smile. " I love you. Ah, I like saying it. I shall say it to myself after you have gone, after we lave parted. And we must part now. I must go home " And you think I will let you go ?lone!" he said, derisively. "0/ course lam going with you, to tell your father, to ask him for you. For you! Think of —I can't! To think that you will be - mine; that I have won you!— wonder what he will say!" She looked at him with smiling gravity. - He will say 'yes;' why should he not, Lord lieroncourtV" _ ■■■■'. " For numberless reasons, Miss Carring-, ton!" 'he said, with loving ..mockery. " ' Lord Heroncourt,' indeed. My name is Byrneah, you didn't know it. Think of it! Not oven my name! But you know.it now ; and call me by it 3" "Byrne," she said, shyly. ' 1

" It's the best name in all'the; world now that you've spoken it!" he said. "I. know yours; I've thought of you by it for' a long timelike my cheek, isn't it And that's the sweetest name among women's. s ', ' Maida !' It's music. Ah, your father cut up rough—he ought to • I'm a pretty kind of son-in-law. Do you know how poor '_■ I am—that I'm up to my neck in debt - "I do not care," she said simply. "If • ~ you were as poor as Job, end maimed and , blind, you'd still bo you!" •| ' " ' -j • fyy He caught her to him. >* v'' ■* f ' V " Who taught you to say just the one * , thing the man who loves you likes to lear? You witch!" he • said. "Well, I'm as poor as Job, if not maimed and blind. We will 1 " have to live in one of the cottagesthe, tumble-down cottages you shino in like on angel sometimes- " .. "Very well," she said.- "And you shall t work in the fields and I will have your dinner ready for you—•" "You are picturing happiness," lie said. "Yes, we must go. How I halo it! Look at the sun; it smiles on us, Maida!" " All the earth is glad, I think," she mur- , " mured -shyly, and looking round; " and * ; there is something singing in my £ heart ~V, sweeter than the birds / > * 4* > *** ** * Their hands dropped apart, then stole together again, to drop apart, reluctantly and for good as they went up the Towers drive. Carrie and Ricky were on the terrace, and Ricky waved his hand and shouted'to Maida, then checked himself as ho saw Heron- . court, and raised his hat. ' " Who's that swell with her? Why, it's , Lord Heroncourt!" V- ; Carrie ran down the steps to meet tliaui. "Ricky's come, Maida—our friend has 1 come, Lord Heroncourt. Why"— broke oft' and. looked from one to the other and ■ caught Maida by the arm" whywhat has /, ■ happened? Why are you looking tike that?" At the sound of her voice, Mr. Carring;ton, who was hovering about the hall,, came out and stood ou the top step. Carrie took Maida in her arms and laid her face on the loving bosom. " Carrie!" she breathed. But Heroucourt took her hand and quietly vled her forward to Mr. Carrington. . ' " Maida—Miss Carrington—has promised • to be my wife—if you . will consent, sir," ha said. • . • ' " , .o' ,

CHAPTER XVI. ' " It was rather a dramatic announcement, < but Heroncourt liad obeyed the impulse of the moment, and to Carrie, at least, ; his -;i way of doing it seemed" simply splendid. / She pounced on Maida and threw her arms ' round her, murmuring inarticulate endearments. Ricky stood gazing from one to the other. Mr. Carrington stared openmouthed at Heroncourt, his round face red 'J 5 with astonishment and pleasure. "Youyou don't say so; you take me by surprise, Lord Heroncourt," he gasped. " Better come with bio into the library." * , With a look of infinite love and pride at ' Maida Heroncourt followed him. , " I'm afraid I've been guilty of a. breach • of etiquette, and have seemed rather disrespectful, Mr. Carrington. I ought to have spoken to you first, but— " That's all rijrbfc, my lord," said Mr. Carrington, waving ■ him a seat and sinking ' into an armchair, and his eyes wandered round the room—far too brilliant in colour '• , for a library, and with all the books gaudily bound in many-coloured calf and morocco. - 1 : " I'm surprised, as I sridnot- that any ■; man mightn't fall in love with my gel: she's one of the best , Lord Heroncourt— perfect treasure never— of 'em has ever given me W.f an hour's uneasiness— * and Maida— you know what she is)" " Indeed J do!" said Heroncourt, in a low. voice, and with a tender light in his dark eyes. " She is the sweetest, noblest, , most perfect type of womanhood— I love her, sir, and you will know how pre- .r| cious she is to me. That she should return my —ah, well, it is one of those mysteries which one cannot hope to solve." - V"? ■ • Mr. Carrington wagged his head; he was • C slowly realising that this man who had won ' : v 4 Maida v.-a a peer of the realm; that he, ' ; Carrington, would probably bo tho grandfather of a peer— Oh, how right he had been to secure the Roaring Jane ■ How wisely lie bad used the wealth which "might have fallen into the useless hands of Josiah Purloy I" :■: ;V"---"Of course I give my consent, Lord Heroncourt. I. shouldn't stand in the way ! ; of my gel's happiness in any event, whoever she. had chosen ; but it gives mo great plea- . . sure that she should have chosen as she ' ''i has done, I couldn't have picked out a man more after my own heart than yourself, Lord Heroncourt." * . ,

, Heroncourt bowed. : ' " ' "And yet I'm afraid you don't know very much about me, 'Mr. Carrington," he said, . gravely ; " and I am still more afraid : that , your approval will be qualified when I tell '-[V,; : you that I—l am not a very eligible suitor." Carrington smiled to himself, y Fancy an - V earl of such an old family, with a place like • . 1 i the Court, talking of being ineligible! .But •• * , it was very nice and modest of him. '.' " I ought to have told you, before' I as- .sM ked Maida— Carrington-r-to be" my • v . wife that I am anything but a'' desirable ■ ; son-in-law." . ' i;'o . .' - v 'J "Nothing wrong against you—you have- '.. n't got a ' past-,' as they call it, I hope,". ..Vj? said Carrington. • t Heroncourt shook his head. •.' • : . ' "I've not. much to confess in the way yaw ■; mean," lie said. "Maida is the only woman I have ever cared for, and. I have no—en- ' tanglements." ■. : Carrington's face cleared. "Well, then, that's all right," he said. ' " No, my past has been a-useless and fool* ■ ish one enough,''heaven. knows! But there ; is nothing other woman" . - ; - Mr. Carrington nodded with evident satisfaction. . v '' ' <j —"But lam terribly poor, Mr. Carring- .■■■•■ ton. Everything that can be mortgaged is mortgaged, and lam heavily in debt. •% I had intended remaining a bachelor and \ letting the title and estates -go to a young cousin who is still a kid—" . . Carrington shook his head with decided disapproval; ' ' "Oh, that wouldn't do at ail!" he said, v as if he were a man of old family, himself and realised the responsibilities of a man of Heron court's position. "Of course, it's your duty to marry ; Lord Ileror.court, you : ' : must keep the title and estates, you know." . "Well, I propose to do my duty, , with your consent," s«'*d Heroncourt, with a grave :;■% smile. " But it \ only right that you should * know my position exactly. I have only a:i I ; income of a few hundreds; we should not be able to live at the Court : indeed, it is probable that we might Lave to lira en tJ e Continent." ' '.••'Mr.'. Carrington leant back and smiled with a kind of genial self-satisfaction vid pomposity. ' . . - "X don't know about that," he • said.. ; " Look here, Lord Heroncourt, I happen to j be a rich, man; you may or may not know : how rich I am." . "I have never given the matter a thought —it would have made 110 difference to mo . 7 if you had been quite poor," said Heron- \/ ' court; and he spoke the truth. ■ '"When _> I told Maida that I loved her, had lov-jd - her the first time I saw her, I should havo asked you to give her to mc if you l.rd been as poor as lam myself." : ' : - "Very noble and— ".staunch : ■ ' English and manly," said Mr. Carrington, approvingly. "Well, Lord Heroncourt, I happen to be the owner, or very near the sole owner, of one. of the richest mines in Klondike; it's worth a million— : in fact, I don't know and I can't quite make .. "v < out what it's worth. Anyway, there's *_ enough money to make your poverty of no /■y-v-j consequence whatever" Heroncourt winced, but managed to conceal the fact from the self-satisfied parent. "In short, there's enough money for all of us, to go all round. I've no son— , worse luck!—and mv /.-rls"will inherit it - - ,3 all. Now, I might keep it till I'd gone off ( the hooks; but I'm • not going-to do that.£•;. •'p I thoroughly approve of you; in fact, I m proud of having you.for a son-in-law—l'm." uV" not a snob, 1 hope", but I've an -Englishman's ' respect for a title and an old family, and I'm goins; to make it easy for you and , Maida. Yes, that's what I'm. going'to do. Made up mv mind when you announced it . |||g on the terrace—and very nicely and manly . ; ;>■ you did it. I said: ' Here's a;gentleman, ■ ! a nobleman, who wants to marry my daugh- ' ; ;'M! ter, and he will want money to do it on. It's no fault 'of his that he's poor, and . it's a bit of good luck that you're rich.' So look here, Lord Heroncourt, let your 3 lawyers state what they think would ,be 1 v "> | a proper settlement for me to make on my. '! daughter, and I'll settle it. 1 ' What's more, | jJpl I'll take over the mortgages and leave ''em .1 to you when I die. s And that isn't all; ■ > * v -| I'll: pay your debts—yes, every one of them. \' •- J even to the tailors' and bookmakers' —oh, I i , . * J know that you geatlGmen, of fcirth and rank - |

have to live op to itand I'll hand you a lump sum on yonr wedding-day, saysay I.;'? forty thousand pounds." Heroncourt, still inwardly wincing, co- ' loured as if he were overwhelmed, as indeed he was, by this lavish liberality. "Youyou are treating me with extraordinary generosity, sir," he said, in a low voice. " Well, perhaps I am," admitted Mr. Carrington. "But I'm doing it of my own free will; and—l like doing it. You let me know how the sum figures out, and I'll pay it into your bank. There's no cause for gratitude. I've no son, as I said, and I regard you from this moment as standing in the place of one. Not live at the Court! Why, it's the proper pace for you. And, of course, you'll want a house in town—" " There is oneit is let," said Heroneourt. "Oh, well, it will fall vacant. And there isn't going to be any more lettings, Lord Heroncourt. Are there any other places?" "There is the castle in Scotland and a villa in Florence: they're all let, thank goodness!" , " Oh, we'll soon have 'em empty," said Mr. Carrington. " Perhaps you think I'm talk- j ing rather big, Lord Heroncourt; but I j don't think I am. I'm not one of the city mushrooms, springing up to-day and cut down to-morrow. No, my lord. ■ Yon or your lawyers are welcome to see my bankbook and go over my investments —" ' Heroncourt rose, horror at the suggestion fighting with his sense of the man's liberality. : ■ " Good Lord, Mr. Carrington!" he could not help ejaculating, " I've not the least desire of taking such a liberty. lam very grateful to you for your generosity, but I'm still more grateful to you for giving Maida to me, and I should have been just as grateful if you had given her to me without a penny, now or to come—" ■ Mr. Carrington rose and held out his hand. . " Spoken like a man and a nobleman, Lord Heroncourt," he cried. "You're a man after my own heart, and I trust my daughter to you with every confidence. I like you, my lord, I like you!" "Well enough I hope for you to call me Byrne or Heroncourt without my title," said Heroneourt, quietly. ' " Mr. Carrington coloured with pride and pleasure. • • • "Thank you—Heroncourt," he said, faltering a little over the novel familiarity. " I'll communicate with my lawyer at once —it's Mr. Spinner, as, of course, you know. And now I daresay you're anxious to get back ,to Maida. I needn't say that from this moment you're free of the house, as they say; just treat it as your own and come and go as you please. And look here, my lord—l mean Heroncourtl daresay you . find me rather rough and ready, just a little what you might call free I'm a city man, and we're not much at manners round about Coleman-street old office, I keep it for auld lang syne,' though, mind you, I might have , the swaggerest office in the city if I likedbub I mean well and don't you class me with my gels, especially Maida, who's a lady every inch of her., and equal to the highest of'em." "There is nothing the matter with your manners," said Heroneourt, concealing his : pain at the elder man's disparagement of himself. 'They're a great deal better than those of the men of my set —I mean the men I know. And as to Maida—ah, well!" He got outside—Mr. Carrington laid a benedictory hand on his shoulder and gently pushed —but Carrie had carried Maida off to her own room, and only Ricky • was left on: the terrace staring rather moodily at the view. Heroncourt went up to him and held out a hand. ■ • "I want to introduce myself," he said. ■ "My name's Heroneourt.' -" Ah, yes. I know. I've seen you at the office, Lord Heroneourt," said Kicky, already beginning to melt under Heroncourt's frank • manner and pleasant smile. % "•And you are Mr. Clarkthe Ricky of whom I've heard so much," said Heroneourt. "I'm awfully glad to make, your acquaintance ; and I hope you've got your congratulations ready, Clark." Ricky, who was more than half inclined to be jealous of this titled prospective member of the family which he had grown to regard as his ownj melted completely. " Yes, I do congratulate you, Lord Heroncourt," he said. "Maida is— I daresay you know what she is a great deal better than I do. But she's—they're both the best girls the sun ever shone on. I've known them for years; and Carriewell, Carrie has been a mother to the rest of the family—" ■ Heroneourt glanced at him shrewdly, and Ricky coloured painfully. ? —" And —why, if you were a king you'd need congratulating, and might be proud of winning her." - Heroneourt linked his arm in the lad's, and led him down the steps. - "You couldn't have put it better—if you'd tried," he said. "You and I are go- ; ing to be great friends, Clark—that is, if you'll let us. Now talk to me about Ca- ; rie. Have a cigar; I want one myself badly. You're an old friend! By Jove! I ] envy you I've known Carrie such a little ] while." (To be continued on Wednesday next.)