THE MOTHER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13523, 22 August 1907, Page 3

THE MOTHER.

' PUBLISHED Br SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

BY EDEN PHILLPOTTS, Author of " The Secret Woman," "Lying Prophets." etc., etc [ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.] [COPYRIGHT.] BOOK 11. CHAPTER XXI. LIZZIE WEDDED.

Mb. Anriirn Bkowx displayed a good many little virtues, but above all he prided i'-'V-' himself upon a well-regulated mind. When, %';': : therefore, his wedding day arrived, it found '■'• him calm and perfectly prepared. His ;''-'" hand did not shake as ho shaved himself, • and ho parted his hair down the middle with neither more nor less caro than usual. ; A fortnight of the honeymoon would be ' * ' spent at Hfracombe and a fortnight in London. Lodgings were already '/ngaged and "' '...' expenses calculated to the. last, half-penny. J • One five-pound note was allowed for possible luxuries. Arthur did not approve of ;:. the- theatre, but hoped to take his wife to a conceit or two. Ho also designed to ~' enlarge and edify her intellect at many places where- instruction and entertainment went hand in hand free of cost, Lizzie K . had. never been to London, and the pros- ' pect was a delight to liei. She looked a dainty little thing in her 3 ; ; white mtfidin; but she, too, was very staid and showed no emotion under the "ordeal. i • Only her grandmother wept « little in the : - vestry, and Avisa's beautiful eyes shone "' . to see her maiden given into the keeping ■' ' of a man. .'''•.- : ,- All who cared for the Pomerovs con- " - , trived to be present, because this was held ■',-< an important wedding. Mr. Brown had very lew relations or intimates, but a > i , schoolmaster or two attended the cereV mony, and his friend, a Harold Wilkinson, .; a young jeweller from London, acted as best man. The bridegroom did not entirely : approve of many among the wedding guests, though, he kept his opinions to himself, and was reasonably gracious both - before and after the ceremony. It remained for Ives to cast a cloud upon the day; and he chose a moment peculiarly"'-.'•.' ly inappropriate to do so. Some had driven " and some had walked back from the wedI ding, and he preferred to return home i/.v' afoot. With him cam© Joel Toop and - Emanuel Codd. I • "Be sure not to mention it," said the ' publican; "but 'twill be out soon, only 1 wanted the wedded pair to get off with- ;: |. jut hearing the news. They'll toll the 4 *. : -,■ bell this evening. Such is life — wedding peal in the morning and the knell for the - , corpse afore sunset." ' / ■;-*.;/■?'. "Who's dead now?"' asked Ives. "A. very poor, small morsel of flesh, *« and a great, deliverance, no doubt, for all concerned. Not that they see it so. "Lis I . Samuel Bolt's baby, in fact. They found her dead this morning." "That's a good thing," declared Ives. "Anyway, Jill will think so." -"'And I daresay' she knows more about it, than she'll tell the ;oroner," growled ,- Codd.

Ives looked at him dangerously, but tiie . ' old man missed his glance. "There'll be a little feeling without a .doubt," added Joel. "My" brother was up. so soon as he heard about it, tc comfort all parties and take the measurements him- . ' , self— thing he does for a neighbour in his large-hearted way. And I'm sorry to .say that-there was high words going. " In ( , fact, old Rachel have made herself mighty , . ill, and the doctor, when he cotmd, virs ■ busier with her than with the dead cl:Mcl. ;'. < Sammy's sitting in a corner crying' liL e\es out, and Jill's like a statue. She's put "on mourning as- cool as a cucumberseemed • to have had it ready by the looks of it— '. but t'others haven't growed calm enough to do such a thing yet." I "I hope 'twill be the beginning of a fibre of -peace for her," said Ives. ""That .old hag and her husband and his flute be- » ■ tween 'em pretty well worry the flesh off 'her hones." • / *

' "She don't get more than' she deserves." ':ii§~M answered Codd. "She's a hard case, arid - • ' well everybody knows it; and I hope they'll have the rights of this business.'' ''Really, you ought to be careful, Ccdd." replied Joel. " You come dangerously near t . to libel in the things you let yourself say. ''i 'Same day you'll fall within reach of the law, and that means money, I can tell you." j i -•* " More likely a horsewhip." said Pomei'j'i ioy. ; . " Old blackguard! The law's too r \' slow to tackle him. He wants a latherj ing to sting charity into his dirty heart— ,■:'"- makes a decent man sick to hear him snarling. If he'd died when he was a beast V of a baby the world would have been that much a pleasanter place. I've told him so often enough, for that matter." " Pretty talkon your sister's wedding day, too! Not even such an event can make you behave like a proper man, Ives Pomeroy. If I'd got any authority" ..;•'- "Shut your mouth;'' cried the other. _ "You haven't got any. and never will have. Keep your nasty thoughts silent; ,'■•[' don't spill em through your lips, to troti■i, ' ble your betters to-day." ' :"; It was in this frame of mind, that Ives took his place at the wedding board, and ■■..;■ every circumstance of the banquet increas- ■ •,' •ed his exasperation. The bridegroom's i!;;-?-\ frigid propriety irritated Ives to madness, though Arthur Brown prayed his part with ■':;.-, ,"_?. perfection that awoke immense admira- '„:• tion among the company. He smiled on a calculated scale of geniality in proportion .' to the importance of the guest. He made '•'■-. several pleasant general remarks at - the •': breakfast. These were thought out and . intended to be humorous. He helped Lizu • ,„zie to cut the cake. He tailed everybody "neighbour" except his best jnan: but the • jeweller, though a lifelong friend, he ad- , dressed as "Mr. Wilkinson." Arthur _■:./; Brown, in fact, suggested a great and good ';"• young man unbending among his inferiors. He did not flaunt, his superiority, but it . , was visible in his tolerant complacence. This, patronage even extended a. little to V>* Lizzie herself. ' He seemed to be at some- ■■-■'': body else's wedding. He suggested a .. -■ '",;.: youth of better birth and position than his ' ;.: : : company-^—one who was here as a compli- • * ment to inferior folk. The homelier guests •'. .'. felt a little frightened of him. Only Codd sneered under his breath to Rupert Johnson and' Joel Toop, who hat on each side . .of him. :!iy!. '~t' Ives, with a cloud on his face, ate his '> . . meal silently and'wished the matter ended. ; Presently, however, he caught his mother's .; ■_~;.■ eye, understood her expression, and made .; ■ an effort to be more urbane. A visa knew . -';-.- •• " that Jill Bolt's baby was dead, but she hoped that the bride and bridegroom might depart in ignorance of the fact. However, that was not to be. Peter Toop, in a moment of professional enthusiasm, spoke an ;, ; .awkward word, and it was overheard by Arthur. "Ah—taken from the evil to come, doubtless," he said. "In my judgment, a man of the somewhat infirm build of Samuel Bolt should not- have been per- , v mitted to have any hand in the next genev; ration. I have devoted a good deal of ; ; , t • thought to the subject, and—'' ■•:.-;' ■■-~ A cork shot dangerously close to. the .■;•; ' schoolmaster's ear and silenced him. Ives y. '.'Was opening three bottles of champagne, "■ and .whether he had intentionally or ac- ; > cidentally directed the first toward Mr. ', Brown, he alone knew. Everybody laugh- : I fid; the bridegroom smiled, and dried a \ . ; ' few drops of wine that had touched his we. Lizzie's glass was filled, but her .-;,.:,',» husband took none. He shook his head '.'...»;'. '■ „'hientlv at young Pomeroy, who carried 'round the champagne. , : "Must be true to ray principles—even to- .•.".'■■.';. day, ' he said; and Ives, with a short, not , •'-pleasant, laugh, turned to his mother and '•filled her glass. Meantime the schoolmaster talked to a farmer's wife who sat on his left. "I haven't signed anything, you know • '". . ; too liberal-minded for that, I hone. But R . I believe hi tcetotalism after having considered the question in all its bearings, so lam consistent and practise it. myself. I ■' '',' .™<i that, consistency seems a great difficulty ;L many people." <\' ',' : ' His listener looker! ;it him round-eyed and '"''tit «ii open mouth, but she made no answer. J 'he champagne allowed ;" lull glas;. to , ♦'very member of (lie company and left a drain for Ives hiim-i':. Having poured all I ~' . "'ti he returned to he. seal, fingered the i ' • "■■ «<m of his glacis, -ml waited for the health '! : > ' ■ ■ 4\'"'- *

of the bride ana oridegroom to be proposed. He was not happy and despised everybody about him but his mother. ..;'.'■'> To Mr. Peter Poop fell the solitary toast of the day ; for though the best man from London had prepared a humorous and witty speech on the subject of the bridesmaids, there were none— a fact which secretly disappointed Mr. Wilkinson, though lie pretended to be much relieved to find it so. _ Peter spoke somewhat heavily and infused a gloom into his reflections ill-suited to the event. His speech was long and never reached its peroration, for Ives created an extremely painful diversion and the wine that should have been drunk to <" sister's happiness was very differently applied. For some time the company listened to Peter's slow and laboured maundering, then people began to whisper among themselves. Mr. Code! was of those who bad the bad taste to talk. Ho addressed Johnson, who sat beside him, and by so doing much annoyed Joel, who said " hush !" somewhat loudly once or twice and edged away from the labourers. Then it was that Ives overheard 3 sentiment and instantly exploded. Emanuel Codd, ghoul-like, appeared incapable of dragging himself away from the dead baby. He had done what he could to asperse Jill from one direction; now he went further and reflected against her from another.

" Bah! The likes of her don't care a : rush for law and order. Perhaps I know and perhaps I don't know who was the father, but it wasn't that slack-twisted toad her husband, mark me!" This assertion was not designed ior any other than his fellow- worker, but. unluckily for Mi. (.'odd. young Pomeroy heard every syllable, rose, roared, sought a missle and found his wineglass. "You vile old wretch he cried. "Why haven't the women wrung your skinny neck afore to-day? Why don't "these respectable people here kick you out into the gutter ; where you ought to be? Take-.'that and ; get you gone, yon loathsome beast!" lie flung bis wine into Mr. Codd's face and then leant from the table. Consternation prevailed. Mrs. Pomeroy rose; Arthur Blown shrugged his shoulders. " Even to-day he murmured reproachfully to Lizzie. Ives went nit without a word; Emanuel Codd drew forth a red handkerchief, spluttered into it and mopped his face. . "I give notice!".he screamed out. " Mark me. nil you people, as have seen me c, cruel ill-used by that infernal young youth —I give notice from this day month! I'll endure no more of it, no more of it. And how God A'michty can suffer that man beats me. 'Tis throwing away good patience to let him go on, and I don't caro who hears me say so." He also left the table and at the door turned and lifted his voice again. " He'll strike in His holy time, be sure of that. And T hope that T sha'n't drop afore right's done, for I shouldn't rest easy in hit grave to think that Ires Pomeroy was still trampling the earth after I was under it. And T hope I'll be the Lord's tool to smite him!" "Co away and hide yourself said Joel Toop sternly. ."You're a bad old man, and I heard what you were saying myself, and you got no move than von deserved. And as to your being the Lord's tool, 'twill be a long time afore He wants such 0 horrid creature for any work of His. Get on, Peter." But the undertaker had lost the thread of his discourse and made no effort to find it, ■.'■■• " I command all present to drink to these here dear people," he said. " Good luck and long life and prosperity to Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Brown!" Lizzie kept her tears out of sight and soon retired to make ready for her journey. Mr. Codd went to his room, doffed bis festive, attire, put bis wine-Wet coat- in the window of his attic to dry. and having returned to his cordurovsvwent out to work. He chose a spot for his labours immediately in front of the parlour window and toiled ostentatiously there, to show that for him the day's rejoicing and merrymaking were at an end. . Ives meantime waited for his sister and went up to her room with her. "I owe you a word, Lizzie," he said soberly, "and cruel sorry. I am to have made a fuss on such a day of all days: but I couldn't help it; and if you knew what that hatch-mouthed old -villain was whispering, you'd forgive me. For him to dare to tike away a sad. sorrowful woman's character at such a time! I'll tell you what he said some dav, but not to-day. Anyway. God knows that T wish you all the good and happiness and joy and luck and love that a brother can wish a little sister. Arthur's a rare sensible chap and T know he'll make you a steadfast, steady husband, and you've a right to. be proud of such- v. man, I'm sure."

She. shed a few tears and nut Iter arms round him, while < lie 'caressed her, kissed her unci patted her cheek tenderly. " You'm a dinky dear," he said, " and you bore yourself terrible brave, and—hero's mother. I knnwed she'd soon be tin. I'm telling Lizzie how 'twas, mother. So lonf; as vow and she do understand, T care not a rush for t'others." • ■ . Airs. Pomeroy. thankful for small mercies, felt glad to find Ives with his sister, and when he had left them, Lizzie explained that lie had received some very dreadful provocation. The mother doubted it- not and felt no particular grief over the incident. Indeed, her passing cloud of anxiety was quite, dissolved when she found her boy and girl together. His attack on M v - Codd and his subsequent speech with his sister Vith swans; from a love oF what was o;ood. So Mrs. Pomerov believed : and wjien her son subsequently told her the truth concerning the head man's imaginings, she blamed him no more. (To bo continued daily).