THE WAY TO WIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13709, 27 March 1908, Page 3

THE WAY TO WIN.

I ••••■'''••'" ■.' • BY MADAME ALBANESI, ,'. I > Anther of " Capricious Caroline," ■" The. 1 Author of " Capricious Caroline," "The I strongest, of All Things." " Susannah and One Other," " Love and Louisa," I , Etc.. Lto.

I [PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL AKEANGEMENT.]

§:">'- COPYRIGHT--1! ''" CHAPTER XIX.-—(Continued.) I 4nX k Dancuoi't wrote more than one letI * - ter to ClirMilU'' letters full of enthusiasm, | "*', fllll uWiope, full of approaching happiness. !• • \nd once Christine wrote back, only a !»•"••- few words, thanking Anne for these letters. I ' The news of Mrs. Bancroft was satisfacI | .... Each day she improved, still each torv- ■" • x ' H-tv lit' l ' sou came down from Loudon and | spent a few moments with her. He never : 'asked for Christine, ho never showed the ."'"(" aliffhtot disposition to know what was ' passing with her. and Casson was most • careful n«>t to speak his young mistress' name. .i In London there was much to hold Dan■""■v " ' P < croft, to engross him. He flung himself into business with an energy and enthusi- ■ asm which surprised even himself. Pie wanted to do the work of three men. His' ■--". justness instinct, his perceptions were not long in making themselves felt. He had "'• been merely tolerated at first, but by de- - ' " irrees he was not only appreciated by the wen about him, but these same men began •to feel that Miss Fielding had not chosen '' rashlv when she had elected to give this outsider so responsible and desirable a post. The life of the city changed Bancroft outwardly, too. He became less noticeable in his dress. His manner was less abrupt. Of all the men amongst whom he worked he made a friend of none, yet he would sometimes seek out Mr. MUlward. He liked to • hear this man speak of Henry Fielding. It gave him a strange sense of satisfaction ■''' ' when Milliard would wax - enthusiastic \

about the man who was dead. He felt in ,' such moments as though some little amend . -' • was being made to Christine for all the suf- ■: " -;' fering she had endured. "■■'''':''. Though Anne was back in town he did "not see her. He had written her one of his characteristic letters which Anne had -responded to in equally characteristic -'• -' i fashion; but lie knew what was passing wit .-his sister all the same, and he made it his business to find out all he could about the -young doctor with whom Anne hoped to HlilKe her future life." When he learnt that ': there was nothing but good to learn.of John '<.'■'"•■ Coniston he stood on one side, as it were. ; ,'- " Anne is to be envied," he mused once. "Everything is settled with her, she knows * . where she is going." : - ly. _ \ , - ":-■> '■:■ Though he never saw Christine, though '.; he never spoke, her name, his daily visits ;'"- to Himstou were becoming little less than f . ■' torture to Bancroft. The conviction that she was in earnest, the horrible suggestion •'•;•: that perhaps he was driving her to take a hasty step hung on his heart all the" time. .; And' then all at once there came an end : ■ to this state of things. >■>.;.' v" A telegram was received by James Dan- ;•> croft one afternoon just as 'he. was about to ~ ; start on his journey to the country. There (. was a reply attached to it. The young man frowned as he opened it. Telegrams •except as matters of business were rare in his life. He read the signature first and • \~ then ran his eye through the message Mrs.' : : ,'Dudworth had" sent him. " -/' '■ "Please let me know if news announced • in to-day's paper is really correct. Am : : - dreadfully anxious about Christine. \. Let me know how she is." ' : * At this very moment Mr. Millward sought . Bancroft on some important point of busi- : ness, and acting on a sudden impulse the young man put Mrs. Dudworth's telegram into Mr. Millward's hands. ; ' "Can you help me to understand this?" The other man shook his head. - i " We had, better study the papers," he 'suggested,'and lie gave orders that "various' morning papers were to be brought. When these came Mr. Millward said: :,''; The matter must "Be a social one; there-fore,-no doubt, it has escaped your notice and mine." ". - - • •■ Dancroft said nothing. A strange,, cold 'feeling had passed into his veins,,yet with it a sense of something akin ' to hope ; a strange, . a wild ;■ feeling■ - which made his hands tremble arid brought a' mist before ;'■ 'bis eyes. . •■'-',■' ■■:''.''.'.■ 'v. ';-7 ' '"*;■.'■'.'' ■'». Suddenly Mr. Mdlward gave an exclamav tion. .' - - '• • . v . "Here it is," he "said, and then he said: "My God! this is hard!" , . *. ,/ t He pointed to the paragraph. And James Daneroft took the .paper. For. an .instant he could not see clearly, and then the mist passed away. In a very few words it was 'announced , that the day previously S ; ... George Bmiistone had -been . married to ; Miss Constance L'amborough, and that following immediately on their. marriage, Sir '.-'■'■? George and Lady.-Burnstone,hadigone, on ; ; board their yacht the Flora, and would be ',".-; absent for many months. - ■ .• '_ \ :.' Mr. Millward paced to and ■ fro in the room uttering incoherent exclamations; but 'Daneroft stood like one transfixed. Hope /—'that strange, wild feelinghad -passed from him. His heart was aflame, a veritable madness possessed him; belonged to -'have his hands, round the throat of that "other man—that cold, supercilious, good*' •looking creature whom from the very first . he ihad hated and despised. He longed to . bring this man to his feet and put his heel • upon him. Those few words she had spoken ' with such despair out under the trees with the young moon shining upon her rang again and again in Dancroft's ears. She | had turned from all which she had tried to bear,- she had stretched out her hands for . love, for protection, and this was how she '"was answered! . Mr. Millward awakened at last to the • >: fact that there was something strange in bis companion's manner.. >'• 5(, " Do vjaa think she knows?" he asked. 'What shall we do?" * * • >. -And Daneroft answered in a quiet, low _•;■ roice. . v : y '. ( .... , "It is well that; he ha? gone or I/would have killed him." He did not realise nor care that the other man Mas looking at 'him with astonishment in JiTs eyeshe saw nothing, he 'remem- ' bered nothing but that slender young crea- ', ture, so exquisite.- in her fairness and her Badness, so adorable to him and yet so out "..of his reach. After a while, however, he ] ■;: roused himself. '■ ',*;. ' v ''She must have' someone with her," ho said. "Write an answer to this telegram. , Mrs. Dud worth must come at once." When lie reached Hurtston that night be broke through the long spell of silence and he spoke her name. It was Dr. Brathmore to whom he spoke. 'It was some consolation to him to hear that Christine was as yet unconscious of «"haf had happened simply because she was too ill to know anything of what was passing about her. - " "If you ask me to give a name to this . illness-," Dr. Brathmore said, I'll find you one easily enough; but the real reason, Mr. Dancroft, is that the child has broken down ; that the grief and the trouble which began with her father's death have slowly but surely crushed the spirit out of her. She, is so weak that I am not quite sure • how things will go." Dancroft put his hands on the other roan's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. " She must not die," he said, hoarsely, "she must not die! There is somethingshe must, hear from me before she dies. If she goes I shall feel that I have murdered her. It was 1 who brought all this here. I who really caused her father's death. Do you understand what that means? Oh, God! Brathmore, she must not die!" _ Th- inan who had known Christine ever since she had been a little child was moved *lniost 10 tears. He took Dancroft's two hands in his and grasped them. , • "Thank heaven," he said, "she is young, find though she has had so much to try her she jK>sse.sses, of course, the reserve force of the young. If this man's cruel desertion of her does not injure her I Hill do my best to have her out and about again in a' little while." -And afterwards when they were speaking ( r of his mother's condition James Daneroft asked how soon it would be possible to ] move. Mrs. Dancroft. v i ;f, He frowned when Dr. Brathmore shook ' H Lis head. . /' I '

" Your mother has made an extraordinary recovery, but I don't think we can discuss any move for some time to come." he said, and bearing- in mind her peculiar desire to remain here and Christine's wish that everything should be done accordng to vour mother's pleasure, I am afraid it is impossible to discuss the question of any move." After a little while Dr. Brathmore added: 'And I believe that I should be studying Miss Fielding's wishes also by dismissing this question altogether. Whatever' the cause which brought your mother here, and however she may have suffered in connection with this, there is no doubt in my mind that Christine Fielding feels very strongly on the subject of your mother remaining bore." Bancroft did not go to his mother after this interview. He. felt that the agitation, the excitement, the veritable anguish which tie was enduring must make itself manifest, and he. had no wish to disturb his mother or to subject himself to a further bitter outburst on her part. Ho was very restless and paced the hall nervously. There Jay on his heart all the time that piercing remorse, that conviction that this breakdown of which Dr. Brathmore had spoken, was the outcome of his return to hostility, of his sudden change lrom friendship to something akin to enmity. Since she had received no hint of Brimstones desertion there could be no other explanation for Christine's illness. He. refused dinner, to eat was impossible, and whilst, he still paced to and fro Casson brought him a message stating that Miss Bancroft had telegraphed that she was on her way, and she desired that some carriage should be sent to meet her at the station. • "I will go," said Bancroft, " It was a relief to do something The swift motion of the motor-car fitted in with the nervousness of his mood. The brother and sister met in silence; then Anne said: "1 had to come. 1 didn't hear of it till Enid Comston told me this afternoon that it was in all the papers. I always thought he was a bit of a hound, but I didn't think he was quite as bad as this. I don't suppose lean do any good, still I thought I'd come, the girl repeated, and then she said, ' She has had so much to bear, Jim, id like to stand by her now." James Bancroft could not speak for a moment. His sister's words stirred his heart, the knowledge that Christine's goodness" had won this recognition from Anne ; was touching and almost beautiful. " - '.To bo continued daily.) .*,-.'