THE DIVA'S RUBIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13839, 27 August 1908, Page 3

THE DIVA'S RUBIES

PUBLISHED BT SPECIAL ARRANQEMEKT.

BY P. MARION CRAWFORD. j ; i ! I

Author "of ■ " Arethusa," "Soprano," " Zoroaster," etc. CHAPTER Vl.—(Continued.) Nkvebtheless, it happened. For a little while, they were man and woman, sitting side by side and very near, two in a silent multitude of other men and women; but before long he was quite motionless, his eyes were fixed again and be had forgotten her. She saw it and wondered, for she knew how her presence moved him, and as his hands lay folded on his knee, a mischievous girlish impulse almost made her, the great artist, forget that she was listening to the greatest music in the world, and nearly made her lay her hand on his, just to see what he would do. She was ashamed of it, and a little disgusted with herself. The part of her that was Margaret Donne felt the disgust; the part that was Cordova felt the shame, and each side of her nature was restrained at a critical moment. Yet when the " Good Friday " music began, she was thinking of Van Torp, and he was unconscious of her presence. It could not last, and soon she, too, was taken up into the artificial paradise of the master-musician and borne along in the gale of golden wings, and there was no passing of time till the very end; and the people rose in silence and went out under the summer stars; and all these whom nature had gifted to hear rightly, took with them memories that years would scarcely dim. The two walked slowly back' to-the town as the crowd scattered on foot and ir carriages. It was warm, and there was no moon, and one could smell the dust, for many peop'e were moving in the same direction, 1 .-.ifrh some stopped at almost every house and went in,, and most of them were beginning to talk in quiet tones.

Margaret stepped aside from the road and entered a narrow lane, and Van Torp followed her in silence. " This leads out to the fields," she said. "I- must breathe the fresh air. Do you mind?" " On the contrary." He said nothing more, and she did not speak, but walked on without haste, dilating her nostrils to the sweet smell of grass that reached her already. In a little while they had left the houses behind them, and they came to a gate that led into a field. Van Torp was going tc undo the fastening, for there was no lock. "No," she said, "we won't go through. I love to lean on a gate." She rested her crossed arms on the upper rail and Van Torp did the same, careful that his elbow should not touch hers, and they both stared into the dim, sweetscented meadow. He felt her presence now, and it almost hurt him; he could hear his slow pulse in his ears, hard and regular. She did nob speak, but the night was so still that he could hear her breathing, and at last ho could nob bear the warm silence any longer. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, trying to speak lightly. ; She waited, or hesitated, before she answered him. "You," she said, after a time. Ha moved involuntarily, and then drew a little further away from her, as he might have; withdrawn a foot from the edge of a j precipice, out of; common caution. She was aware of his slight change of position without turning her eyes. "What made you say what you did to Mrs. Rushmore yesterday afternoon?" she asked. "About you?" "Yes," "She asked me, point-blank, what I thought of Logotheti," Van Torp answered. "I told her that I couldn't give her an unbiassed opinion of the man you meant to marry because I had always hoped to marry you myself." "Ohwas that the way it happened?"

"Mrs.'Rushmore could hardly have misunderstood me," -aid Van Torp, gathering the reins of himself, so to say, for anything that might happen. "No. Bub it sounds differently when you say it yourself." "That was just what I said, anyhow," answered Van Torp. " I didn't think she'd go and tell you right away, but since she has, I don't regret having said that much."

"It was straightforward, at all events— if it was all true!" There was the faintest laugh in her tone as she spoke the last words..

" It's true, right enough, though I didn't expect that I should be talking to you about this sort of thing to-night."

"The effect on Mrs. Rushniore was extraordinary, positively fulminating," Margaret said more lightly. " She says I ought to break oft* my engagement at once, and marry you! Fancy 1" " That's very kind of her, I'm sure," observed Mr. Van Torp. "I don't think so. I like it less and less, the more I think of it." '"Well, I'm sony; but I suppose it's natural, since you've concluded to marry him. and it can't be helped. I wasn't going to say anything against him, and I wouldn't say anything for him, so there was nothing to do but explain, which I did. I'm sorry you think I did wrong, but I should give the same answer again." " Mrs. Rusbmore thinks that Konstantin is a designing foreigner because he's a (keek man of business, and that you are perfection because you are an American business man." "If I'm. perfection, that's not the real reason," said Van Torp, snatching at his first chance to steer out of the serious current; bub Margaret did not laugh. "You are not perfection, nor I either," she answered gravely. " You are famous in your way, and people call me celebrated in mine; but so far as the rest is concerned we are just, two ordinary human beings, and if we are going to be friends we must understand each other from the first, as far as we can." " I'll try to do my share," said Van Torp, taking her tone. Very well. I'll do mine. I began by thinking you were amusing, when I first met you. Then you frightened me last winter, and I hated you. Not only that, I loathed youthere's no word strong enough for what I felt When I saw you in the audience you almost paralysed my voice." "I didn't know it had been as bad as that," said Mr. Van Torp quietly. " Yes. It was more than I can make you understand. And last spring, when you were in 30 much trouble, I believed every word that was said against- you, even that you had murdered your partner's daughter in cold blood to get rid of her, though that looked as incredible to sensible people as it really was. It was only when I saw how Lady Maud believed in you that I began to waver, and then I understood." " I am glad you did." "So am I. But the is such a good woman herself that nobody can be really had in whom she believes. And now I'm changed still more. I like you, and I'm sure that we shall be friends, if you will maka me one promise and keep it." ".What is it'i!-'

*" That you will givo up ail idea of ever marrying me, no matter what happens, even if I broke—" "It's no use to go on," interrupted Van. Torp, "for I can't promise anything like that. Maybe you don't realise what you're asking, but it's the impossible. That's all." j "Oh, nonsense!" Margaret tried to laugh j lightly, but it was a failure. j "No, it's very far from nonsense," he replied' almost sternly. "Since you've spoken first, I'm going to tell you several things. One is that I accepted the syndi- J cate's offer for the Nickel 'I rust so as to be free- to take any chance that might turn up. it had been open some time, but I accepted it on the day I heard of your engagement. That's a big thing. Another is, that I played a regular trick on Logotheti so as to come and see you here. I deliberately asked him to dine with me last night in London. I went right home, wrote a note to him, antedated for yesterday afternoon, to put him off, and I left it to be sent at the right hour. Then I drove to the station, and hero I am. You may call that pretty sharp practice, but I believe all's fair in love and war, and I want you to understand that I think so. There's one thing more. I won't give up the hope of making you marry me while you're alive and I am, not if you're an old Woman, and I'll put up all I have in the game, including my own life and other people's, if it comes to that. Amen." Margaret bent her head a. little and v was silent. _ ; " Now you know why I won't promise what you" asked," -aid Van Torp in conclusion. He had not raised his voice; he had not laid a heavy stress on half his words, as he often did in common conversation there had been nothing dramatic in his tone; but Margaret had understood well enough that it was the plain statement of a man who meant to succeed, and whose strength of resources were far beyond those of ordinary suitors. She was not exactly frightened ; indeed, since her dislike for him had melted away, it was impossible not to feel a womanly satisfaction in.the magnitude of her conquest but she also felt instinctively that serious trouble and danger were not far oft". _ M " You have no right to speak like that, she said rather weakly, after a moment. "Perhaps not. I don't know. But I consider that you have a right to know the truth, and that's enough for mo. It's no A as if I'd made up my mind to steal your ewe-lamb from you and put myself in its place. Logotheti is nob any sort of a ewe-lamb. He's a man, he's got plenty of strength and determination, he's gob plenty of moneyeven what I choose to call plenty. He says he cares for you. All right. So do L" He says he'll marry you. I say that I will. All right again. You're the prize put up for the best two fighting men. You're not the first woman in history who's been fought for, but by all that's holy, there never was one better worth it, not Helen of Troy herself. The last few words came with a sorb of stormy rush, and he turned round suddenly, and stood with his back against the gate, thrusting his hands deep into his coat pockets, perhaps with the idea of keeping them quiet; but he did not come any nearer to her, and she felt she was perfectly safe, and that a much deeper and more lasting power had hold of him than any more passionate longing to take her in his arms and press his 'iron lips on hers against her will. She began to understand why he was what he was, at an age when many successful men are still fighting for final success. He was a crown-grasper, like John the Smith. Beside him Logotheti was but a gifted favourite of fortune. _ He spokeof Helen, but if he was comparing his rival with Paris he himself was more like an Ajax than like good King Menelaus. Margaret was not angry 5 she was hard* Iv displeased, but she was really at a loss what to say, and she said the first sensible thing that suggested itself and that was approximately true. ~ . * . "I'm sorry you have told me all this. We might have spent these next two days very pleasantly together. Oh, I'm not pretending what I don't feel. It's impossible for a woman like me, who can still be free, not to be flattered when such a man as you cares for her in earnest, and says the" things you have. But, on the other hand. I'm engaged to be married to another man, and it would nob be loyal of me to let vou make love to me." 1; I don't 'mean to," said Van Torp stoutly. "It won't bo necessary. If I never" sooke again you wouldn't forget what I've told —ever. Why should I say it again! I don't want to, until you can say as much to me. If it's time to go, hitch the lead to my collar and take me home. I'll follow you as quietly as a spaniel, anywhere." "Arid what would happen if I told you not to follow me, but to go.home and lie down in your kennel?" She laughed low as she moved away from the gate. " I'm not sure," answered Van Torp. "Don't,"

The late word was not spoken at all with an accent of ■warning, but it was not said in a begging tone either. Margaret's short laugh followed it instantly. He took the cue she offered, and went on speaking in his ordinary manner. " I'm not a bad dog if you don't bully me, and if you feed me at regular hours and take me for a walk now and then. I don't pretend I'm cut out for a French pet, because I'm not. I'm too big for a lap-dog, and too fond of sport for the drawing-room, I suppose. A good useful dog generally is, isn't he? Maybe I'm a little quarrelsome with other dogs, but then, they needn't come bothering around !" (To be. continued daily.)