GWYNN OF GWYNN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14220, 17 November 1909, Page 10

GWYNN OF GWYNN.

BY HALLTVVELL SUTCLD7FE, Author of "A Man of the Moors," " Ricroft of Withers," " Toward the ; Dawn." "Shameless Warns," "Mistress Barbara Guxilifle," etc.

[COPYRIGHT.] CHAPTER VI. He rode over the next afternoon, and found both Saul Dene and his niece at home. Phyllis greeted him with a certain shy dignity, for she, too, had indulged m reflections since yesterday, and Lady Gathome's treatment of the episode had brought hot a sense of guilt, but of shamefacedness. It hurt- her pride to think that anyone should have the right to call anv action of hers in question. "Vet itwas good to see Ralph Gwynn again, and in her heart she knew it. • . -.V As for Saul, he was in his jolliest mood this afternoon; and when Saul was jolly he was irresistible. Gwynn of Gwynn was no snob, and he found himself warming to the man's downrightness, his lack of humbug, hid wish to pat the world on the back; with good-fellowship. They had had tea, and Saul had shown his guest round tho» stables, which were calculated to rouse the envy of any hunting man. "You see, I'm not much to look at, and my grandfather didn't know champagne from claret," laughed Saul, as they" returned to the house together; "but I can ride pretty straight, and I don't think the Hunt will be the worse for me." *.- Phyllis was on the terrace, gathering roues for the dinner-table. Now, 'Phyllis, I want to make a bargain with Mr. Gwynn," said Saul, "and I want you to help me. Phyllis always does help me, you know, Mr. Gwynn." - *' "What is the bargain, uncle?" she asked, stooping to cut a Marechal Neil. ■.*- '. "Why, he saved yon from a wetting yesterday, and gave you tea.. It's only fair .that he should give us our revenge and | stay to dinner." \ A y Gwynn of Gwynn felt a pleasant lift- • ing of the heart. " Oh, but you're too good, sir. Really, I— ~ . , - " Phyllis, persuade him," laughed Saul. She glanced up for a brief second. Your persuasions, dear, are better than any of mine can be—but .1 should bo v glad ifif Mr. Gwynn would stay." "By jove!" he cried, boyishly, "you're . awfully good to a fellow. I was in for a solitary dinner at home, —and may ■, I ride back for my things?" he finished. \ ; ; "Bless you, no!'' cried Saul. "It's the •. man we - want, not the clothes. Morris will be a bit cut up, you know; but I'm going to tame Morris early. Life was never meant to be ruled by one's butler. -By the way, I'm glad you're here- just now. I've had:some wine sent lip' from town lately,. and 3 I fancy if rather!* good. '-. I got tn* whole lot from Lord Martonmece's Bale, and I trust his taste better 'than! my own.";. \ -■-''■ Gwynn laughed delightedly, at the other's 'suggestion that Morris "would be a' bit cut up. I This Saul Dene, he realised, was a man without byways, :*■; so -to speak; ; his thoughts could be measured by his words; » and his face was not a mask, but a faithful interpreter of heart and brain. ii'v "And I fought J shy of this good fellow,", murmured Gwynn, in great surprise.. And then he glanced; at Phyllis, and ibis; - surprise increased. 'Poor Gwynhof Gwynn! * As* for Saul, he had a f good eye and a level head, and before dinner was half over he had guessed the .true state'of the case. A curious smile came 'to^his; lips—-a smile - which Phyllis saw arid did not* understand. Despite dwyiui*&judgment of him, it. seemed that Saul Dene was at last developing a ; secretive tendency. ,«,, • ;•>-•-' '" Phyllis left them by-ahd-iye, and Saul Dene pushed the decanters across. .: "Decent stuff, eh?", he said, smoothing the decanters as a Yorkshire wool-buyer smooths the wool between his fingers. -■ " Admirable," answered Gwynn of Gwynn, who would have relished any vintage at this ; moment. ■;; : ./V'~ ■-■?'":.: > ' -.^'_

But, indeed, the wine was first-rate, or it , would never have found a resting-place in | Saul Dene's cellars. ; >• "" -' I "Try ; one of these : ; cigars," , went : on the | man of dollars. '• ■ _ "i # , Gwynn accepted the, offer with a sigh. He , had hoped for a cigarette,' for he wished to shorten the lucid interval between the dining and the drawing rooms. Saul Dene lit his own carefully-chosen weed and looked ,-;;■- queeriy at his guest, and "again the, irrepressible smile came to his lips. " *" - ' ~- "I say, Mr. Gwynn," he began, abruptly, .' ■ "do you remember an offer that was made you for Gwynn Court?" ; "*. ' . y The otHer'started and grew;red;. Hi« instinct told him'what was to follow.. " Why, ' yes, of course," he said, unhappily.- : ■ "The offer came through your solicitors, you remember. No names were mentioned,. because I fancied I 'had' a better chance of , getting the place if -- plain Saul Dene did not figure as the purchaser. : Stilly I was the man who wanted to buy. It makes me .j laugh still to remember your answer, duly ;' forwarded to me. 'Confound his impudence,' it finished." ' - 'v

Saul lay back in his chair and roared with laughter. • As for Gwynn, he felt in a vague way that he was a- cad —and he had j been unaccustomed to the feeling. f* *V*;- *' : " I am sorry, - sir," the younger man said," simply. •"I, am sore about the y old . home* and— was rude, I know." ** ~ Saul Dene_ shot out a hairy hand across the;table-corne? and gripped • his" guest's smooth palm with a vigour that made him wish to howl. " . ■ "Look here," he laughed, "I know a man when I see him, and so ; do you. # Let's be friends, Mr. Gwynn. i iI ;. tell you, I Ranted that grey aid shambling place of yours as I never wanted anything in this not even dollars./:'" I came down *to ; look ;at it—a friend told me it was left to -the'irats and ghosts--and I just ached to have it for ■my own." ,".■'■'. ■'■;':. * ,; .' : ' ■ *-»i ' " ' iJ

"I canv imagine ■•' that, K sir," murmured Gwynn, puzzled a' little, yet* pleased for all that in a .way he scarcely understood.." " But I understand, too—perhaps youll not , give me' credit for itwhat your feelings were about it.' I like' that sort of , thing myself— _ and grandmothers " who queened it, and great-grandfathers who stuck their feet into the soil and held to it. I like your musty-fusty pride, and your air of, 'I'm not myself,; but bygone genera* tions,' afiS the' way/your coats' sit on your ' backs. I despise, it, and I love it— a drunkard does ■ bis grog—and.' if I could barter my millions; for a 'chunk" off your manners and your history, Mr. Gwynn, I'd . do it gladly." ■•• .; ' •-' i *- " *' V: ■' Gwynn of Gwynn was overcome. This man—shrewd, rich, a straight riderspoke > with the plainness of a child. Nay, he discovered - depths in the race-instinct which Gwynn himself had never dared to put into words.-.'. ~- * * ]>-*r~

"Would you—would you care to rent the old place he murmured, with a sudden impulse of generosity, and a sudden thought of Phyllis—Phyllis, sitting under" the old family portraits. But another surprise was in store for him. Saul Dene brought down his fist upon the table. "No, sir!" he said. "I understand things a bit better than I did. If you were to offer Gwynn as a gift to me now, I would not take it." "But why?" stammered Gwynn of Gwynn. ■•- '• ''.■;■ 'a ■ *.' ■ ; • " Because I should be an interloper. Be- , cause the portraits iin your rooms would start out of their frames to tell me what they thought of me. Especially," he added, with a sudden dryness, " that portrait of your mother, which was meant to look on \ better things than old Saul Dene. Have you finished your wine, Mr. Gwynn? Well, then, we'll see if Phyllis has any music for ■-:>/-":' .'• VS. -*•■'■• ■"- ■" 'V.-.- -.- r <'•'- ::.■.-■•'; '::.'v"; : - - : ', •.'■■'■ '■''.<':'.: ... ■ Phyllis had music for them; music of • voice, . and ' eye, and little unconsidered ;. things that 'are important to one in Gwynn'a sad plight. 1 She sang.to them in Irish, in Scotch, in ' English—old ballads all of them. •■'.' full of truth . and full of poetry. And Gwynn of wondered why life had passed "him by fot ■ seven-and-twenty years and only shown itself- to-night in all its fulness. , • / ' *'' " , „ '■.:"' "^^^.^-v-;^^:-;-^w^•'K^;^^"•^ : '; < " ; ---' : V :: - ' : ti'"~"■ : A'V ■■■ . ■:■■ '£>.titS,■■■-■'% ->s; '■■ '?:;'&'•:: ' ;.v : '" ,"'■ ''■■-■■■'■■. "''•'-,■

"You {spoke of friendship just now," he Said, slowly, 1 when at last be stood beside bis horse, with Saul Dene holding out a hand to him. ■'.' K£ , v . t \;'- ; . ■ , v .< .'J : Saul looked at him jin a . puzzled way. "Of course I did." ■ ;.'... - ,^-,v ~' " And you knew I've thought hard things of you—and said hard tbihge— ~;- ;. ; "You naturally would, laughed Saul. " Bless me, sir, I shouldn't have liked you if you had done less."" ' " "Then," said Gwynn of Gwynn, with one of his quick lapses .into- boyishness,. "I'm proud of the friendship, and—you'll just come over to dinner to-morrow to cement it." —. * • Saul consented willingly. His guest mounted in leisurely style, then turned to him. ■ -.;. , ' -' :; t '" " I daren't ask your niece to join you at such short notice?" he said, tentatively. And then he blushed for his own folly. . " Phyllis must decide that," laughed the other. ' " She's mistress here, you know—l am only the master." r "Do you : think she'd come?" he said, eagerly. "I daren't have asked Miss Dene myself, but if you care to, I will have the vicar and his wife in, you know, and someone to fill lip the table." He regretted his impulsiveness directly he was clear' of Saul's gateway. It was unlike him, he felt, to rush at anything; and what would Phyllis think of the unseemly haste he had'shown? - '•, What Phyllis thought" of it was Phyllis' own concern; but possibly Ralph Gwyrin would have found an,easier' road to sleep, had' lie heard what passed between the niece aftd her uncle on Saul's return.

'"A good —a good lad!" Saul had cried as soon as he had returned to the house. .' : ■' ,■ ,$y

"Oh. yes, he'll do, uncle." "Do? I should think h« will!" Never a touch about him of the I'll eat your, dinner, but I don't think much of you.' He hasn't the- society manner a bit. and yet— he's a Gwynn all through. Hang it all, Phyllis, I should have liked "a chap like that for my son. And, - meanwhile," he added,«dropping into his •wonted air of chfeeriness, *" he wants usyou and I—to dine with him to-morrow. "You'll come, eh, ittle "t1?" ;c :■>. -...■..■: — •>,' : -?-

Phyllis was conscious of a pang of ie> Phyllis was conscious of a pang of re ; and it was this pang which would have gladdened Gwynn of Gwynn could hehave known of it. .. ™[ cannot, dear," she said, after a pause. " I promised to dine with Lady Merehara; she wants to talk over some bazaar with me." '~', , ".:,■ ,''-'' .' -:■

'-■},•>? "Lady Mereham? Tell -her she's a, frump, 'and a supercilious' one to boot.. You'll have a pleasant er time at Glynn's." "I—l know, uncle. But, you see, it's a promise." ' ' '.' ~ ■_ ■j "There, there! Trust a Den* to keep a promise. We < mayn't have manners, lassie—at* least, I haven't we're honest as a streak of, sunlight. I'll drop 'a line to Gwynn and send it by one of the grooms first thing to-morrow." .'.*>"" - * " You can say I'm sorry," said Phyllis and fled for no reason that she knew of. ;, Saul sat and v chuckled. Chuckles were the tonic of life to him. "Ay, he'll be sorry, too," I fancy," he murmured. .'„..- ',_ Then Saul Dene lit a big cigar, drew' a chair .rip to* the fire in the library, and sat j thinking very pleasant thoughts."" The mys- I tery which surrounded JPhyllis, the haunt- j ing sense of likeness to someone diead and gone, "were still puzzling all the country. I Saul held the key to the. riddle, and "it j tickled'his sense of humour that he shouldl keep it in his pocket a- while, at any rate. v - '~ - -.■ > «- * •■ I - He fell to thinking of Gwynn Court, of it 6 owner, who lived in quiet beggardom on two thousand a'year. He remembered the glajjces that had-passed between his niece and ?Gwynn; :■■■.-.*', ' | "By George! I'll save the old house for ; the ' lad t " he cried, with sudden emphasis. ; Saul Dene, in fact, was learning the ! pleasures of romance these days; and the romance, oddly enough, centred round the 'portrait ; of \ Ralph's mother; that hung in Gwynn Court. He glanced to-night at the portrait of Phyllis over the mantel, and his smile broadened. * !..- 4

"It i would be a' sensible* arrangement," he muttered. s ; ,»

CHAPTER VII. A note from Saul, sent early the, next morning, came just in time to prevent Gwynn from inviting the vicar and his wife to an informal dinner. .

-a " If Phyllis cannot come, I want no one else," he muttered, discontentedly. r , He always thought of .her' as " Phyllis;" for already that curious sense of having known her before had developed into a certainty that he and she had a common bond. They were not strangers j they were friends, and something more—a " something more that puzzled and delighted him. > When Saul Dene arrived that evening he found his host alone; he found, too, a perfect dinner, and wine that Gwynn rarely " brought; into the light of day. -1" Jove! the chap thrives on his poverty." murmured ' jSaul/j when dinner was' half through. - -£.[- ■ . * ' " - ; v '-Br the time that their cigars were alight the liking of these two oddly-assorted men,; i each for the other, had taken permanent shape. * y " ?"'■'•■ '■ u;';-/;. ;' ■" '■''-'.'•■,* .'.-" f ',' Some day you must come and see Gwynn again," said the younger man: by-and-bye. i" You can see the towers, by the way, just above the tree-tops yonder." Saul Depe went to the window and looked out; across the meadows, brilliant 'under a full moon. And he sighed a little ; for his desire for the old house was one of the few deep sentiments of his breezy,* casual life.'.. * ,- " Man," he'said, suddenly, " why don't you live there?" ; '-"' --. ' '<■■':*:P.,?.-r?f;l : ' ■ v-' u -, : . :"TAnd-.Gwynri himself suppressed a sigh;, for, oddly enough, -" his own unattainable ideal and Saul's were one and the same. ,'->'.. f-"Why?" he echoed, lightly.. "Because Gwynn is a place that is always saying '.Give,'.give.'' It's not a bit of use to live there unless one : has more than a -beggarly few thousand to call one's own." ; ; . V '>,-' Saul, still gazing out into the -moonlight, smiledsmiled for two reasons. '% One reason was known only to himself; the other was anyone's to know for the asking. * Tor he understood,; more* completely than before, what a fool he was ever to have* dreamt of living at the Court yonder. True, he could i" Give,: give,"- with both hands and all his pockets full;, but it was no place for the Denes of this world. Why, the very stones of. the old place would wake in protest if such •as' he came there as master. ;• ' \\ You'll get back some day, never fear," ;he said, turning after a long silence.; *■: ; j ,"I doubt it,' muttered Gwynn. j; \ • Vr "To be sure you do. Young men always I doubt nowadaysit's only the old who keep, brave hearts against the World." Gwynn would Spoken, but was interrupted by a slight * tapping-on the French I windows opening on to the - lawn. He ; frowned, then reddened, for he knew the E meaning of that tap. i;' : f" o V |:"What I say is—" began Saul, turning ;to fill his glass afresh. "Why, there's somebody tapping a 1« your window. - Shall I open?" ' _„' Before his host could detain him he had flung wide the window, and in the queer, mixed light of moon and lamp, stood Lady Gathorne. She was in some sort of gauzy stuff, cut rather low, and her skin looked velvet-like and white. . ?>, : ,, .-.'

"Good heavens cried Saul, with sudden fright. "I— beg your pardon,*you know —I thought \ ' : • Even Lady Gathorne was nonplussed for awhile; but she recovered herself, and stepped into the room. Nor could Saul know that she was in a fine -passion of resentment towards himself. My lady had little of the Gwynn air, and ; few of £ the Gwynn features, but she had all the Gwynn carelessness of opinion, and more than once she had crossed the few hundred yards that intervened between her mother's house and Ralph's, to surprise him at his after-dinner coffee.- --■'"' ;. , "How d'ye do, Ralph?" she said, nonchalantly. "I—l did "not know you had a visitor." „ ~ V Gwynn gathered himself together, as she had done. "Mr. Saul Dene," he said— "my cousin, Lady Gathorne." She started at the name, and then bowed slightly. And suddenly she understood what power she had to wound and to annoy the niece of this same Saul Dene. " It must seem a little informal to ; you, Mr. Dene," she said, dropping into a chair and unwrapping the light shawl that hung about her shoulders; "but, then, you see, Ralph and I have always been like brother and sister." '"" < ■.'„.'.'.- : »-- - • Ralph fidgeted on his chair. He wished that he were ' sure of the sisterliness ;, he

had ?no sort: of faith in it. And she had chosen the . worst moment -for her visit, with Phyllis' uncle here to see and disapprove. i ' --9 * .. v -'' * " * i '"' ..'; But Lady Gathorne was in love, and rather desperate. At all costs she would give Saul Dene some.hints to carry back with him "to.; the girl who '; presumed to. be a beauty. .•■ t .. „■ $• ■ ' ' r As for Saul Dene, he was- vaguely troubled. This girl, though "nothing by the side of Phyllis," had yet a piquant beauty of her own. She had tapped at the window as if such a proceeding were not uncommon and now she was lying back, disdainfully at her ease, in the low chair beside the hearth. "

"Do you know, Mr. Dene,"- the girl went on, with a softness that surprised her cousin, " I am so glad to meet you at last. We have heard so much . of you, and If mother were not such a wretched invalid, she would have brougnt me* over to see you long ago." ' \ , • . t , . "Very glad to see you at any time,' ■ growled Saul. He was not deceived by people as a rule, and this cat-like softness of Lady Gathorne seemed to jar upon 'him oddly." • . ' : - "- . "Ralph has the better of me, you see," she said, with a soft laugh. "He seems to be quite an old friend of the family, by this time; And ouco on a- day he divided all the good things of life with me." - ' : \~ "Can I offer you anything, Gertrude?" put in Gwynn, with ill-concealed annoyance. " '.'i"^ : ' : '■•.'■"" .-•,.'"''•'"''' *" •. '"*.V.-^'r.'-"Oh, no, thank you. I had coffee*]* moment since;* and mother went to sleep, you know; arid the moonlight looked so tempting that I thought I would run across as I used to do when—before you grew so serious, Ralph." . ■ ""•"," My lrfdy Was playing her hand prettily. She said so little, yet doted the pathway of imagination for Saul, Dene; and he, in spite of himself, was .'. led to think that there .was more in this than Gwynh might care;to acknowledge. ■ '"" "I don't feel very serious," said, after. a moment's pause. "Indeed, I was just discussing the prospects of cub-hunting with Mr. Dene." : ,/ , , "Ah, but that is serious to you, is it not?" ' . " ;,-. ;;;;■■■.■.:-: ; - ■■• ~ * Her tone, the very way she smiled at him, showed a nice appreciation of what was due to the part she played: Whatever said, whatever turn of < eye she gave him, all made for the one conclusion —he was ■hers, to tease or to be tender with. ; - . ' ;■• \ v - - ' "* { " Serious enough,"' said Gwynn, with the same steady obstinacy— if he guessed her motives and would not show a spark of answering friendliness. Notserious in the way you meant, though'. I've no wish to set up for a prig at my time of life." :. • ' " Please don't, dear cousin ! I like you so much better the other way."

(To* be continued next Saturday.)

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