LOVE SHALL PREVAIL,

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14849, 28 November 1911, Page 4

LOVE SHALL PREVAIL,

BY ARTHUR W.-MAECHMONT. Author of "The Case of Lady Broadstone," "The Gable House," "By Eight of Sword," "A Heritage of Peril," "In the Grip of Hate," etc., etc.

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

[COPYRIGHT.] CHAPTER X. CHRIS ROCHESTER RETURNS.

Galthorbk's proposal: took Olive entirely by surprise. She had looked upon him os a friend whose anxiety to study her interests was rather duo to his connection with the city office than to any regard for herself. That she could ever be his wifo was - absolutely out of the question, and fiho had never done or said anything to encourage such a thought on his part. She was genuinely sorry for him,, believing in hie sincerity, and regretting that she should unwittingly cause him pain or disappointment. She regretted the proposal for another reason. It would alter the relations between them for the future. Mere business friendship was extremely difficult with a man who had professed himself an ardent lover.

But her sympathy with him was quite overshadowed' by. the conflict of emotions roused by his strange news about Donald's will. The loss of the will did not tro'ibla her, for the reason that apparently it w-u'ld make no difference either to herself or her boy} but that significant legacy of twenty thousand pounds was profoundly disturbing and suggestive. It jangled all her thoughts about Donald. She had been cherishing an altogether false ideal, and found that ideal shattered in a moment. Had the story come to her in any other way sho would "have scouted it as impossible. But the legacy-was a -concrete fact, . and there was only one possible conclusion to be drawn from it.

She had been utterly mistaken in her opinion of Donald, and had completely deceived herself as to the reason for his leaving England. More than that, the standpoint from, which she had regarded a second marriage was entirely altered ; all the reasons which had hitherto actuated her were destroyed. All this troubled her intensely. She brooded over it and was so. worried that the others sawit, .....■■

Among these, none. was more curious than Lady Flora Stanton. She was indeed intensely puzzled by the position ol affairs. She knew Galthorpe much better than Olive did, and that story of heloss of the will had set her thinking. She did not believe in his apparently disinterested friendship for Olive, and had a very shrewd idea, that his one object was to obtain possession of her fortune. Tims she regarded his intention .to propose marriage as no more than one step toward his end. and was convinced that in some way which she could not yet understand, the loss of the. will was another step. She had seen the two together when Galthorpe had proposed, and had drawn her own inferences. But. having no knowledge of v.hat he had told Olive concerning the legacy, she was at a loss to account for the latter' subsequent disquiet. Hut she meant to find out. She had greatly changed in her feelings for Olive, owing' to their almost constant companionship during the last few years. .She-did not wish to see Olive married again, as that would greatly prejudice her own interests. But underneath this there was a genuine affection for her friend and a strong desire to see her happy. At the same time her eyes were steadily fixed upon her own advancement an*d profit, and she spent a. good deal of time in trying to see a way to turn the present situation to account.

"Whatever is the matter. Olive?" she asjked her on the second morning after Galthorpe's visit. "You look awfully hipped. You're i surely not worrying about' that will,' are you?" . ■ ■ Olive started at the question, half fearing that Lady Flora knew of the legacy. "I'm a little run down, I expect,"" she replied. . "Alv dear girl, for heaven's sake take something for it then. You look utterly washed out, and I'll bet you hadn't a wink of sleep last night. You couldn't look worse if you'd fallen head over heels in love."

"It isn't that, Flora,"* and Olive laughed. " What a laugh! 'When maiden loves she mopes apart, as owl popes on a tree,' " she sang. "I believe it is that, Olive. I do indeed. Is it young Buistrode ?" \ :

"Rubbish." " Honestly I hope it is. He's a callow youth, of course; but abominably good looking and a thoroughly decent sort. You might do a heap worse." , " You're talking dreadful nonsense, Flora." "Is it Galthorpe, then? You two were having no end of a private confab. the other evening. I saw you down there by tho lake, you know. And we all know that he's awfully gone on you." ; Olive was too good an actress to give a sign to show how close this guess was to tlie truth. ... "Would it please yon if I said that I had proposed to him?" she asked smiling. "Then it must,bo Chris Rochester, and all the mingled hopes 'and fears with which you arc anticipating his home-, coming.'' "Excellently reasoned, Flora, "If there are but three men in the "world and two are out of tho question, it must bo the third." " You're awfully close, dear. Surely, it can't be the mummy?" • I don't regard Mr.* Bulstrode as a mummy. Flora," and Olive smiled again. "And "l don't like to hear you use that term about him." "If ho were twenty years younger he wouldn't bo a mummy so far as you're concerned. My eyes are sharp enough to see that," said her friend drily. " I expect if he were twenty years younger I should marry him ; if only to escape all this badgering about marriage." "Oh, I'm not badgering you to., marry. I expect it would be a pretty ba'd thing for rue if you were to. Mr. No. 2 might not be pleased to see me here. But seriously. Olive, you are in*some trouble: and I hate to see" it," she said, changing her tone to one of sympathy. "Of course, that loss of the will is a very strange thing, . but not a really serious one, according to Greg Galthorpe's explanation." " The ■ loss hasn't troubled me in tho least, Flo."

""It's not that evidently." was Lady Flora's mental conclusion. " That lawyer must bo rather a careless sort,'' she said aloud.- "Doesn't Mr. Bulstrode think so? I thought ho looked it at the time." "I haven't spoken to him about it, deai-." ".',.. . " Then you're worrying because you had to refuse "Greg Galthorpe." " What- a sharp cross-examiner you'd make. Flo." "Oh, I could see he meant it. I think I'm "lad you didn't accept him. But why worry* so because.you didn't?'' Olivo smiled. '' Very clever, Flo; but suppose we don't discuss him?" "Shall we talk about Chris Rochester,

then?" i . . ".No. Let's talk about little Don. Ah! there he comes with Anna." she cried, her eyes brightening. " He'll want his game of romps;" and she went off to the child, leaving her friend to look after her in greater perplexity than ever. "There's something in the wind that. I know nothing about," she murmured. • I wonder if the mummy knows what it is. 1. think I'll drop in on him and see. I shall be able-' to find out what his views are- about the loss of the will, at anyrate; and perhaps do a stroke for myself at the same time." . Mr. Bulstrode was in his study" as •usual, and none.too glad to see her. His nephew's words had opened his eyes about the object of her many attentions; and. although he could not believe, he was amused and also on his guard. ' ' She lured him out into his garden, and in. the middle of her praise of it, she said abruptly : ■ .'. ' " I'm troubled about Olive, Mr. Bulstrode. . She's : worrying. about; something.

Sho looks awful; and 'Im* inclined 'to* think it's about tho loss of her late husband's will. Do you think it is really a serious thing?" • - ;. " I think it was a very careless thing on the solicitor's part, Lady Flora. _ "Of course * it was; • but I mean could it in'any wav injure her?" "You heard Mi'., Galthorpe's explanation. ' He does not think so." Yes. But I saw you look at the time,'', she said meaningly. . , "I think you were as much surprised as I was." •'.-<■■■ "I daresay I was. But surprise wont account for" Olive's sleepless nights and haggard and washed-out looks. She's positively ill." _ "I am very sorry indeed to hear that.' "We all arc, of course. But what can account for ' it? There must be something. 1 .was trying to get her to tell me this morning. Tell me, could the loss of it injure her or little Don in any possible .way ?" On the contrary they both might conceivably benefit; supposing, that is, that any other legacies in the will were not to bo" paid. Mr. Galthorpe explained that quite clearly." . '.",. :. ■ . "1 saw that, of course. But what I mean is can you think of any possible reason which anyone might have for engineering the loss of it?" Mr. Bulstrode paused before replying. " Isn't that rather an extraordinary and far-reaching question?" "It's the' question which -has been worrying me ever since. Could Mr. Lappin have any, for instance?" " ■■■ '.-.' " Scarcely. In the ordinary . courso of things one would bo inclined to change one's solicitor after such an act of carelessness. But what is at the back of your mind ?" „ . ■ •

" Oh, I'm' a worldly person, and have horrible thoughts, at times; and. I can't always keep them to myself. I know I'm safe in talking to you.'' ' ... " Thank you ; but all the same you have not told me what they are now," replied the clergyman with a* smile. Lady Flora, laughed and nodded. " That's true," she said gaily. "But I would hazard a guess --that the thought flashed across your mind when the news was told to us."

" And across yours, too, or I'm greatly mistaken, Mr. Bulstrode," she retorted. You are very shrewd and observant, but I doubt if you could see what -was in my thoughts then, or what is in them now.''

".Those > horrid glasses are in the way," she answered with a challenging glance. '" Take them off. and let me try." " Unfortunately, > my long exposure to the while sunlight of 'Africa has v rendered it impossible for me to bear the sunlight hereeven the sunlight of your eyes, Lady Flora."' " Yet I would love to read .what's in them.*' * •-'Shall I tell you then?" An old man has some privileges, and can at least afford to be candid. I have been thinking that you are very charming, very keen, rather inquisitive, perhaps, and also perhaps a little indiscreet, making such a suggestion as your recent one." "You don't expect me to feel unadulterated delight at that diagnosis, I presume. And surely you don/t suppose 1 should speak like this to anyone else?" "We are comparative strangers, Lady "Flora." ..'•-■ '

"There are some people one never regards as strangers. Besides, we are both Olive's close friends. 1 suppose you know that Mr. Galthorpe followed up that sensational news by asking her to marry him.'' "Indeed I did not."' replied Mr. Bulstrode in a tone of surprise. "Are you

sure':'' • "I put two and two together, and made four of it. And of course it makes the whole thing all the more puzzling. If anything happened to Olive and little Don, of course Mr. Galthorpe would come in for everything." She watched the effect of this -upon him. But he smiled and spread out his hands. " Fortunately a very big 'if,' isn't it?" ;■" Well, things do "happen, you know," and she shrugged her shoulders. He smiled again and shook his head slowly, but when she had gone he sat thinking closely over her words. Kenneth bad had very much the same thought, but had expressed it differently. Could Lady Flora, who spoke with a laugh and a" toss of the head about her " horrible thoughts," know anything of Galthorpe which could prompt an idea so full of sinister euggestiveness? Had any thought of a similar nature crossed- Mrs. Armytage's mind- to cause the anxiety and trouble of which ho had just heard? ■ 'What was the truth about Galthorpe? What"' manner of man was he in reality? Was it ■'possible that, as Lady Flora had suggested, 'he had " engineered V the loss of the will And that in doing so, he was looking far ahead— ahead indeed?" He recalled the explanation given—that the will must have been taken out with other papers and mislaid. It was probable enough that from time to time Galthorpe might find • ample opportunity of handling hose papers himself. Ho would certainly have ; the J fullest confidence of the (solicitor. Mr. Lappin,.' and it would be an easy matter ,to abuse ' that confidence by such, an act as this. ,■"*", ; He was in the midst of these disturbing reflections when Kenneth sauntered into

the. study, trying not to appear -ill' at ease. " Yon ought to be out, uncle. Much too lovely a day. to be poring over any musty old nooks." . " Where have you been —for a. ride?" - "Yes," he nodded. . "And on my ■way* back I dropped, in at The Fylde." "You didn't stay as • long as usual, then?" ■ .' ■■ ./' .■'.-■ ■' "■ ' No. the place is all nixes and sevens. That Captain Rochester has arrived, arid there • was no room * for me,"" he. replied, gloomily. "He swaggered about as if he owned the earth." '.'.' But for a moment, Mr. Bulstrode was eilent. Then he looked up and smiled. "I warned you," ho said, shaking his head.- ' : ' ■"■ "■. -.' '"■' ;.'/■. ' " Do you mean that she really cares for a; fellow like that?" • '," She was engaged to him years : ago, Kenneth, and he. is the man my poor friend always believed she would marry." ' " Well, '.I wish her joy of him," was the bitterly-spoken: reply. "He drinks like a fish" and is just about the same class* as that other bounder, Galthorpe," and he snorted' disdainfully. ' - " I'm sorry to hear it. and hope you are .wrong, my boy," replied Mr. Bulstrodc, slowly and thoughtfuly. "You can't; help being prejudiced, you know—just as you are against Galthorpe." •"Am I? Well, you'll see! I know things about him, and" I tell you this other Johnny is the same brand. They're both rotters, and worse than rotters !" and with a savage curl of the lip he went out, leaving his uncle to resume the.thread of his uneasy thoughts. . The arrival of Captain Rochester would soon have results. What would they bo? Kenneth's description of him had an ominous sound. • ' (To be continued daily.)