! THE LOTUS EATER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15715, 16 September 1914, Page 10

! THE LOTUS EATER.

| . j BY EILY ESMONDE. i COPYRIGHT. I CHAPTER XX —(Continued). I P.\ruXA received her with gentle cordiality, and Mrs. Care-.v fussed over her j kindly when Nicolas told her of her escape. Paulina took her hers.'lf into the I dining-room, and looked after her during j lunch. It was late, and the fami'y meal I was over, so that Mrs. ("arew left the two girls to themselves. Nicolas also wisely retreated into the studio, fully cinsoious of yet puzzling over Patricia's very evident coldness of manner, It was characteristic of him that he had entirely forgotten the episode of the portrait. Paulina, however, remembered. She recognised at once that Patricia was there under protest, but all her tact was summoned to prevent the girl from seeing that she knew it. She reproached her gently for not coming to tea. " 1 should have liked to have seen something of you whilst vour sister is away," she said. "By the way, is she coming homo soon ?" "I think so," said Patricia. It suddenly struck her that she had not heard from Rachel for several days. "And Richard French also?" said Paulina. " Poor man. he will feel the loss of his father very much. They were most i devoted to each other." " I "His father?" j " Had you not heard ? Old Mr. French j died three days ago. Nicolas had a wire yesterday morning."

Patricia was much surprised. She wondered why Rachel had not written to her. The neglect huri her considerably. Surely Rachel knew she was interested in Richard French.

"I did not know," she said. "Was it unexpected ?"

Paulina shrugged her shoulders slightly. "In a way. It might have happened any time within the last few yearsThey went into the drawing-room, where Mrs. Carew was seated beside an early September fire sorting silks for perpetual fancy-work. Nicolas sauntered in almost immediately. He sat down beside Patricia and tried to draw her into conversation. But it was obvious, both to him and to Paulina, that she did not wish to talk to him. She turned persistently to Mrs. Carew, admiring the colours of the silks which were laid out in lines across that lady's knee, conversing endlessly of shades and contrasts and effects. In the end Nicolas gave her up and stared moodily out of the window. Presently Patricia rose. She had entirely recovered her self-possession.

" I really must go now," she said to Paulina. "It was so good of your brother to bring me back to lunch.' She turned to Nicolas. " Thank you again," she said. "It is horrible to think of what might have happened to me if you had not been there. I shall always look both ways before I dare to cross a road now."

Nicolas shook hands with her in silence, and Paulina took her to the hall door. They said good-bye with apparent cordiality, but Paulina was feeling considerably depressed when she joined Nicolas in the studio, to which he had betaken himself. The door was always opened now at her knock.

Nicolas was kneeling at the window, his chin in his hands. He turned as she entered, and she saw that he was frowning heavily. "Whatever was wrong?" he asked. She shrugged her shoulders. " Our sins come home to roost," was all she said. He stared at her. " Whatever do you mean ?" he asked. Paulina laughed quietly. "Oh, Nicolas, Nicolas," she said. " You have forgotten, then —the portrait." " The portrait?"

" The portrait of Mr. Merridew, by Miss Rachel SidgTeaves, which was rejected by oar wise academy."

He whistled softly. "Of course, you are right. I had forgotten. But that's all right. Richard French will look after that."

She raised her eyebrows slightly. " You mean ?"

"That it is just as well that the portrait was rejected. It gave French his opportunity. And Miss Patricia will see that also, when she hears that her sister and French are engaged." Paulina sat down suddenly. Nicolas she said.

Nicolas looked at her in astonishment. " Well," he said. "Do you mean to say you had not guessed it. But, of course, it wasn't settled. You must not talk about it, you know." " No," taid Paulina.

She was very silent. Nicolas looked at her a second time, with now a certain amount of curiosity. " Did you really never guess how it was with French ?" he asked.

"No," she said. "I nc.er guessed. I believe it crossed my mind once, but not seriously."

"Well," said Nicolas, "it might have remained in your mind quite seriously. And, mark my words, we shall hear some news from Ireland soon."

When Patricia arrived at the flat, she found a letter from Rachel awaiting her. It had come by the morning post, Annie told her, but had stuck in the letterbox, bint had found it while dusting the hall. "And if it hadn't been the day for polishing up the box, miss." said Annie, triumphantly, " it might have been therefor a week."

It was a long letter. Rachel wrote of Mr. French's illness and death, of Richard's grief, and of her home-coming. It ended — "Patse-y, darling, I did not mean to tell you until I .saw you, but we have never had secrets, have we ? And I find I cannot wait. Richard French and I are to be married, and I am very happy." That was all, but Patricia fell ou her knees and hugged the letter to her breast and cried from sheer joy. " Oh, how glad I am !" she said. " How very, very glad "' For a quarter if an hour or more she tasted of pure n. lure. The thing which she had desired above all others had come to pass. Then suddenly her spirits fell. She remembered the book and other things. Awiie brought in her tea, and Patricia dranx it a feeling orach depressed.

CHAPTER XXI.

It was Richard who drove Rachel to the station on her way home to London. He spent the night before at the Morrisseys' for the purpose of seeing her off by the mail. Rachel had decided some days before leaving to take the good ladies into her confidence, and it was therefore a cheerful little party which assembled at the early breakfast hour to bid her goodbye. On the way to the station Richard produced the letter from Lady Louisa in which she offered to take the portrait of Nicolas at Richard's own price. " What shall I do about it?" he asked.

Rachel thought for a minute before answering. She knew that Richard had been anxious to have the picture, but iu the light of recent events she wondered would it not be better to let it pass ont of their lives. She decided so, and said:

"I think I would like to sell it to her." Richard, comprehending, made no comment. She added, rather anxiously: "Are you sure you are not asking too much?"

" I am asking that which I think it is worth," he said, " and I will not let it go for less." She smiled with an air of relief. "It will be very nice to have so much money," she observed.

" Yes," said Richard gravely. " I am marrying a woman of fortune." She laughed gaily, a laugh which did him good to hear. He laid his hand on hers over the back of the car.

" Rachel," he said, " are you quite sure that you are content ? You know what vou are to me. But if von were not quite Happy, even now I would draw back and leave you free." There was no one to see. so she lifted the hand to her lips and kissed it. " Dearest," she said, " I was never happy in my life until now." Patricia met her at Euston, late, as it was. The two girls got into a taxi and talked breathlessly all the way up to the flat. Patricia was at first so buoyantly joyous over Rachel's good news that, the latter did not notice until they arrived at the flat how much thinner and paler she was than before.

She asked her anxiously. " Patricia, what have you been doing ? I am sure you are working too hard.' Patricia laughed, nervously. " I have been working rather hard," she admitted, " But it is over now." "What!" cried Rachel. "Is the book finished ?" Patricia nodded. " It is at Mr. Winterton's," she said. " I am expecting to hear from him any day about it." Rachel looked rather disappointed. " I should have loved to have read it when it was typed," she said. She saw Patricia's face cloud, and added. " Never mind, darling, I shall enjoy it all the more in print." Annie welcomed her young mistress back joyfully. The news of Rachel's engagement had rendered her, Patricia remarked, incapable of work since she had heard it.

" And so." said Patricia, " if yoa find things in the old royal muddle, you will know whom to thank for it. Mr. French" —she hesitated—" 1 suppose I ought to call him Richard now —is a great favourite of Annie's."

Daring the next few days Patricia lived on tenterhooks. By every post she was expecting to hear from Mr. Winterton. She was in a miserable state of uncertainty as to what she hoped from his letter. One day she felt that to receive tin; MS. back would be a most severe blow; the next she found herself almost wishing that it would be returned to her. She avoided Rachel's inquiry concerning it, making light of her anxiety. " I don't know," she said one day, half seriously, " if I will lot you read it, even if it is accepted. I mean you will perhaps have to discover it for yourself. You know, it is to come out anonymously. Rachel was puzzled by her manner. For the first time in her fife she felt that Patricia was concealing something from her. Rut she was so occupied with her own affairs that she paid less attention than she would otherwise have done to Patricia's eccentricities. As the latter had done in her own case, she worried rather about her Bister's lack of colour.

" You ought to go away also. Patricia," she said, "before the winter comes on. You don't know what fogs are sometimes like in London."

Patricia laughed, and declared she was all right. But there was no doubt that anxiety as to the fate of her book, or perhaps something else, was robbing her of her usual vivacity. She was more silent than usual, and Rachel was at times surprised by a look on her face which troubled her. Of what was Patricia thinking ?

Richard came back a week later than Rachel. His first visit was, of course, to the flat, where Patricia had prepared for him a recherche little luncheon. It was curious to see how completely she had taken over the management of affairs. " I have much more time on my hands than you have/-* she told JUchel. " Now .

that Richard is back again you will have heaps to do, and now that I am not writing I want occupation badly." Richard and Rachel went after lunch down to tho gallery in Pall Mall. The bargain had been concluded with Lady Louisa, and the picture was to be de" spatched to her that afternoon. A sudden desire to see it again, to take a kind of farewell of that portion of her life, came over Rachel. She would prove to herself, she thought, that the emotions belonging to it were indeed a thing of the past. When they arrived at the gallery, they found Collins in a state of mind bordering on distraction.

" Her ladyship has been in and out all the morning, sir," he said. " And she left word that if you called I was to sav that she expected Miss Sid greaves and you to tea." Richard laughed. "Is the picture packed tip yet?" he asked. " Not yet, sir," said Collins. "It was to have been done this morning, but her ladyship wasn't satisfied with the packings. We were just going to finish it off now."

" Wait a few minutes," said Richard. " I want Miss Sidgreaves to see it before it goes." They went upstairs. The picture was still in its place. Rachel put her hand in Richard's, and together they walked across and stood in front of it. Rachel, who had been nervous and troubled, felt her doubts vanishing. To her surprise, she was looking at the picture with no stronger emotion in her heart than that of pride in her achievement.

She turned her eyes on Richard and smiled happily.

"It is really good," she said. Then added, shyly, " I will paint you next, Richard."

It was a slight incident, but.it was sufficient. The cloud, filmy as a gossamer which had hung between them was dispersed, and going out into the sunshine again Richard's heart was as light as that of a schoolboy, and Rachel's happiness shone in her eyes. " Shall we go "to Ladv Louisa's he asked. "When I wrote about the picture I told her of our engagement. She knew I was returning vesterdav, and I suppose concluded I should be at the trailery to-day. What would you like to do:

"I think we will go," said Rachel. t u {j V"7 old friend of J' 0 "", and 1 should like her to see how happv we are. l lJ

Lady Louisa received them in mock anger. ''Well, Richard," she said, " vou have stolen a march on us all. Upon my word"—she shook hands with Rachel cordially, in spite of her assumed displeasure —" you might have taken at least me into your confidence." She rave them tea, half congratulating and half scolding them the while. "In my young days," she said to Rachel, "we did not do'things in this disgraceful hurry. And now, I'suppose, the next thing we shall hear about is' the wedding." Rachel disclaimed any immediate intern tions, but Lady Louisa discounted her protestations with a humoured smile. "I know, my dear," she said, "1 know."

She passed to the subject of the picture, and from thence to Nicolas and Paulina.

"Have yon seen them vet?" she "asked Richard. "No? Well, from all accounts our dear Nicolas is working at last. And Paulina'.' I don't quite know what is wrong with Paulina. She used to be a sensible girl, but now"—she shrugged her shoulders— "there's something wrong. I asked her the same question three Times running yesterday before I received an answer. She s'-enis to be perpetually in the clouds."

Richard was interested. This description was so unlike Paulina's usual demeanour. He saic*. somewhat anxiously— " I hope she is quite well ?" "Oh, yes," said Ladv Louisa. "Quite well. And I don't see* that it is Nicolas this time. She talked for a quarter of an hour about him to me quite happily. Evidently the present picture meets with her approval." ''The present picture?" Richard caught his breath.

Could it be. possible that Nicolas was indeed working on the Lucretia ? Had he, then, obtained Patricia's consent, or was he painting her without it?

For the remainder of the afternoon this problem occupied his thoughts. He remembered Nicolas' promise to ask Patricia first, but had be also promised not to paint in the figure if she refused ? He could not remember. On the way home he asked Rachel— " Has Patricia met Nicolas Merridew at all ?"

"Oh! yes," she answered. "Several times. \\hy He evaded the question. She evidently did not attach much importance to it. for she did not press for an answer. He saw her to the entrance to the flats, and then left her.

(To be continued Saturday next.)