THE FLIRT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20366, 21 September 1929, Page 20

THE FLIRT.

A SHORT STORY.

b It was an odious name to attach to a I man, yet it was whispered to liim by angry I mothers in their confidences with their 1 clearest friends. " He had a way with B young girls, despite his forty years. Per- | haps indeed bis age, bis slightly weary, | handsome face but added to the fascination | ho had for those tender creatures. Ho | couldn't help liking them and being | touched when ho saw bow much they liked | f I him. Time after time ho had been tempted $ to make one of those rosebuds his own; jjj time after time he had rejected the imS pulse. Whafhe'had to give them was not u enough. If they were ready to givo him t< everything it was not fair that they should ft reooive only such a tender and soft plea- ; sure in their pretty ways as one gives to | a pretty child. Let them marry the 5 J young follows who t wero burning for thorn ! !It was all in his favour that though t,he mothers might be very tuigry with, , hini, the daughters never wero. Indeed the girls who had had " fancies " for. Sir | Charles Anstruther, and their namo was 3 ' legion, kept a tender and romantic feeljj ' ing toward him after they had made pros- * porous marriages and were happy in their j excellent husbands and children. « Long ago Charles Anstruther's heart had 2 been broken by a worthless woman who ? had'«prefcrred an old titled husband and 3 1 a estate to tho handsome romantic ? boy of'absolutely no prospects. At that 1 time no one expected young Anstruther J t6 succeed to his unclo's titlo and tho ! . property. There were half a dozen good j.' IH-os between him and them, if they were jj the lives of children. 1 However,, the innocent lives had been J swept away, by illness and accident, leav- '? ing the cousin who succeeded very lonely f / for them. "Curiously enough, he had never 5 thought at all of the children as standing I between him and wealth and position. The • ' fir'St" 1 person who congratulated him upon l| his succession received a rude shock. I :V I wish to God I had not suceeded." jji iaid Charles Anstruther bitterly. I That. treachery of the woman long ago ?' ' jiad doubtless broken some spring in his a life, or he had never been so content to Ji spend it aimlessly, s jogging the fashion--5 able round like his fellows, with all the | time" a weary contempt of its inanity and ?; his own worfchlessness. ?' >■ One of the drawing-rooms in which he t, was accustomed to lounge a good deal was 5 that of.Mrs. Mauleverer, a pr6tty, faded, kittenish woman who despised her excol; ' lent ijUsbaltfd, and liked to have a man like Anstruther dangling after her. f / The danglin'g was only appai-ent. Mrs. ; Mauleverer had been a friend of ConS sfance Blythe in the old days, the memory of which yot had power to stab Anstruther sharper than a knife. She was her friend

I of a sort still, and would sometimes drop f a word of lief doings, the word which kept " Anstruther in her drawing-room day after ' .day, for which he waited despising him- ' self for his misplaced faithfulness, which, , whert it came, seemed to stop his pulses '>-wilh-£ sharp, sudden jerk that jarred all his' life for the moment. Lady Trevanian had not, after all, made W)^C«llen l t a bargain. Her Sir James had exacting, and she' J was afraid of t ; him# He had discovered quite early in ft their married life that the English climate i di'd not suit him, and the twelve years -since they married had been spent abroad in) a'haughty seculsion and exclusiveness j which cut off Lady Trevanian from the admiration which, • worthy,, or an worthy, was the breath of her nostrils. Recently Sir James had given up his /, role of an imaginary sick man for real ; illhes3. Mrs. Mauleverer, who did not pretend to a sensibility she did not possess, openly discussed the chances of Lady Trevaniatr's widowhood. Anstruther listened. detesting thß vulgarity oi it, yet, unable to help the avid craving, he had to /hear more of Constance. The tea came in, one afternoon at Queen's Gate, and with it the children, a boy * and two girls. They were spoilt - monkeys, artificial and greedy, who levied baksheesh on all their mother's visitors, and were indifferent to those whose 'presents did not coine up to their exacting standard. The little girls amused Anstruther—tbey wcro so like their mother; They came in in ..dancing frocks, since they usually entertained afternoon visitors to a display of skirt-dancing, and their performances Avcre much vin demand at fashionable houses, where fine folk allowed themselves be amused for sv charitable object. The .0 boy. t .Anstnither disliked, and was sorry v ;fpr'r' It- was an unwholesome atmosphere for a?boyi and' Harold had quite profited / '% his upbringing. This afternoon, -however," Anstruther s eyes wandered from the airs and.graces of /Gladys and.Gweuneth, who were seated on stools by the'fireplace fanning themsolves, and quite ready for a flirtation, and went on to the fair slender girl who had come in -with them. " Will yon kindly pour out the tea, Miss Neville ?" asked; Mrs. Mauleverer, in a tone"of distant politeness. There was no suggestion of introducing /Anstruther. ' Indeed, when ho went and took the cups from Miss Neville's hand Mrs. Mauleverer's eyebrows went up, as though his politeness were uncalled for. Miss Neville kept her eyes obstinately

/lowered. She had a small, pale, pure face in a setting of golden-brown hair. Sh< was dressed quakeris'nly in grey, with z bit of lace at the neck and wrists, 'Anstruther, after he had received the tea cups frqm her hand three or four times felt a curiosity to see her eyes. Whal were they like, he wondered. She had verj fine delicate black eyebrows, which gave ar odd air of distinction to her face, and hei lashes also' were dark, in curious contrast with her bronze coloured hair that waved away sb prettily behind her small eats, and lay in little rings on her neck. He had an intuition that it would be ,better, for. Miss Neville if he accepted Mrs. 'Mauleverer's tacit ignoring of her. Yet 'there w«re some things ho could not do. Other visitors dropped in later, Mrs. Mauleverer made another chilly request that Miss Neville should give, them some music. It was oxcellont music, but it only made a cover for tho chatter-' of the visitors, whiduihi) hostess led. No one took any • notice of the musician except Anstruther,'. who went and turned the pages of her music, and thanked her in a low voice when she had finished playing. Mrs. Mauleverer might shrug her shoulders and lift her eyebrows,' there were certain things Anstruther could riot see omitted while he stood by. Yet he had the wisdom to pay Miss Neville no further attentions, though he was full of a boyish, I chivalric indignation at the way she was treated, quite out of keeping with his foi'ty years and his jaded air. There was a new interest for him now '/in • Mrs. Mauleverer's drawing-room. Yet he'never spoke to Miss Neville beyond the merest conventional phrases. Then one day he met her crossing the park. When he stopped and offered his hand she looked frightened for a second, but took it. Ho held it a minute longer than was necessary. She explained confusedly that thu children were out with their mother, and she had taken a message from Mrs Mauleverer to her dressmaker. Let us sit awhile," he suggested, *' the sunshine is pleasant. How deliciously the hyacinths smell." •> He was so sympathetic, so kindly although such a magnificent, person, like a prince, the girl thought simply, it was easy for her to say to him what she wanted to say. ..... " I mustn't sit down," she answered, " but I am glad I met you. Sir Charles Anstruther, it would bo so kind if you wouldn't turn my music or hand the teac.ups.. I m afraid Mrs. Mauleverer doesn't like it, and—and—the money is vorv important to us.' 1 "U;s?" he queried.

BY KATHARINE TYNAN. 5 <

{COPYRIGHT.)

" There is a whole family of us, in a vicarage in Lincolnshire. My father's stipend is two hundred a year, with tho house and garden. Mrs. Mauleverer pays miie a hundred a year." , "I» wouldn't- take ; charge * of Gladys and Gwenneth, to say nothing of Harold, for ten times that'suni." Hot cheeks showed a demuro dimple which delighted him. " I have grown fond of Gladys and Gwenneth," "she said, " and they havo grown fond of me." "• •"You are h wonder-worker." .Again her cheeks-showed the dimple. Then she was serious once more, " Mrs. Mauleverer docs not like mo. But for Gladys and Gwenneth I should not be there. You must make it easier for mo. Sir Charles Anstruther.""I. promise you I will," ho replied, with a fervour which seemed out of place, adding enigmatically, "if you will let mo." .. ..

Ho had walked bv her side across tho park. He stopped at a flower-shop at Ivnightsbridge, bought a basket of lilies of the valley, and when she said good morning to him at Queen's Gate handed, it to her. She took it with a transforming blush, which recurred to him during tho day with bewildering persistency. Still lie, did i not'give ,up turning the pages of her music and handing the teacups A few weeks went by. Then he came in ono day on a disturbed family party . • -• " Mother, has sent away our dear Miss Neville," said Gladys aild Gwenneth together. "Isn't she horrid?" '. " Hold your tongues. you rude monkeys!" stormed Mrs. Mauleverer.

Ho turned to the painted littlo woman \vith a questioning face. t " I didn't like the girl," she said, "so I gave her a month's wages, and packed her off. She bad the insolenco to leave tho money on her dressing-table.' " Where is she gone to ?" asked Anstruther.

"I don't know the namo of tho place. | Perhaps tho children could tell you, if you are particularly interested." " I am," replied Ansiruther grimly. " Scrivelby Vicaraga," cried out the two littlo girls together; " Fenny Flats, Lincolnshire Do go and tell her to como back."' !

He reached for his hat and gloves, mentally resolving that Gladys and Gwenneth should have the most enormous of daintiest boxes of sweets Fullers could produco when he had time to attend to the matter. - " You're not going ?" asked Mrs. Mauleverer, piteously. "And I had something to tell you. i Did you know that Sir James is gone at last? I have a letter from Constance."

His pulses did not quicken in the slightest degree. All. his emotions were for the moment concentrated about the lonely figure of the girl going home defeated and discredited to the crowded vicarage among the fen 3. Would they be good to her and comfort her? Yes, he thought they would, as he recalled her lender face when she had spoken of them.

Nearly two months had passed before he made his appearance again in Mrs. Mauleverer's drawing-room. Telegrams, letters, personal-inquiries. had had 'no result. Sir Charles was out of town, had been the-answer when she had called to Hill Street. Sho had> altered her way of thinking of him now' to dull resentment. It was April when he came, and Mrs. Mauleverer bad a visitor. Someone else uttered a little hastily-repressed cry of surprise as he was announced. He was dressed with an austere touch of gaiety that suggested the spring, a dovecoloured tie, "light gloves, lilies of the valley in his coat. "Sir Charles!" exclaimed the lady in black, , and her voice trembled. He looked at her quietly. Her radiant fairness shone out of the sombre garments like the moon out of a cloud. He had been wont to imagine their meeting, and the thought of it had set his heart beating with great voilent thuds. Now his pulses were quiet. He had his talisman. "How do you do, Lady Trevanian?" he asked, taking hpr extended hand. " You never brought back Miss Neville after all. Wouldn't she come.-then ? But you were a dear to send us those sweets." cried Gladys and Gwenneth in shrill unison. . * ; Airs., Mauleverer looked at him critically and with-dissatisfaction. " You are like a bridegroom," she said. " What have you been doing to yourself? And where, have you been these ages ?" "I liavo been getting married," he answered, quietly. The widow unfurled her great fan, and held it partly before her face. "Married!" repeated Mrs. Mauleverer. And then • icily. "Allow is to congratulate you. Do I know the bride?". " Yes, you know her. I had the felicity to meet her here. She was—Miss Neville." He turned from the two women to the spoilt little girls who had flung themselves upon him. "We do want to see her," they clamoured. 7 "And she wants to see you. We are at Hill Street. Might I carry them off for the afternoon, Mrs. Mauleverer?" To her amazement Mrs. Mauleverer found herself consenting. No woman could refuse Charles Anstruther anything when he spoke in that pleasant way of his* * ■ •' 1 '