THE PRISONER'S SISTER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22877, 4 November 1937, Page 21

THE PRISONER'S SISTER

By PEARL BELLAIRS Author of " Velvet and Steel''

CHAPTER XlX.—(Continued)

"Better." Ferris was the only person to whom Stuart could talk about his crippled foot. "In fact, I've had no trouble with it. And I've been using it a good deal." "So on the whole the operation was a success?"

"Yes; I'm jolly glad you made me have it dono! You know, Ferris, tho igh you're a mug when it conies to dealing with your own porsonal affairs- —" "Thanks'!" "Not at all—l don't know where I'd be if I hadn't had you to deal with mine!"

"I'vo dono nothing for you!" eaid Rand.

"Oh, haven't you ?" "Don't be a fool. Anyhow, oven though yoif are an obstinate young half-wit, I'm pleased to see you looking better."

"Yes. I've been having a healthy timo down thero. Julio and I have been walking all ovor tho countrysido." "Oh?" Hand looked up. "You and Julie?" he repeated. Stuart coloured. He was quick to resent and defy any comment, and his eye gleamed a little. "Yes," ho said. "I've been wanting to havo a talk with you about that."

"About what?" "About Julie. And the family. You see I want to marry her, and I don't know how they'll take it. I was hoping I could count on you to help." Rand didn't speak. While Stuart waited anxiously ho bent forward and carefully stubbed out his cigarette in an ash-tray. "J mean —you haven't any of tho darn-fool ideas that they have. I thought you'd help," said Stuart, breaking the strained silence. Moving slowly to gain timo, Rand lighted another cigarette. Finally he said:

"And Julio?" What does she think about it?"

"Woll, I haven't exactly asked her, but from things she has said —look here, Ferris, don't turn me down. Tell me you'll help us!" Rand took out his handkerchief and mopped his brow. His face had a curiously exhausted look; his mouth was drawn into a wry smile. "It looks rather," he said, "as though I have no choice!" Stuart's face lighted up with relief and satisfaction.

"Let's go up to my room," he suggested eagerly. "Wo can't talk here!'' And as he and Rand went up in the lift, Julie came down the stairs,

CHAPTER XXMAN PK OF OSES—'

Julie was in her office half an hour later when Rand came down from Stuart's room. She had heard that Rand was in the hotel, and she was doing her best to look as though she was very busy. He came over to tho oilico with a casual air, though when he got nearer she saw that he looked constrained. Slio felt excessively constrained herself. "Well, Miss Moffat," he said in his most metallic Voice, "how are you?" "Very woll, thank you," said Julie. He didn't look at her, though her eves were fixed on his face.

.'"I said I'd be coming down. To apologise to you, wasn't it?" He hashed her a smile.

"Something like that. "Well —do accept it, won't you? My apology, I mean." His brows were knitted as though lie were preoccupied with some inner thought, but his voice was facetiously matter of fact. "If I've ever annoyed you- I'm extremely sorry. Tho effort of being the prototype of a great industrialist is a crcnt strain—sometimes I break down under it. However, if you'll accept my apology—?" "Of course!" said Julie. "Thank you, Good-bye!" "You'ro going?" "I onlv came for ten minutes and I've stayed for an hour." He nodded without'looking at her, turned away, and walked out of tho foyer and out of tho hotel. That was all. That was all he had to sav to her, and he had gone. Julie shut up the office and went over to her rooms. It was quiet there. The children were at school. She shut out the whole hateful world with a sob of relief. "Oh, what a fool I am," thought Julie. "What fools all girls are!" She had known at tho time when lie hnd kissed her and talked as he had, that he was only amusing himself. How she had lot herself imagine afterwards that he —hard, arrogant, super-success-ful—would ever think seriously about herself? She was drowned in humiliation when sho thought that she had even suspected that ho had broken bis engagement to Lorna Treoves because of ncrself.

She had actually hoped for such a thing! It was an abominable disloyalty to Tom. She must have been mad! Julie raged. The incident shamed her so that she felt she would never be able to remember it without blushing. When alio had recovered enough to go back to the hotel, she avoided Stuart, and gave him no chance to speak to her until the evening, when he was due to go back to town. She wanted to have no more personal dealings with any member of the Rand family, But he caught her in the foyer before he loft.

"Oil, are you going now?" said Julie. "Good-bye! I'm frightfully busy. I must rush!" *

She didn't give him timo to do more than squeoze her hand; she avoided his serious look and retreated hurriedly into the office.

Stuart went away foolinp; thoroughly dissatisfied, wishing ho had said more, and wondering wliai ho had done to annoy her. He was staying in his rooms in town and lie was working hard; but it wasn't easy. He made up his mind to get things settled once and for all, and went down to Lime Grove in the afternoon two days later. Julio was in her office awl he went in at once to talk to her. He thought she looked pale and tired. He told her he had come down to see her. "To see me?" said Julie, raising her eyebrows with just the faintest hint of sarcasm.

"What's the matter, Julie?" said Stuart puzzled. "You're changed. You're quite different." "No. What makes you think so?" replied Julie, trying to smile naturally. "There's nothing the matter with me."

It was difficult not to be melted by the' eagerness of his face, liis hurt serious eyes looking so wistfully into her own. "I wanted to talk to you before I went away last time," he said. "But you didn't give mo a chanco." y'"l was busy," said Julio. "1 wanted to ask you if you could—if you would—will you marry mo, Julie?" Julie stared at him. His fine featured, sensitive face was rather pale, and his eyes, when they looked dark and into) mo like that, made her think of Hand's. It was as though she was suddenly stung into speech: "Oh, no I" she cried. ''Don't ask mo I Stuart, I couldn't I" She got up from her desk. White to the lips, ho was looking at her with the deepest chagrin, "Why?" he asked. "Because —because —!" Julie fought to find words to explain in » way that wouldn't hurt him. "It would be impossible! Apart from anything else it would harm you. Socially, you'd be

A DRAMATIC STORY OF JUSTICE AND MERCY

"But, Miss Julie—f" "What?"

(COPYRIGHT)

ruined. You know about my brother, your family knows about him—it was your brother who prosecuted him I" "Couldn't you forget that ?" "Yes—l could. But your family wouldn't like nio—thoy'd be angry. And then all your friends too —what would they say? No, it would never do!" "But Julie, do you think I care a rap about all that?" "You would in the end."

"I would not!" "Well, I would," said Julie desperately. "I can't do it, Stuart, and that's that!"

Perhaps it was only half the reason, but it was enough. She thought it should bo enough to make him forget tho idea. They stood in silence for a moment. Stuart said unsteadily:

"Julie—is thore anyone else?" "No!" said Julie emphatically. The look on his face, like a dog pleading for kindness, suddenly brought tho tears to her eyes. She put her hand 011 his arm.

"You're a' dear, Stuart. Thank you for—for thinking of me like that. But you can seo it would never do!" She brushed past him and hurried out of the office, thoroughly upset and not wanting to say any more, Perhaps it was not her whole reason for refusing. She liked him ever so much—but as a friend. She hadn't thought about him in any other way, and she didn't believe that she could. He went back to town and left her to think about tho situation.

She knew that if she married him it would mean security for Dolly and Will. Julie had been near to starvation; she bad seen all her hopes slipping away from her into the great sea of pauperism which washes tho foundations of industrial life. No girl as wise as she was forced to be could despise comfort and security when it was honourably offered to her by someone of whom she was fond —and she was fond of Stuart. Tlicy got on so well together. . . she was sorry for him, she didn't want to hurt him.

She asked herself, could phe bear to marry him and be related to Rand? Rand's sistor-in-law! Her dislike of him shook her to the depths of her being. And how would he feel about having such a source of detestation in Ins own family?

In the paper next morning she saw a mention of his having left for Stockholm by private aeroplane on the previous day, Stuart gave her something else to think about, but he did not quite cure her depression. She began to detest her job and rag? against her dependency on Rand's favour in keeping it. Sbo looked in vain through the "Situations Vacant" column, but nobody was offering jobs to old girls which would enable them to keep their brothers and sisters. She knew she should count herself lucky, and yet she fretted. How could she be grateful to Rand and retain a vestige of pride? And then something unexpected happened. Something so opportune that it made her feel that Fate was not against her after all.

A letter bearing a Manchester postmark arrived for her; the postmark showed that it had been waiting at Kew for ovor a fortnight bofore Mrs. Craddock had decided to readdress it to her. It ivas from a firm of solicitors —Messrs. Glover and Glovor —informing her that her aunt, Miss Beatrice Moffat, had died in Manchester Infirmary; and would Julie kindly communicate with with them, as she was the sole beneficiary under Miss Moffat's will,

CHAPTER XXI. LADY TO BKB YOU 1

•Julie wrote off to Manchester at once. She could only remember her Aunt Beattie very dimly. As a small child she had played with A tint Boattie at her father's old homo before her grandfather died. Sho had been told since that Aunt Beattie hnd been very attached to her. But there had been a quarrel between Julie's parents and the old lady; she had been something of a crank,"and as the years went on she became more so. Sho sent Julio presents on her births day and at Christmas, though never to the other Moffat children, and this went oil for years, though Julie lived in Hereford and Aunt Beattie in Manchester. Several times Dr. Moffat had tried to effect a reconciliation, but without much success. When lif- wrote she replied with pettish homo truths about his character, but on one occasion she added a P.S.:

"To show that, this is not prejudice 011 my part I wish you to know that I have recently altered my will, leaving everything 1 have to your girl, Julie. 1 was compelled to strike the Gleefiekl Cats' Hospital out of my will because though 1 have protested and protested against their disgraceful way of letting the cats wait, in the van before being taken to the destructor, nothing whatever has been done." Dr. Moffat would hall laugh and half sigh over Aunt Beattio's letters, and Julie could still remember the day some two years before he died when her father had said to her:

"Well, Julie, it scorns you're an heiress. Your great aunt Beatrice is going to leave you all her savings—about two hundred pounds, 1 gather

And now, yeven years afterwards, the legacy had come. Beatles.-) as she was feeling in her job, Julio was tremendously excited. It might, of course, be only ten or twenty pounds after all- — But she hopdd. Three days later the information came from the Manchester solicitors. Julie might expect to icceivc six hundred and fifty pound* after all other claims on her aunt's estate had been settled.

]fc was a wonderful piece of good fortune I Six hundred and fifty pounds to keep between herself and future misfortune that might befall. Now she could snap her lingers at Band!

She told Mrs Bolton about it." "Oh, Miss Julie, ain't that a pieco of luck for you! Well, I never!" . Julie went about her work in a daze of excitement, with her head full of ideas about, what she would do. Sho began to make plans for investing the the money in something that would bring in a certain livelihood. Sho knew all about ten-shops; she would rent a shop in some country neighbourhood and start one. Who would ho better as a cook than Mrs. Bolton? But perhaps Mrs. Bolton felt that her own job at ijime Grove would be safest. Julio didn't like to ask her, but she mentioned her intention of starting a teashop to Mrs. Bolton. "Oh, Miss Julie!" Mrs. Bolton's face was the picture of dismay. "You ain't tliinkin 1 of leaving hero, are you?" "Yes, Mrs. Bolton —i am thinking of it."

"After all that Mr. Band 'as done—and this such lovely placo! You'll never get as good a job as this, nowhere I" "I'm going to start on my own," said Julie.

"Well," said Mrs. Helton, shaking her head, "they tell me Mr. Band's away m Sweden now. But he'll be that disappointed when 'o comes back. I know 'o will!"

Julie coloured, and said quietly: "Why should bo be disappointed, Mrs. Bolton? He'll bo very glad to bo able to give the job to someone more suited to it!"

"Oh, I dessay you can say. that! But you'll get nothing so comfortable as this!"

(To be continued daily)