THE PRISONER'S SISTER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22878, 5 November 1937, Page 19

THE PRISONER'S SISTER

By PEARL BELLAIRS Author of "Velvet and Steel"

CHAPTER XXl.—(Continued)

After a while Mrs. Bolton pot used to the idea of Julio leaving and said that she had heard that there was a lady in Ilindhead wanting to take 011 a partner in a tea-shop. She was not sure that she liked the look of it very much. And then, when she pot hack to Lime Gro\c, something happened to take her mind oil it.

Connor came over and knocked at her door as sho was taking oil' her hat and coat.

"There's a Mrs. Arnot to see you, madam, over at the hotel.'' Julie looked at him in surprise. Mrs. Arnot! Rand's married sister! "Very well, Connor. I'll come over," she said. What could Mrs. Arnot want? It might be merely that she was wanted officially to attend to Mrs. Arnot's wants—though Connor's way of putting it made that doubtful. Could sho havo come about Stuart? —perhaps Stuart had talked about Julio, and Mrs. Arnot had come to discourage such a doubtful entanglement! Julie went over. Wrapped in beautiful furs, Lise Arnot was sitting in the lounge. Julio recognised her at once as the woman whom she had seen during her first unfortunate interview with Rand. She rose and somewhat to Julie's surprise, held out her hand. Julio took it with a look of enquiry and a faint flush in her cheeks.

" I have heard so much about you," said Lise Arnot, easily. " My brother — both my brothers, in fact, have told me about you. So here in 1 am —come to sco for myself if you are as remarkable as

they say you are! Do you mind?" Sho smiled so disarmingly that Julio could \not be offended. She sat down. Mrs. Arnot looked round the lounge, made a remark or two about the decorations, and cooly asked Julio what sho thought about them. She was charming. And as she led the conversation smoothly along Julio perceived that sho was also very clever — all her casual remarks as tliey talked were calculated to make Julio display herself. Julio herself found her a littlo formidable, but was instinctively certain that sho was as nice as she looked. After a few minutes the other woman dropped lior flow of small talk; and a look of resolution camo into her faco, as though whatever judgment sho had reserved was mado.

Sho smiled kindly at Julio in a moro confidential way, and said:

"And now about this brother of mine. Yes," sho said, in answer to Julie's look of surprise, " I mean Stuart. My dear, he's very fond of you, you know. In fact I've never seen him so much in lovo before 1"

Julie gazed at the other woman in embarrassed silence.

" Don't look so shy," said Lise. " Ho told ine about you and how ho wants to marry you. Well, you thought that his family might bo annoyed, and of course they would bo. I won't disguise the fact! I wouldn't be very pleased myself—if I had known nothing about you. But you see, I do know quite a lot about you. I heard a long time ago—about your grit and courage, and your determination to look after your young brother and sister. Not only from Stuart but from Ferris. Naturally I wouldn't believe that you wero quite so wonderful until I had seen you for myself! Now I have seen you I'm inclined to believe that they're right about you." " Thank you 1" - - " So that's all right, isn't it?" Julie looked puzzled, and Liso explained: " I mean that you won't keep up this silly objection of yours about injuring him socially P" " But you know that it would injure him socially 1" protested Julie. " My dear child, it has always been difficult enough to make Stuart happy without worrying about things like that. If he's so sure that he could be happy with you., then that's all that Ferris and I could possibly want of him. Really, if you refuse tun; I don't know what he'll do with himself 1"

Julie looked deeply troubled and protested again: " But the rest of your family, Mrs. Arnot! They would bo angry—you said they would I" " I think wo could got over that. In fact I'm quite suro that I could manage that side of it for you, if you would lot me. It just deponds upon how we introduced you to them, and if I were to do that side of it,l really don't think there would be any trouble at all." Moved and astonished by the other woman's kindness, yet still too uncertain of her own heart to know how to decide, Julie sat in silonce for a moment or two. Then: " You're awfully kind! I don't know how to thank you!" sho said. " But I I must think about it."

" All I want is to see Stuart get what he wants," smiled Lise. " There's not an atom of kindness in it—don't you believe it! Just think about what I have said, and realise that it won't be so difficult to do after all. I think you're delightful, and 1 shall write and tell Ferris so. I shan't tell Stuart though, because it will only make him moro miserablo than ever!"

And so she went, leaving behind her the impress of her strong, calm personality on Julie's mind, and the rich warm tones of her voice to echo in Julie's ears.

Julie was so overwhelmed by her kindness that for a while even the matter of her six hundred pounds and her teashop was driven from her mind.

She went about her work in n distrait sort of fashion, thinking, considering. Was Stuart very unhappy? How did she feel toward him? She hardly knew. She decided at last that she would go ahead witli her plans for independence, start her tea-shop, and leavo timo to tell her Avhethcr sho really wanted to marry. This mood persisted for a day or two. Sho heard nothing from him. Then one lovely warm spring evening when the chestnut trees were green, and May was coining into bloom, Julio had promised to go over to the home farm to inspect the dairy arrangements, which were said to be inadequate. She walked across the home meadow through the long grass, awaro of the lovely burgeoning of tho earth about her. Sho knew that sho should lmvo been happy. Her aunt's six hundred pounds had surely removed overy worry she had had. She was free. Sho was loved— Stuart loved her. Sho was full of gratitude for his love, sho thought that sho had feelings toward him that might bocome more than just gratitude. Jiut as she walked over the fields sho felt tired, not wanting to go ahead with all her energetic plans. The sound of church hells soft and distant over the countryside filled her with a restless unassuaged longing. She looked up at the rooks flying homeward and sho longed to fly with them—llo matter where. Somewhere distant, to the ends of tlio earth, France, Africa, Sweden —

The thought of Sweden pulled Julio up short in her reverie. Why should sho think of Sweden? The last place sho would want to go for peace and quiet, or happiness, was where Hand was. " Of course, he would intrudo himself!" sho thought, crossly. She spent some time in the white sweet-smelling dairy talking to Mr. Hawker, the manager of the home farm; tho farm had only just been started, and sho made a note of all tho

A DRAMATIC STORY OF JUSTICE AND MERCY

(COPYRIGHT)

things that Hawker wanted doing, so that she could send the list to Mr. Turrell. There was a bonny baby boy who clung to Hawker's coat tail and peered at her with shining black oyes from behind his father's kueo. Julie walked back to Lime Grove with the same confused and aching dreaminess in her heart. An evening mist was just beginning to fall on the fields; in the meadow just beyond the Lime Grove kitchen garden she saw someone coming to meet her on the footpath. It was not one of the servants, lio walked with a limp—it was Stuart Band.

Julio's heart gave a little leap of pleasure; she quickened her step, and held out both hands to him impulsively as they mat. "Oh, Stuart, how nice to seo you!" burst from the loneliness of lier heart. He took her hands. "They told me you had gone over to the farm," ho said, "so I came to lind you!" She could seo in his eyes the effect her enthusiastic greeting had had on him. Before she had time to regret it ho drew her a little toward him and kissed her upturned face. "Oh, Stuart!" Ho slipped his arm round her and fchey turned to walk back to the house, which was hidden from them still by the ancient brick wall of the kitchen garden. "Why 'Oh, Stuart'?" ho said. "Mayn't I kiss you?" "Yes, but —" "But what?" He stopped and drew her into his arms again. Something in Julie held back, the rest of her yielded. There was comfort in Stuart's arms, there was kindness. She let him kiss her, and lie kissed her so tondorly and gently. "Say you'll marry me, Julio!" "Oh, I don't know —I don't know! ] would like to —but —1" "But what? Don't you caro for mo?" "Perhaps I don't love you—in quite the right way." "That'll como, Julie I" "It might —" "Then say 'yes.' " Julie drew back a little, still leaning on his encircling arm. The last rooks were flying home overhead in the rosy sky. The ache of Julie's loneliness was m&ro than she could bear

"I will, Stuart —I will, if you want mo to!"

She could feel the strength of his happiness straining in his arms as he hugged her joyfully. Then ho put her from him as though some thought had suddenly spoiled his joy. His face was troubled in the twilight. "You don't mind about—this?" he asked reluctantly, and Julio looked down and saw that he meant his foot with its heavy surgical boot.

Every atom of her being roso in a revolt of passionate sympathy, putting all other considerations, misgivings, shadowy regrets from her mind. "Mind? How can you? Do you think I'm an idiot, Stuart?" Ho made no reply, but put his arms round her again, and they walked on toward the house. Julie told him about her legacy. "So I'm not the pauper I was when you first asked me, Stuart!" "I'm glad," said Stuart. "It will make pocket money for you—l'm suro women must loathe being dependent on their husbands for every penny. We'll get Ferris to invest it for you." "What? No, wo won't —that is, I mean .1 think I can look after it myself," said Julie. She wanted to tell him that thero was ono thing sho was not going to enduro, and that was any interference from lland in their affairs; but it seemed the wrong moment to mention it, and somehow sho couldn't bring hersolf to talk about him just then.

They wont back to the hotel; and then she thought of Dolly and Will, and what was to happen to them? She talked to Stuart about it when lie followed her into the office and sat himself on the edgo of her desk. "You can do anything you like with them," said Stuart. "Send them to a boarding school, or we'll make a home for them with us. Anything you like. I'll settle a lump sum on thom to bo used for their education if 3*oll like." "But, Stuart, I couldn't lot you I" "Why? Wo ought both of us to be jolly glad that there's enough money available to allow us to be happy without quarrelling as to whether it's mine or yours!"

There was no answer to that. Julio, knowing how hard the struggle for existence was, knew that anything else was mere obstinate pride and stupidity. Unless one had to bo miserable about money it was sheer ingratitude to make oneself so.

"Don't you know, Julie, how happy it's going to make me to know that I can do something for you, in return for what you'vo done for me?" "I've done nothing for you!" Julio protested faintly, shrinking a little, overpowered by dread that he might over-estimate the value of her feelings for him.

"You'vo saved me from myself, from my own selfish bitterness and disappointment with life. I feel reborn!" Julie told herself that she was glad. She wanted to make him happy, and she believed that she could. But after he had gone, a chill of uneasiness sottled on her. She had wantod to be free, sho had wanted to bo independent; and yet she was going to bo married because in a moment of loneliness she had said that sho would. A sort of dread descended on her — a deathly fear lost sho might have made a false step. She wanted to make Stuart happy. .But could she? Could sho live up to his expectations? Sho wanted so passionately to do so. But it was fixed, it was settled, it would bo too cruel to him to back out now. "I'll cable to Ferris and let him know in the morning," had been his last words as he left. CHAPTER XXII. lUUNGJNG .TULII2 OUT Thereafter everything happened so quickly that Julie had very little time for doubt or regret. When she told the children she was going to he married they looked as full of wonder and surprise as children do 011 such occasions. Dolly even looked, a trifle dismayed, Sho seemed to think that they were very comfortable whore they woro. "Shall Ave bo able to live with you still, Julio?" •'Yes, of course, Dolly!" "Or do you think you'd better send us away to a .boarding school?" •'Why, would you liko to go to a hoarding school? "No, I. wouldn't. I'd hate it," said Dolly. "1 think it 'ud be fun," said Will. •'JJut it will be just tho same as at home; and you like Stuart, it will bo fun to livo with him, won't it?"

"I think it would bo fun to Jivo with Mr. Rand," announced Will, astonishingly. "> .Julie could only wonder at his perversity in preferring someone who had onco spanked him so heavily. She didn't tell anyone else about her engagement, but the children told Mrs. Bolton. Mrs. Bolton congratulated her wheezily, with a look of doubt and surprise in her face as well as pleasure. "Well, now, fancy!. I didn't think—!" She broke off without telling Julie what it was that she had not thought. "Oh, Miss Julie! Mr. Stuart Band! It's just lovely!" (To bo continued daily)