MY LADY'S DIAMONDS.

New Zealand Mail, 22 January 1902, Page 6

MY LADY'S DIAMONDS.

By ADELINE SERGEANT, Author of "The in the World,” ‘ The Idol Maker,” “Sir Anthony,” etc.

(COPYRIGHT.) CHAPTER XX. THE ORDER OF RELEASE. For a minute or two there was a disposition to treat Xair's words as those of a foolisii child. Geoffrey, indeed, turned pale; but the constable shook his head. ‘‘Can’t arrest on a charge of that kind! • he muttered, and edged towards the door. ‘’Listen! 5 ' cried Nan’s freitzied voice. "Listen, or you’ll get into trouble! That’s the thief that stole Lady Rockingham's diamonds! If you don’t stop her. she'll get away with them tonight "The girl is delirious!’’ said Xina. "I believe,’ 5 said Geoffrey, ‘‘that this girl is perfectly right! 5 - "Ghat folly! Officer, you surely do not attach any importance to the raving: of a girl in a fever?’ 5 "She is not in a fever. 55 said Joan quietly: "and I also believe that she speaks the truth!' 5 The constables looked first at one person and then at another. It was certainly rat her difficult to know what to do. Nan s scream was heard again from the sofa. "Pull down her hair!' 5 she said. "Take off her nat and pull down her hair: she carries them that way. You'll find the diamonds in her back-hair, if you look ! I said—l said I'd tell!” Now, indeed. Xina was seen visibly to blench, and to turn white with fear. Geoffrey looked her straight in the face. “It is easy enough to disprove the accusation. 55 he said. "If you will kindly remove your liat and unfasten vour hai r 55

"But- I m just ready for a voyage: I really can't!” said Nina. "It is too rediculous! And really we shall miss our boat. Julius!”

“I think, madam.” said one of the policemen, "it would be more satisfactory if you would just convince us of what you say !” "Julius !'•' cried Nina faintly.

But- Julius was no longer to be seen. Perhaps it had suddenly dawned upon him that the game was lost. One of the policemen took the runs deftly out of Nina’s hat. Then, as "she still refused to assist him, lie felt the soft mass of hair at the back of her head with a careful hand, and suddenly blushed with surprise. “I feel something here!” he said. “Don’t struggle, ma’am, if you please! That- s the way the hair comes down, isn t it ? There’s something curiously hard inside ”

And out of the horse hair circlet over which Nin's fair curls were drawn his hand extracted something which gleamed with a thousand fires in the gas-light a string of glittering beads, which Geoffrey r; cognised at once as the missing diamonds. a

'l'm afraid me must detain you !” said the constable to Nina. And she:

"Oh, certainly; but. of course. I can apeount for them. They are my own diamonds, and I always find my hair a safer place for them when I am travelling.”

“But, all the same, they came out of Lady Rockingham’s dressing-case!” said Nan.

Nina turned angrily towards her," and would have spoken, but at that moment a new, strange sound came from the upper regions of the house. Geoffrey and one of the policemen instantly made their way upstairs, while Nina, who tried to follow, was held back by the remaining constable, and finallly tainted away iij his arms. „ knew only too well the meaning or that ominous sound. Julius, or Josiah ttronin, had always declared that he wouid never be taken alive. He had suffered so much during his previous incarceration that he avowed a preference for death rather than for another term in.prison; and he always carried a loaded revolver with him for the purpose of defending his own liberty. When his wife was arrested, when

Nan’s tongue was unloosed, his own fate was sealed; and a bullet through his brain seemed to him the easiest way of escape.

Nina had really loved him as far as she was able to love; and the manner of his death certainly preyed upon her mind, and caused her to succumb to acute melancholia. Before the time for her trial, on the charge of stealing Lady Rockingham’s diamonds, she was incapable of understanding any question addressed to her, or of speaking sensibly in reply: and m a very few months her health gave way completely.

She died in an asylum, without recognising any of her old friends, who would have been glad to do anything to assist and console her. But perhaps it- was better that she should die without knowing the long misery of the life that would henceforth lie before her.

Of Cronin nothing more was heard. He had mangaged to get away before the final catastrophe. It- was said that he had acquired great wealth, and was living in South America: but the story sounded rather fabulous, and nobody attached much credit to it.

Nan sometimes wonders whether he will ever come back, and has terrible visions sometimes of his vengeance; but since she married Sandy, the red-haired boy. who was set up in business by Geoffrey, as some acknowledgment of his timely information that Joan was locked up in the silent-looking house, slio has lived a perfectly happy life, and avows that she would not change places with any one, even with Mrs Geoffrey Brandon herself.

For it happened that shortly after Joan’s return to her fathers house, a grey-haired lady called one day, and asked to be admitted, without mentioning her name. It was rather a shock to Joan when she came into the room to find herself face to face with Lady Rockingham, who was evidently very nervous.

“You must be surprised to see me,” she said, in an embarrassed tone. “I am, rather,” said Joan. “It is my duty,” remarked Lady Rockingham. “Sir James says so, Geoffrey says so, and indeed I feel it myself—indeed I do!”

“Your duty to come here?” asked Joan, only half comprehending. “My duty to ask your pardon! Oh, Joan, can you ever forgive me? I behaved abominably to you; but indeed I was misled by that vile woman ” Joan raised her hand a little.

“That poor woman,” she said, almost tenderly—-“that poor woman, whom God has punished ”

“Joan, you are an angel! Tf you can forgive her, will you not forgive me, too ?”

"I find it more difficult to forgive you, Lady Rockiugham. You had known me all my life, and she had not. You had more reason to trust me hail to trust her 1”

“Oh, I know—l know!” said Lady Rockingham, bursting into very genuine tears; “and I can never forgive myself. But, whether you forgive me or not, I felt that I must come to you and tell you how much I regret the past, Joan,

and how I should like, if possible, to sec you happy in the future.” Then Joan coloured, and looked down, for she began to understand why Lady Rockingham had come.

“It has always been our dearest wish to see Geoffrey married,” pursued the lady. "He is Sir James’s heir, and we want him to be thoroughly happy. He will never be happy with anyone but you. Joan, won’t you consent to marry hint? It is I that ask it now. I would beg it on my knees if I thought that it- would affect your decision favourably !”

“And Sir James?” said Joan, somewhat wistfully.

"My dear, he is so unhappy that 1 don’t know what to do with him. He feels himself so terribly to blame; so do I. A fid Geoffrey will not come to the house; be scarcely speaks to us. It is hard upon Sir Janies; and yet wo can’t resent it, for we know that Geoffrey is right. We used to be such a happy trio, and now we are positively miserable. Nobody can put things right but yourself.” “But can I?”

“If you will, you certainly can. Geoffrey can’t forgive us so long as you refuse to marry him.” “I do not- wish him to be unfriendly with you, Lady Rockingham. It is not my doing.” “I know it is not. Still, he is miserable without you.”

Joan was silent. . "Don’t you care for him any longer? Do you not want him to be happy?” “Yes, I care for him; hut von know, Lady Rockingham, that I said I would not marry him ” “Unless I asked you to do so. And I ask you now. Dear Joan, forgive us, and consent, for Geoffrey’s sake, not for ours!”

Joan held out her hand, still with a little hesitation; but when the old lady took her into her arms and kissed her with many tears she felt that she had been a little hard in standing aloof so long. Slio responded to Lady Rockingham’s , repentant fondness very quickly; and Sir James’s faltering apologies went homo to her heart still more. And Geoffrey had no difficulty in getting an answer to the question which lie had been half afraid to ask.

“Do you love me, Joan?” “A little.” “And will you marry me?” “Some day, perhaps.” _ But then it was her turn to ask ques* tions.

“Geoffrey, arc you sure you trust m® now ?”

“With all my heart and soul!” , . “Even if you saw me in the w®, awkward and suspicious circumstances-"" “I should trust you implicitly. " will you insist upon reminding me 0 a very short phase of feeling of whicn I am heartily ashamed?” , r “Perhaps because I think it good t you to be ashamed!” said Joan deniti lyBut there was a nervous purpose her eyes. ' . r 0 “Geoffrey, I should never care for o unless perfect trust went with it-. you remember that? My word m

.acred as a man’s word to linn. I have. high a sense of honour as yourself. , Will you believe this of me, and not of nie alone, but of other women P “Of you, darling—no.t of all women. , “Not of all, but of many of us. Vi e can only be happy together if we have : tint, perfect trust, Geoffrey; and Ife looks sad and dreary to my mind .f wo lack it.” | “\Ve shall not lack it, and life shall i never look sad and dreary to yoii ; through my want of faith. Dearest, I have “sometimes doubted—sometimes • scoffed. I have had moments when I thought that love and faith were dead ; ; hu*- you havo given me back all that is ' precious in this life—love, hope, and faith in God and man 1” ; So hand in hand they looked out towards the fair fruition of their lives, ; and knew that, whether weal or woe ; ras u store for them, they had tasted the best and purest joys of earth, and j could never lose the memory of that tasto in years to come, for their lives •yvoro crowned with love. iTlio End).