DRIVEN BY FATE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8736, 19 May 1914, Page 8

DRIVEN BY FATE

r Published bit Special Aeeaxgeiie.ni.]

By FLORENCE HOPE,

Author of tl The Trials of Madge Moberley,” 'Tangled Threads/* “The Brown Rosary,” etc., etc. (Copyright.) CHAPTER XVI.—Con tinned. Geoff gone! Life without him. No future to look forward to. ilis love for □err dead ! dead ! dead ! That was the cruellest thought of all, and eh© would have to go on just tb* o same as if—aa if they had never met, never kissed, never exchanged their sweet and to her, sacred love vows. Poor Phyllis! Poor iittlo deceived <yirl! After that Dare gave her no time for thought. When Jack was better ho took them out constantly, and when trouble cam© with the utter collapse of the pnper and dismissal of the subeditor, h© persuaded Jack to accept a substantial loan, to go on with, which Phyllis knew of too late, and that became a burden of debt upon her mind. Difficulties increased. Jack finished his play, but it was. rejected, and his sister lost several music pupils, also the w ln " ter was setting in wet. foggy, "‘dh ush and snow; a bad winter for Jack to face, and he wa* constantly ill with colds ana that hacking cough. . . “Ho ought to be at Verinior, said Daio ono day when ho found Phyllis alone in the sitting-room. Jack being confined to his bed. , .. •‘Ho ought—that’s true, but he can t, retorted the girl in a. "Why not?" demanded U 3^o . looking fixedly at her* , . •‘Because wo have no money to send him there/* was the reply. •‘You can draw on me—let me tell you, Phyllis, tou’U lose that brother «f if you don’t get him out of linden. This atmosphere of fog and sleet is k C him; his cough gets m .ni woSw. -I thought this morning he looked terrible,” said. Dare. ... „ “He has had a very bad night. “Well wiH vou let me send him down to the hocspital ? Think of the good they Hid him before. Dr Branscombe mil fook after him personally if I ask kun. isn’t it selfish ot you to hold back wnon dis a matter of life and deathl” said I r «e mending . a coat of her brother's. She let it slip from her knee, and stood up with clenched hands against her breast. . .. „, "Life or death? Do you mean that. Ur Grimshaw?” “I do indeed.” , , , rvi, “Then, for pity s sake, help me. Oh, what shall I ao? VVhat shall 1 do? I am not eclfi-sh. Don. t call me that. I am ready to do anything for Jack, anything I What is it you want in return for all that you are willing to do? iell me—tell mo now." He looked at her unhappy face, the cheeks that were losing their pretty contour, the dim eyes that had wept much in the lonely nights, the slim, aye, too slim figure, and. he asked himself v> net her she was worth winning knowing that she would never give him her heart. But Dare Grimshaw had always wanted Fnylis Wentworth, and he had risked much to win her, and was willing to nsk as much again and pay a high price for the Woman he wanted. So he took those little clenched hands between one of his and said: _,, , “I want—von. Why not marry mo,Phyllis? Then I can. do everything for Jack. I*- will be easy then —don’t you see there will be talk now if I do too much—l haven't the right. Give it me, my girl—let Jack be my brother-in-law and you—my wife?” “Your —wife!” she faltered. “Yes, why let that fellow in South Africa think you are still fretting for him. Marry me, send him the news; ho jilted you —play the game, Phyllis—\v UJ not?” urged Dare. “1 can’t! I can’t!” she whispered. “But J teU you you can. Think of Jack and the sunshine at Ventnbr. We might even take him to the South of Prance. It’s Jack you’ll do it for you know.”

“Jack—yes, and you would do all 1 should want for Jack, you promise tnat. I could never care for you, yotik, . that. I have disliked yon even, but that is past. X have been so grateful to you about Jack, if—if I became your wife I should not need to be grateful any more. We should —we should be quits, shouldn’t we?” She looked up at him steadily and fearlessly. , "i'es, we should be quits.” answered Bare.

"Very well, then, when do you want me to marry you?’’ "You will— is it true? Have I won you, my girl?” cried Bare with fierce joy"Oh, yes, yon can marry me so long as you’ll keep your “bargain of doing all I want for Jack,” was the reply. "Bon’t you know, I’d do anything to have you for my own, Phyllis. Wen be mat-fled at once. I’ll get -a special license, and we’ll get away from this infernal London. I’vo hung about here only to bo near you, to look at your face every day. to listen to your voice. Good God! You’ve made a sentimental fool of me, child, but you don’t know what a man’s passion is. the hunger in it, the thirst, the craving—and it’s you who have created this In me.”

Oh, don t! Oh, don’t!” she cried out atarmed, terrified even, as he snatched her in his arms and kissed her ravenously. • bhe almost fell as ho let her go suddenly, and she heard the door shut behind him as ho went to Jack with the news. She sank down on a chair, her face burned like fire; it was scorched by shameful kisses; she wak choked -with a feeling ot disgrace. Would he alwaw kiss her like that? Was sho bound (o submit to such violent caresses 3 N'o she couldn’t. God in heaven help heri she couldn t. Through the wall she could hear voices. Jack must not know r-tc sacrifice she was making for hissakc; no 01 : must;he suspect that. H e must be led to believe that riches tempted her, position, and that she accepted this marriage wholly to please herself, so when f, 1 , 0 , rd Ji3 re , lea J c -. tIIB broken-hearted gill smoothed her hair, washed her face and went with a smile to her brother. ’ By Jove, Phyl, I am awfully glad’’ was Jack s greeting. “Como here and give me it kiss, old girl. I sav, what times well have together; Dare is so and now we shan’t mind taking his money, it won t lie the same thing. I have worried awfully over that loan- Now he Says I’ve not to think of it any more, you've cancelled all obligations : he qpeaks of you as a big prize. •What an attractive little sister I’ve got. I m afraid I haven’t known how Valuable you were.’’

.“Yon are really pleased. Jack?” questioned Phyllis, fidgeting with the bedsheet. curling the corner round and round her fingers. “Of course I’m pleased; as pleased as you are. X say, Phyl, you’ll bare paid out Geoff; won’t he be surprised?” She smoothed the crumpled bit of linen carefully as she said quietly: “Yes, ho will be surprised, but not so surprised as 1 am.” Jack looked sharply at her, for it sounded to him as if there were tears in her voice. Could it be that—that she wasn’t quite happy about it?' “Phyl, dear, it's not for me you are doing this, is it?” he asked anxiously, a doubt creeping into his mind. “For you—well you do think me an unselfish saint of a girl. Don’t you know that all my life I’ve longed for lovely clothes, for a grand house of my own, for jewels—T wonder whether he’ll give mo diamonds —oh, «nri 'real lace, that exquisite dirty kind that is so fascinating, and—and—dear Jack, am i not. the luckiest, of girls?” She broke off abruptly, and went quickly out of the room. Then bei face changed. (To be continued.)