LOVE SHALL PREVAIL

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8853, 2 October 1914, Page 2

LOVE SHALL PREVAIL

[Published dt Special Arrangement. ]

BY ARTHUR W. MARCHMONT. Author .of "The ' Case of Lady Bros' stone," “The Gable House/’ "F>. Right of Sword." “A Heritage c. Peril," "In tho Grip of Hate/’ etc etc.

[COPYRIGHT.] CHAPTER XXVI.—THEI EXPLANATION. To Olive’s intense surprise. Lady Flora was waiting for her when the car reached The rylde. after a lone, rapid run through the night. "You are later than I expected, Olive,’’ she said with a smile, as it there had never been a shadow of unpleasantness between them. ; "Quite an hour later. Let me carry \ Hon in"; and while Olive was staring at her in sheer astonishment, Don, who had just awoke from a long sleep, snuggled into Lady Flora's arms. “But I don’t understand,” exclaimed Olive. "Oh, haven’t you been told yet? Veil, let’s get this little chap to bed. Of course X came on ahead so that everything should ho got ready. You were to have been home, more than an hour ago; nearly two, indeed. And I was beginning to get fidgety. I had some milk warmed for Don, He had quite a hearty tea and can’t be hungry. Are you, boysie?" "I'se very sleepy, auntie.’’ said Don. rubbing his eyes. "But what does it all mean ? cried Olive, wrinkling her brows in perplexity. A servant brought the hot milk in, and lady Flora, ignoring Olive’s question. suggested ho should have it up"l’m sure you’d like to put him to bed yourself. d ear -” E^e added; "and while you do it I’ll go and see that everything else is all right. Good night, boysie; mummy will put you to bed to-night”; and she kissed him and went out of the room, turning at the door to smile at Olive’s bewildered expression. Olive carried Don upstairs, and as she undressed him. heard that he had been in Lady Flora's care ever since he had been taken from The Flyde; and when she went down again, having kissed and petted him. and waited until he was aeloep. she felt even more mystified than ever.

“I suppose you have some explanation to olier,” she said, when she found her friend reading a book as if nothing extraordinary had occurred. She wanted to be angry; but for some reason felt unable. "I don't know why you, have come back to The Fylde.” "I was sent, dear, of course."

"I don’t see why you smile like that. Don tells mo that ho has been with you all this time; so it is true, then, that you took him away? 'Who sent you back, as you say?” . "Surely you ■ can guess that. I m sorry my smiling annoys you; but T can’t help it. I'm so terribly happy, dear.” , At that Olive herself smiled; and. seeing it. Lady Flora rushed up and threw her arms about Olive's neck and kissed her. ~ "It hasn’t been my fault, Olive dearest. It hasn’t realty. .■ I've'shed bucketfuls of tears. I daren’t have done it myself; and I’d have given the world to have been allowed to write and tell you-”

"Then tell me now.” 1 "But it isn’t my secret, dear; and everything was to have been told before you. came home. But I’ll tell you ■ what [ do know.” , ( "Flo?" sho exclaamed with pleading impatience as Lady Flora paused. "That’s better. That’s the first time -rou’ve used my name. Well, in the first place, I didn’t take Don away; but - knew that he , was to be taken. Ho told me and —-" "Who is ‘he’?” broke in Olive. "All about it." continued her friend, ignoring the question; "and all that he nad done to see that no harm came to Don. It ivas that pretended nurse, of course. She gave you something to make iu sleep heavily, and took Don away, and gave him to Galthorpe, who had a car ready to take the boysie off to Loudon. He didn’t go in the oar himselt, and little knew that the chauffeur had betrayed him and was in—in his pay. "In whose nay do you mean?’’ inter'osed Olive; hut the question was ignored as her former one had been. "Of course that night X was watching ■ s he had toltf me to do; and I saw it all done; and equally, of course, he told me—it’s no ns a asking that question -n, Olive; you must wait. He told ‘me to ha. ■ . - ey.ue the next day; it to do it so as not to reuse your suspicious. That accounts for my extraordinary conduct that morning. And that’s how I came to have Don all this time.”

“Will you answer my question now < “Galthorpe was at his wits’ end when he found that Don had never reached the place he meant him to; but a tale was made up—that the car had broken down and boysie had been hurt and taken to a hospital; and, of course, he daren’t go to ask for him. I thought that awfully clever of him.’’ Dady Tioru smiled every time she used the pronoun now.

“But why was it all done? I can’t vunderetand.”

“He thought it necessary for your own happiness, dear, that you should loam the truth about—about who were you; real friends, and who were false. _ But neither you nor Don was for a dingle moment in any danger. livery act of the others was known and they -wore watched at every possible turn. When you went from the Beeches to that lorn house on the Sussex Downs —where you've just come from, you know—he knew that only Galthorpe and that woman were there; and Galthorpe was lured away for the night. Otherwise, the hones would have been raided at once. But that would have defeated his object—that you should have such overwhelming proo! of everything that it would be impossible for you to misunderstand." "The proof wa-J certainly drastic enough. Do you know what occurred in that house?" “Greg Galthorpe's object was to secure your fortune at any cost and by any means, Olive.' The loss of the will was his first step; he stole it. The motor smash was the next—he engineered it in the hope that Don would be killed. _ liir. you could not believe it. Don’s disappearance followed; and he would not have hesitated to put him to death if necessary. You were shaken then; and. although he tried to fix the thing on me, you sent him away. Disconcerted by that, he laid that trap for you at the Beeches; and when yon walked into, it. ho pretended that he had also b’egn trapped, while attempting to defend you. Your discovery of that lie left him no course except the open avowal of his object." “How do you know all this?" cried Olive in astonishment. . (To be concluded.)