[NOW FIRST PUBLISHED.]

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10423, 27 July 1895, Page 3

[NOW FIRST PUBLISHED.]

& SENSATIONAL CASE,

Ex FLOBENCE WAEDEN, \ v Author of "A Witch of the Hills," "lUun Ktder, of Buent," "A Passes Trniouau Bohemia," "The House on . hie Marsh,"- <Sc. f;

ALL EIGHTS RESERVED,

CHAPTER XI.—AN EXCHANGE OF CONITIDBNCES..... '

{There was a seductive charm in the lo»g, luxurious room, with its low coiling, its corners, its rogs, and its big square cushions. Netelka now noticed itfor the first time, >s Gerard Waller drew closer to the fire, and began his story in tha low-pitched confidential tone of an old friend..; . , : ,*,: , Even while she listened, to him, she was asking herself unconsciously how it waa that this was the first time that the handsome apartment had worn a home-like air. Of course the reason was that until to-day she had been miserable in ( it, and that she, now heard a sympathetic human vpicein it for the first time.. ',"'': .':.'' '.., *; Gerard had got as far as to.tell her that he wastbe son of:an ironmaster, and that he .was born near Middlesbrough, that he was now 23 years of age, and that he was reading for the bar, when it occurred to him that the attention of his hostess was wandering. "He Btopped short, and s^i; up. ' '] . .', , "I am boring youj" he said./"".'''! ' ':.' ' Netelka' started, "and denied the accusation. ' • ' " ~ .;..,' ..,.-•'But you were not listening." - :.H ■'•" I was. I believe I could repeat whatiyou. have said word foreword. And yet it is true I was^ thinking. of something else at the same time." :':i; ; •■•■■ ~; : • "Is it a secret?" ' '/ ■ ',; . •' .Netelka hesitated, '.'','";.'\Y.. '"'' ']'\ :-■ "Hardly tbat,";shei said at last.*:': ' . r ' jA'nd then shelooked..'at him'witha. peculiar expression which made Gerard Bmile. „.,' "Might;,one ...be.:.permitted,., to. hazard a guess 1" asked he. ; m,..-.-.: ■•■■..>.:■:;,:..: ■■■■■'■■■<. \. , " One might.",- ....-;';' ''■-■ .;■;■>■:';.: ■'■';'■■"--■■'-'■ ; '. "Then^were you wondering just a little>to find yourself sitting cosily here by^the fireside listening like an old friend to the mannderings of a fellow whom a few hours ago you ' had never seen?''^',.;;';:';' '•':"'":\ ; "':-.:' ■'"'"'■"; Their; eyes' met" frankly; arid' they"' / l?oth!' 'laughed.'. ■.:';V'.:' v.:i.','; i !-''^f' ?.',.■.-•."*"■■."...■..'■.'^''.'.''■•..- '■■ i"Something like^ that,, perhaps.",.. Z'•;.■■■■ '' .'•:,'. Gerardleaned back thoughtfully....- ■ , ; . "It wasn't so very, wonderful,thatrl should 5 guess your thoughts-like. that," Baid he, •' for they were.ia my own-rmind too.--You seel i had heard about you, jasfc enough to make >;ine. expect, someone 'quite • different.-'•• They talked as if-— —'■ '•-■■■ <•'• .--'""-v::'-};' ->y- ■. =•'■' t

■•■ •• Gerard .pulled-himself-up .very'suddenly,' as-if-it fiasliecE'tbrdii^h his' mind :that'the lady's' husband wis .one of'the two persons •.wh'o'hacl spoken to'him .about ;her, and that ■ thei'impression! Liriley,had!given.him was "of sbme'horrid bld.pat.of whjom,,he. himself was; afraid, j The^Jmoment She ,^hesitated, Netelka, greatly interested,.snapped him up ' "-As if-'.what 51 ".•?•„■■:■-.■■,' •.-,.'':' '

"Ob, as if; yon wereao very.-very prim, and—and-particular.- They quite frightened me. -I thought, well.Ji think, I) had got it into- my head—though^ they certainly 'never said that—that Linley" had mirried a ■ ■woman mucfi older ;,thari v himself; that ;we should find a'sfafcely, well-preserved old' lady bri' the '^riong side!of 50, instead^of—instead of —r-f- "; 'He, glanced, at, her ■,sb >yly,, : I}sroke s off r and laughed again.^. Net;elka; ! lapg'hed;.tp6. - -v?- \ " No, I'm stillon the .righc}side jof 50 bylet me see—2B;years."-v : ■, '!-;,<i;r:^.:j'i-:i ; ■■.'.', Ob," said Gerard, with interest; :•"■■ Twenty • two. Thenyou are just a year youßger than I am."f-; ■ ';"■; :'%'-M'- '"c!-rf* ?■■-• ■■•'? )"-; x-. ;■-.■• - :

■ / Netelka thonght that-there was perhaps 'a Bhadetoo much camaraderie in his' tone | 'for. it was essential to herrplans that';he sa'ould; .have for her'the ;'mbst ; a!3solnto;'nay, almcfst crushing.'-'iespecii.'-iHa : must 'Inbb.'beallowed to ;think\that .'feej;Wa3; near ejaon'gli to her; x>wh age -'ifcci'be.able" to V.talkher over "to his 'own views on the gambling question;. ":: ■-.■■■ -\ ■.'- ■"■'.'!lt doesn't.count-;lika,thai;though," she' said, with- great: solemnity... ','■ For a. womanof 20, for Instance, is quite 10 years older! than a man of the samo age. -Yon know that >Is admitted;"' "■. -s^^"-;:'-:;*-^ *■-■■<-. -'.\'~'""': .;"^7hp■ admits it?":asked Gerard^;rathor 'fliKpantiy.'-'"'"''''.'-.-'"'.' '''.7 ;t'7°*X": '" 7 "r'"^:.\ ■ v' "JTou: .have 7 got to "admit' it,"jrriorfced Netellia.;' "And to admit^ therefore, that! I have .'ttie.iaufchori.ty..qf; a .person nine, years older than yourself ."C \ ; ,;. , ; v ,-•.-.■■ ;She;.;-was not quite;satisfied with the demure little look he gave her; but-he -said "all right," and asked if he should go on with his story; ■■ r:^ ■•:•.:-■••,.-,-:■ -.::■■'■■- ■ It'was shorthand easily told. /His father. had :been a':man"of.'',few domestic' tastes,. . harsh and writable Vat", home: 'His mother haql^been an angel,' abbut whom.'Ge'rard did not care to talk much even now.' She had died when he, her only; child, w!as 10, and : from that time until he was-21 he had-been' more ,'or : less miserable.- His .father had never: married again, but had got . his owri ■sister, a hareh and puritanical woman,:to , keep house for him. Gerard had been taken from; school when he. was 'only 17, and' had been in'the'omhe 'of one of bis father's • friends at "Middlesbrough; until lie; reached the*Bge'oi'2l^ '"''.' '•■ .'' }.■'' ': ":?':, i---'".'/' r'i;-; : '7/ "Then*X broke loose," said G^rard, ; rather "savagely;' ' 'Mily.father had enjoyed himself in his'time,'l,nd I was not going'-to spend all the best years of my life in a hole I hated, .liy father, ;I must tell you, is one of. the richest men in those parts, and there was no need for me: to keep my nose to the grinds ■ stone. f I fiad a short and sharp,tussle with himi'and at last I got him to consent to my, "coming up to London to read for the bar. 'I'm 'eating my terms' how. He wouldn't have "given wky even then, but that he saw thatif I didn't'come away with his.:percome away without it." '.;",' . ..', Gerard was speaking in. the dogged tone of a.p^raon with.,a grievance.,: Netelka at once stood dp for the absent-father;-c n -.- "I don't think," she began; with all the authority of the nine years' superior dignity 'tovwtiich she had laid claim, "that yon have any right to speak as if you were ill-used. No doubt your father • kept you to the grindstone,' as you '■' call it,~ because He thought it best' for yion. I can understand that thoroiighiy ' business-like habits - must be .necessaiT- in. a man who will some daybethe owner'of ai great deal of. property." •.. _ Gerard shook his head. . . " " I don't think myself that was his chief object," said-he; "at anyrate, if it was, be defeated bia own end, for'the experience I had has disgusted me with the desk for ever. I don't cara if the whole concern comes to grief or not: I'll never go back to that hole as 100 gas I live." "'•■' -■■■.• "Not to see your father?" ; ; ' "I run np now and then to see him, and when I do he just giyes a grnnt when he sees me and goes on reading his book or his paper. . And to show his sense of my deficiencies, he only allows me a hundred and fifty pounds a year to live upon." "A hundred and fifty pounds a year I" echoed Netelka, in astonishmsat. "Y9S. It-pays for my boots and gloves, and there is something left towards necktiea." ■ -. ■■■~■; .-.■•-• "It ought to make you economical," said Netßlka, doubtfnlly. "Bat——" The word was expressive, hot the tone was more so. Gerard looked at her, and then at ' the hearthrug. ~' "But it doesn't," said he, simply "My expenditure—in ready money, that is, without counting, debts-during the last two years has been about two thousand five hundred a year." "But how," asked Netsika, more shocked than puzzled, thongh she seemed to be botb " do yon manage to spend jast two thousand three hundred, and fifty pounds more than you have 1" . \ "Oh, it's easy enough; too easy in fact By the help of the much-maligned Hebrew race these little things can be done quickly erough—at a certain prioa,"of course." Nutelka drew herself Dp. Her face had grown grave and rigid. " It's horrible,", she said under her breath The exclamation did not refer to the story 6he had juat heard, bat to one which the raad between the lines: o£ Mr Harrington Moseley's financial sßßistance to this joung jellow, of her husband's assistance to the Jew, of her own involuntary share in the arrangements ofthese .two. " Why horrible 1" ' Netelka made no answer. She got up from her chair, and walked .to the fireplace, where she moved oni) of the oandelabra from one side of; the mantlopiece to the other.

" Is it the candlelight that's horrible ?" "Yes," answered she, readily. . "The draught from thti wii'dow makes them gnttsr." " Ob, I see."

Gerard had not been born in the North country for nothing; and-.he .understood more than he pretendsd to. .He was wiso eaoogh, also, to be satisfied, with the axplaaation the lady choso to give him. There was a long silence, at the end of which Netelka, who bad been occupying herself with that never-failing resource in cold weather—the fire—addressed himagain, with some suddenness:

" Have you no siater 1"

-■: " No. I had one, but ehe of consumption. I believe they thought I should go off like that, too. . I'm always being told oven now that I ought to be careful." ,•'.:■•■

"And are you?"

"Of course not. Oao may as well die one way ao another.- If lam to choose between

living in a hothouse on tea and toast till I am eighty, and dying at fivo-and-twenty after enjoying myself thoroughly for four yosira, I would choose the latter without hesitation.".. . :

11 That is very selfish!"

"How is it more selfiah than 80 years lacoddling onoseif and tbrowing oneself intoa panic about every -puff' of. Iresh air that reaches one?" ' • •. ■ ■: ;v'

-:"And' isn't there a happy mean betwean ihoae two?" ■'■ ;'"•'•■' >■ ■ ■ ■•:■■■*'■!;''

"Not for me;':' A' mean there may bs, but not a happy oho." ■■■•■■•■"■.•- ;

."Then you find your happiceas entirely in selfish enjoyment?"; .'.;.; ■,',"'■'... : " Entirely. So does everybody. 'We're all selfishly intent.on getting all the.enjoyment we can out of life—all, that is, who are not intent on taking the enjoyment out of , life for other people. There are only those two classes-: sometimes theyoverlap, and result m the man who finds his enjoyment in" depriving other people of theirs." ■ ■ ; •"Of course its amusing to hear yon talk like that,'but it's all wrong, and you know .Those of us who don't live for others in any 'way, are mere brnteii.": . . ,

;'." " ; Not at all. Thosewho live f or others,as you call it, find their enjoyment in doiDg so, don't you see.. They think they are unselfish, bat they are nothing of the kind. 'They are merely satisfying their own ; instincts. Ib seems unkind to say so, but irmaihtainthat the unselfishness usually ascribed to ybur'sex isa delusion. It is a pleasure withyouladiea to make' martyrs'of yourselves—^-to give tip the most comfortable chair and 'to mend seeks■ until your.;eyea' ache..," It gives you the.' feeling that'you are playing the partof"a .beneficent. Providencetotharudderless creature Man.. Now isn't that true? " y ' " ■"■ ;

"Perhaps,",assented. Netelka,' smiling. Gerard-went.on : more enjphatically:

-;"; The beneficent Providence idea is at the root ,;of. altruism.' I sincerely trust; Mrs Hilliafd," he went/on, withartwinklein his eye, •" that I have; succeeded'in disabusing you of the notion that in trying to ' do good,' as"I! believe it is called/to any' member of the 'iposser'''''s^;^'a'■womlEmfdoes-::anytb'ug^Jbnt •indalge her instinct for playing\ feebeficent Prp'vidence to. sbmebbdy 1 "■ ■"■, )•,:: '"'■;''.;.,'. "'; '' ; ..But - the i.smiled'on Njeteika's , ;faee % ;bad gradually, faded.: She.rose frbm.th'e.hearth-: rug,"sighing/;3,^.- ..:..■'.;-'.V;.'^v ;•.'.,. .'•

■;.,■. V I.understand.,what you. ; mean," she-said, very gravely and sweetly.l ','i You deaire.that I shall;not let my form of selfishness interfere with yours; -Well, just for to-night I will try. But rwarn you hot to enjqy'yqurseilf selfishly over baccarat in'tbis house, or;.-i shall have to enjoy myself selfishly by stopping your eel fish enjoyment, or by leaving the bouse to : indulge other Iprins,pfiselfißh/enjoyinent'selseiwhare.'' ;., Their';eyei! met;again:; ;MTekpmsipn;^of touching seriousness in those.pf the woman' brbughta flash.of Bymj»thy; into, those of ;the| man.: Garald sprang up; and [Stood .close beside Netelka, looking suddenly.: shy. k^-'M " Are you in earnest ? " asked-'he.' ■■: .'M.Does. it redlly matter to yous"? V■ -■ .vii).' ■'■ /.■ ■::■■■■> -iv'-\ ■ ''"■ " Matter I' -. Oh! •"■•■^^ Netelkaiwas nalf-cryingi ; "I; should:, think if does h e It/ is' simply td,o. dreadful to see! all of you playing-into' the', hands of this Je^j^and^aud'tfirowibg away money just to benefit jhimi"' v"' ''." -/' " : '."!•'' '

Then stie, turned; away her ,h!ea3»: blushing painfully,- remembering that, Ke£i own' jins-! band must^share the.blameof.MriMoaeiey'a proceedings. Garard noticed-the blush, and' probably gueasedthe causej' At* anyrate he took a "lighter tone m'aiißw;eriDg"fiißri.;il:'''-..'-'-;'.:: ■■ ■' "P'on'c you 'give rather""'aVnperstifcious reverence to " money 1" he saidl' . '<}•. Why' shouldn't we spend it, as AA'ndf why Shouldn't v^e. pay'fori^riticipating'the: use of it, if we like 2 thatmoney can't pass from oie hand to anbther without^.benefiting.; someone-,?. ,;'And ; that; ■ Spendthrifts have,their appointed mission in '■the-world?'"'.v-;.i.vr-.>.r.-:;." .vi ;"■■ ■■■^■^^■i!':\'.r'.:\ .

"Ah; but what will: you do when the* moneys spent ?•- Isn't it .absurd, to-.risk years of poverty for the aake;of a 'few. months of extravagant waste?; ; Ob,; if, you'knew.virtiat; it-is to.beimiserably^miserably paor;;. if you knew what it makes people; ready to do, you wouldn't risk; it, lam 6ure." v - vr v.

The words died; away ;oii Netelka's iips.' Her colour changcsd^from.rbsy'.pink' to^^ ashen grey, : The;hand" sha 'had raised in. earnest; gesticulation'fell down at^hfer side, ■" A great tear appeared .in her dark-eyes.: ::' V..: ■ ', r Gerard turned,bis head quickly^ following her glance, -Linley,- fairj,;pale; igißEemin'atelookiDg. as ever,'; had come 'with hislight,1 ;womanisbstep;and his iittlemincingmanner, into the'room. , He. had fepme as; far'as a little side table, on which stood some books and porcelain figures. ■•. T ";

,:•■. "Ah!, Here you are,' Waller. We've all been wondering what had become of you. You have beeamuch missed^in the smoking .room.-; •.; :■:.. h.-■?:■''■■ ■:./...^-=:, l ;. •■.:.;■• .:.;•■

Gerard was not easily, tak'en at a disadvantage. He"answered imperturbably—. " I;thought you were all-coming in hera^ or "I certainly should ■riot, have obtruded myself upon Mrs Billiard. "I-shall have to ask you to intercede with' her for me, for having bored her to death."

." She doesn't look bored," said Linley, in his gentlest tones.' .'['' '■'.'■ ."■■ p ';■ His face betrayed nothing: whatever. He might ;have: been' the gentlest; sweetesttempered, most; harmless little man in the world, but for his wife's expression of consternation and alarm. ■-It V gave him away," as Gerard said to himself. ' ■ ■•' ! ■ ■■■ ■ '

■< 'VNetta, my dear," went on1 Linley, in the kindest and most perraasiyeof tones' "you mustn't sit: up any lbnger.. These lads; will •i-ti S P Bm? klnS a?d :telUug pomtlesa^stories till 2 or 3 m the morning, so that they will be too tired to come down like decent people in time for church. But you.are not to put yourself out, on their account; let them «o their own way, and look after their own EOUIS." ■■•:•■; , .

Gerard had by this; time shaken hands with Netelka, and followed bis host's suggestion to'the extent of walking to the door There he paused a moment, and looked back.

And.he saw that Linlsy einphadsed his last words to bis wife with a very expressive frown. . .. ; ■■.■■■'• v

CHAPTER XIL-NETELKA'S CONCERT The morning's thoughts are so different from those of the night I Netelka had gono to- bed heartbroken, despairing, believiog that her attempted remonstrance with Gerard Waller bad been thrown away, and that her husband was so deeply displeased with her that a final rupture with him was imminent. She had been awake when Lial^y came upstairs to bed, at 3 o'clock in the morning, but. she had feigned sleep to avoid a conversation which she feared. '

When her early cup of tea was brought, however, and she saw the sun streamicg ia batween drawn window curtains, and her husband gave her a morning kiss with seraphic cheerfulness; Netelka found with surprise that her views of life were net the sameaa on the previous night. 'If was not that she had forgotten the incidents of the ' evening, but that she was now able to persuadei hereelf: that they, might bear a less tragic interpretation than the one she had put upon them. •' ■ : . What harm wns thsre in card-playiog among friends ? Acid what proof had she that the stakes they played for would have been so high as to ahock faer 1 She began to feel ashamed of her JDSerfereuce in the dining room, and a blush tingled in her cheeks as she thbugbt of her unavailing, appeal to Gerard Waller. How he must have laughed .at her 1 She told horself that be had probably related to bis friends, Sam Te'alo and Arthur Sainsbury, the story or her little esrmon. It must, she thought, have eeemed particularly piquant and amusing, coming, as it did, from thowife of the man who had asked him and his friends, down here with the promise, expressed or implied, of a long and uninterrupted gambling bout I ■"'.• Ao she sipped her tea, her husband's voice startled her. ' ' .

"Well," said he, cheerfully, "what are you so Beiious about'/" "...•'.

She was Bitting b\ s ha fire in her dressinggown, and she tnral..! with a rapid change of colour. She had drawn back the curtains of one of the windows very softly, and the light of the winter sun streamed on her face. : ;--

Linley laughed softly. " Did I frighten yon I" asked he gentlj,

11 Yss, rather." I thought you were asleep.'

Linley laughed again. He Boomed in the sweetest of humoura this morning. ■ " Mustn't go to sleep agaio, or I shall be late "for church," said he. "And with the hoose: full of those devil-may-care young scapegraoes, it behoves us to set a specially good example, and to be specially careful of our reputation with our, neighbours." " Ob, yes," assented. Netelka, not quite knowing ho«y to meat a mood bo unexpected.

And then she was silent. When he next spoke he startled her again; for he had wrapped bis drassing-gown round him and was speaking close to her ear.

•: "Look here; Netta, my dear," said he, in a caressing tone, " I want to speak to you. I have* been worrying myself, darling, because I seemed rather harsh to you last night." Ha took her1 band, and played with it softly with his own delicate white fingers n» lie spoke, " You see, dearest, it was rafcbpr. trying, now wasn't it? to have my xvite, my own wife,. a^dreseiug ray guests as if they were swindlers, and forbidding thorn to eiojoy; thameelves in the way thay preferred ?• : Saroly, my dear, if:l wero satisfied that they Bhould amuso themselves with a game at cards, that ought to have been enough for;you.■■'"Don'fc you think go? -'I can't tell you what a jpaintul effect it had upon mo",to find you suddenly acting as if .you and I were two oppoeibg forces; instead of being, as we have aUvays been, the best of friends. How was it, dear, that you came to act.so ? Tell me, come, come, tell me howit was." '; - ; . ,'■ ■.• •■ !•-, ..'.-....-.. ■■-' ■ -. ... .-.■

Nefcelka trembled, between hope and faar, as she looked into.her husband's;face, hsr passionate eyes trying to read the pale, calm countenance. But the blue eyes kept their own secrets; the small mou*h; small enough for a. woman,'with"its pale, bloodless lips, smiled and told her nothing. ', .:,

"I, I, ohLiniey, I am sorry I spoke as I did, very sorry. But I was puzzled, troubled. I .have heard things about this house, Linley, heard that it was a place where gamblers used to "come. . And I thought—how could I help thinking when I found that, the same men were coming down here that usedto come before,—that Moseley was deceiving us, and that.he only wanted us to cometo this placed to give it an air of respectability, by pretend-; icg.that we were his tenants; while really he meant to carry on the place in the old way: Linley, who was kneeling bsside her chair, holding her hand in his suaid''kissing it from time to time with dernorisfcrative affection, listened with the deepest attention. .At the end, however, he laughed rather bitterly.. . "An air of respectability!" echoed he. ".When we are .the hero' and heroine of a gorgeous scandal, of a cause celebre l"

"But people don't know that I" whispered Netelka, with a shiver.,".'•'•« And if they did; oh 1 If they did, Linley, wouldn't they be sorry;for us,' and.not harsh to us. You know you were acquitted, Lintey*. she -went oh rapidly, clasping, his. harids\so tightly ;that her fingers left:their marks in livid patches on the white skin.;*' I often wish they hadn't persuaded us to change our name, Linley. It looks as if—ssif_i_" :■':-.' '■■■.-

"No, it, doesn't," broke in her husband, rather pettishly. "It doesn't look like anything but, what it is—an attempt to shield ourselves from the horrible publicity a case of that kind involves; You-don't know the world as well as I do, nor .how ready people are :v to think the worst.'.Why, if .you'll believe me, thare are hundreds of people about, in spite of the verdict, who think " "Oh, don't, don't!" .:■ ;

- : Perhaps if certain awful doubts had not occasionally thrustvtbemselves into her own mind, Netelka would not have been so much shocked at this suggestion. As it was, she clutched her husband's, hands and olung to them as if, by the force of her wifely affectipn she could thrust out and destroy the horrible suspicion. . ..-.

;"Ab, well," saidLinley with composure.' "it isas I say, I assure you. These infernal insurance companies, for instance, have been awfully difficult to deal with, and I have had to .accept -a^ compromise which leaves me precious little, when the expanses of that beastly trial-are all paid. It's a shame that a man shouldn't be able to get compensation in these cases 1 ;; When he's proved innocent, after being pub to all that expensa! If it hadn't been for the! little Hebrew, goodness only knows how -we '.should have scraped along; Of course, he expects in return that he can bring ;his friends down .here, and to judge >by th'e'way you saemed to begetting on with thatyoung Waller, you don't object to that yourself 1"

. Netelka blushed deeply, recalling the scowl; with which Linley had interrupted her tete-a-tete with Gerard on the previous night. /'Were you angry, Linley?" she asfced quickly. " Did jou think I had- made friends with a stranger too quickly 7 "■: "Oh, no, no, dear n:e, no child," answered her.husband,'ati once, with a langh. "I am not of a jealous'disposition, I thank heaven ; and I shouldastsoon think of doubting the purity of an angel; as of the believing'you capable of indiscreet conduct." •

Netelka looked puzzled, "/fhen wby I —-"

! ",Why did \ dismiss you so curtly last night? Well, I thought, from some words I heard as I came in, that you were preaching. Now, I can'tstand being preached to myself, and I! don't care to have my gnests preached to either. ■ For you must understand, my dear, that whoever Harrington;.Moseley likes to bring down here, is my guest, and yours. There, now, go and dress: I .don't want to preach any more." .-':' y "■

V Oh, Linley," whispered Netalka, almost sobbing, "if you will only be. kind.to me, and not leave me days and days by myself, aud tell me things gently,'and not "with' those cold eyes you sometimes look at me with,.you will find there isn't anything, anything, that I won't do for! you without a word!" '. ~

_ Linley gave her a hasty kres, assured har that he loved her and trusted her, and should do so to end of hiß life; and told her again to dress ;quickiy,and not to be late for church. • They breakfasted by themselves, the young men failing, as Linleyhad predicted, to put in an appearance so early after their late night. Then they walked soberly to church together, arriving in good time, before the bells had ceased. Linley had already secured sittings, more, probably, for the opinion of his neighbours than on his own account. He himself occupied the inner corner o£ the pew, with a very large church service and "a handsomely bound hymn book, both of which, looked new. .■•;

Before they" had risen from their knees after the confession, a tnird person entered the paw quietly, whose loud breathing betrayed that he had Had to "run for'it."

And Netelka, turning her head as she rose, saw the curly head of Gerard Waller.

She looked rather astonisned, in spite of herself. " I've had no breakfast. Aren't I good?" he whispered, as he stood up. But afcer this frivolous and unpromising, beginning, he maintained a beautiful solemnicy of demeanour throughout the whole of the service, joifiing in the hymns with a pleasant, light tenor voice; and not looking about him more than in reason.

When they came out of church, Gerard shook'handa with Linley and his wife, and as Lialey was seized by Major Collingham, Garard walked on with Netelka.

"The worst of going to church,ig," he explaioed oheerfully as ha took her books, " that it makes ona so abominably conceited for the rest of the day. I haven't felt so offensively cocksure of my own merits for two yeara."

"Why did you come then? without your breakfast too!"

" That's a pretty way to talk to your own convert! " cried Gerard, reproachfolly. " I especte'd to flad you overwhelmned with joy to learn that your sarmou had taken such good eScct. I've riot only given up cardplaying, btit given you the chnrch attendance in. Oh!" he ezcJaiined, below his breath, with a change to a dismal tone, ' Here's old Mother Collingham bearing down upon ns! Can't we turn round a tombstone and hide ? I do so hate to have my mind disturbed by frivolous people of that sort when I'm coming out of church!" No, you can't escape," said Netelka, in •HSar elow voics- <<Bufc there'a someone wtu her whom_yon won't be so anxious to escape from 1" And Natelka glanced at «^m, who, with a bevy of small brothers and waters around her, was looking ve,ry pretty, very IU-dressed, and shyer than ever. iJut Gerard only said: " I don't know. Jems a ni co gi rI) but we had onr flirtation =w i ,? oar bafore >ast- ]M y goodness 1 J-nen the Colliughams come up with them. (To be cmtiniud.)

OT,BAHLINBSBIS NBSXT TO GODLINESS. ™Z* I i S 08!' 8 tLis cleanliness procured by Pk«jb Soap should alwaya be asad a c^rdi De Htot s U s l e ! he aathoritic3 tBS a fl^