(COPYRIGHT.)

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10625, 21 March 1896, Page 3

(COPYRIGHT.)

CHAPTER XXXIX.

Bat Felix did not altogether attain his object. With recovered spirits and determination, Archie refused to put himself tinder his friend's medical care. He did consent to see a London specialist in whom Felix had firm confidence, and who seemed to think rather lightly of his case, promising to free him from all dreams and delusions in a very short space of time if hia patient would but follow his advice. Felix felt morei hopeful about him, and noticed that neither Archie nor Marjory alluded in his presence to any night disturbances which seemed formerly to have been so frequent. He con- , eluded that they must have ceased, and yet there was something in Archie's haggard Eace which was. not qnite compatible with perfect health, and Marjory had a fagged and worn appearance, which was not accounted for by any circumstance to which ihe confessed.

Then, again, Felix had an nncomfortable sense sometimes that, A.rchie looked at him and behaved to him in quite a different way ever since that extraordinary outbreak about Jeremiah Strangways and his daughter. It was a long time before he could quite make np his mind where the difference lay, but he began to see at last that Archie's manner was that of a man who is afraid. Something almost servile and cringing had crept into Archie's demeanour. He watched Felix furtively out of the corners of his eyes, and shrank unmistakably from being left alone with him. ! These were not good signs. Felix thought that they looked as if Archie were conscious of bis occasional fits of delusion, and were nervously on his guard. Bat he repelled any questions and vouchsafed no confidences, so that Felix at last told himself, with' a shrug of his shoulders, that it was no business of his, and that he had better carry out hi» original plan and go abroad. ' ■•

But before he went he would say a word to Marjory. It was not very easy to find an occasion for this. She did not often come to the Hall, and the care of her husband and her boy seemed to absorb all her time. Two or three times when Felix called at the house hoping to find Marjory alone for a few minutes, Archie would come lounging unexpectedly into the room with an air of sullen suspicion, which was exceedingly irritating. He would sit down with his hands in his pockets, and fcis legs stretched out before him in an attitude which was neither graceful1 cor complimentary. He would seldom even uttei' a word, and would listen in portentous■. silence to the trivial remarks exchanged by Felix and Marjory; but on these occasions Felix would get himself away as quickly as possible, generally with a feeling of extreme irritation, which was softened, on reflection, by the remembrance of the precarious state of nerves and health to which Archie had been reduced. His opportunity came at last, however, in a rather unexpected way. He had been for a long walk, and was swinging down the road at a good pace, when he saw Marjory's slender figure emerging from the little gate of Mrs Pawson's garden. She had evidently been to sea her relatives, and was now walking back to Bedwood. Felix quickened his steps, and soon came up with her. It was after 7 o'clock in the evening, and the light was beginning to grow dim. The sun.was dipping below the horizon, and a flock of purple and rose cloudlets drifted slowly across the golden skies. Marjory turned westward to admire the beauty of the sunset, and Felix remarked that before very long he should see it from the deck of an ocean steamer; he was going to start in a day or two.

" So soon," said Marjory, a little wistfully; " and it will be months before; you come back »gain, I suppose. Do you mean to go right round the world, Felix 1 "

" I think it is quite possible," be said, " unless I am summoned home unexpectedly, and that is not very likely. Aunt Mary is a good manager, and Archie has Garrod to help him in his work." •.

■" lanv-iatber afraid that Archie does not do verymuch," said Marjory, in a low voice. " Yon will remember always that he is not strong, will not you i "

" Certainly I remember it, and it is on that very point I want to speak to yon. Ha; he bad any of those queer dreams of his lately!"

"Yes," said Marjory, with a troubled look; "but he forbade me to talk of them either to you or to anybody else. He said it would give people the impression that he was going out of his mind."

"I do not want him to get that idea into bis head," said Felix, " but at the same time I want to warn you before I go away that these dreams are assuming an undue influence over bis life, and may give rise to certain, delusions which might assume a very serious form."

Felix put what he bad to say in a circumlocutory form, because be did not wish to frighten his hearer, and possibly succeeded on this point, for as Marjory looked at bim, he discerned an air of relief rather than of alarm upon her face.

" Ah," she said, simply, and then walked on for a few minutes without speaking, Quickening her footsteps), Felix noticed, and looking as if she were absorbed in some new thought. .

" You have seen some sighs of it," be said, presently, scarcely knowing how far to go. "I do not know what to think," she replied. "If it is only a delusion I should be glad."

Felix began to understand. "He has been talking to you then about tbe wreck," he said, in a lowered voice.

" He has told me a horrible story," said Marjory, with an involuntary shudder. " Ah, Felix, it cannot be true. Archie is kind and warm-hearted, he cannot bear to see anyone suffer; surely it would not be possible for bim to have saved his own life at the expense of another."

She paused and broke off, her ayes full of tears. Felix suddenly realised that Archie's story hatf. brought even more conviction to Marjory than to him; perhaps because she did not understand so well as he the subtle manifestations of brain disease in its earlier stages.

"There is Dot the least reason for supposing that the story is proved," he said, decidedly. " Archie no doubt saw the oconrrence which he^ described. It laid a fearful bold upon his imagination, and he imagines that he himself committed the crime ; for it was a crime, there is no doubt about that," be went on thinking of old Jerry Strangvrays's outburst of wrath and hatred against the man who bad destroyed his daughter's one last'chance of safety, "and Archie is not of the stuff to commit crime. I suppose you do not mind my saying .that 1 1 know," with a smile, " that women are supposed to like a man all the better if they think him capable of a desperate action now and then."

" I do not think so," said Marjory, quickly; "and not that kind of criml, at any rate. The man who did it was a coward. I cannot bear to think that it was Archie; and yet he told me in such a circumstantial way that I did not know what to tbink."

" I firmly believe," said Felix " that it is nothing but a delusion of bis own mind, and that as he grows BtroDger it will gradually fade away. You must have faith in Archie, and by-and-bye the whole-thing will seem to him as well as to you only like a bad dream."

'Marjory drew along breath. "I eball ba most glad to think so. lam afraid I have doubted. I would not say that to anybody but yon, Felix, and I could hot say it now but for what you have told me."

"I do not wonder at it. I was myself completely staggered for a few moments when Archie told me the story; but you must remember his state of health and the shock tbat was given to his nerves." " Thank you so much," said Marjory, gratefully ;■" I have been very unhappy ever since Archie told me. But I suppose he will recover? He will not.always be under that delusion, because it is a very miserable one for him, and I can sea that be never really forgets it." "You must try to distract his mind as eauch as possible," said Felix. "Keep him cheerful, and get-him to take interest in thiogi around him. Anything will do; anything to take his thoughts away from himself. I suppose in telling yon that story he afterwards denied it, and said that it was part of his dream 1" " No, he did not," said Marjory, with & look of surprise. "He has spoken of it more than once, but always taking it for granted that I knew tbat the stonr w&a true."

Felix was taken aback. He had imagined that Archie would tell' the story to Marjory in much the same way as that in which he had recounted it to Felix, and would in the same way disavow it later; but it was a little startling to find that he adhered to the confession made to his wife, and was conscious that he had made it. It looked as though the delusion was taking root in his mind. For the moment, hs asked himself whether it was possible that it was true 1 Was Archie going out of his mind or not 1 and, as a consequence ought he himself not to give up his project of travel, and remain at Redwood still, to be brother and frie&J to "Marjory and her husband in the hour of their need? But second thoughts assured him that to give up his long-intended expedition would only excite comment, and might rouse Archie to a fuller exhibition of the dislike which he had lately shown to his old friend. In that case, Felix knew that his presence would be of no use, and that Marjory would merely suffer from the effects of her hnsband's ill-tempsr. But the fancies that had flitted through his mind dnring the last few minutes caused Felix to say, with some emphasis, "I'shall make a point of letting you know from time to time where to send letters, and I shall bo much obliged to you if you would write sometimes and tell me how Arohie is getting on. You will be able to hear of my whereabouts from Aunt Mary ; and I do trust, Marjory, that i£ you were anxious, or in trouble about anything, you would let me know. Remember, I should come back from the ends of the earth to serve yon."

"You are very good," said Marjory, gratefully. Then, with a sudden thrill of anxiety, "But you do not think that anything is likely to happen ? This is a general offer, and not founded on any particular fear of yours, is it?" and she tried to smile as she spoke. :

" Exactly," said Felix; " a general offer, to be made use of on particular occasions.' No, I do not think that anything bad is likely to occur., I think, on the contrary, that Archie will grow better and stronger, and will have lost all remains of his dreams and delusion's by the time I come back again, You must not be nervous, Marjory, and, of course, I know it is not necessary to tell you this, but the more patient and trustful you are with Archie just now the better it will be for his brain and nerves in the long ran." " I am very glad you have said that," said Marjory, humbly. "I know I have sometimes felt inclined to be impatient, but I shall think of what you have said; you may be sure of that."

They had almoßt reached the gate of Marjory's house, and Felix hesitated a little as to whether he should go forward or strike off to the right, on the road which led to Redwood Hall, but in the dim twilight which had gradually fallen npon them, he saw that Archie was-waiting at the gate, and he would not turn away without speaking to him.

"I shall take the opportunity of saying good-bye now," he remarked, "for I start to-morrow, and most make this a farewell visit."

Marjory invited him to come in, and he stepped inside the garden gate; bnt Archie did not second the invitation, and Felix chose therefore to remain in the garden talking to bis rather ungracious host. It struck him that Archie was even unusually sullen and reticent in manner, and did not respond easily to Felix's efforts in conversation. Presently Marjory left them, and went upstairs to her boy, whose voice was very audible in the distance, and Felix was left alone with Archie.

i "In a very few days I suppose I shall be in New York," said Felix, scarcely knowing why "he had said the words, possibly as a mere way of continuing the desultory conversation. Bat he was rather sorry that he bad mentioned New York at all when he saw the strange gleam, half "of suspicion, half of defiance, which its mention kindled in Archie's eyes.

" New York 1 Shall you stay there at all?"

" Only a few days, I think."

" Present my compliments to Mr Jeremiah Strong, if you gee him,"—with a onriously unsteady laugh—" and tell him ■"

"My dear A:chie, I would not talk about Jeremiah Strong if I were you; you will only bring on those bad dreams again."

"I have no dreama," said Archie, thrusting his hands into his pockets, and staring blankly before him. "I have no dreams— only memories. . You can tell Mr Strong that I am alive and well if yon like, and then he can come over here and hunt me down. Perhaps that is what you are going to New York for J"

" Archie, are you mad 1"

In spite of his counsel to Marjory to be patient, Felix could nit for the life of him have restrained tbat hasty word, but it cowed Archie more effectually than anything else would have done. .

"Perhaps I am," he. said, in a low voice. "I am sure Ido not know. You had better forget what I have said. So yon are starting to-morrow, Felix? Well, I hope you will have a good time."

He had quite regained his natural manner as he spoke the last few words, but Felix was perhaps more puzzled by these sudden transitions than be would have been by the long continuance of a mood or of an emotion. There was something unnatural about Archie's whole demeanour which he did not like. The two men, however, parted with a certain appearance of cordiality, and Archie was profuse in liis good wishes for Felix's welfare and enjoyment.

When he had gone, however, Archie turned to his wife with a shrug of the shoulders, and a remark which struck her as ungrateful.

"Thank Heaven that is the last we shall see of bim for many a long day. lam pretty well tired of haying Master Felix prying and peepicg about."

"Ob, Archie; as if you could say such a thing of Felix 1"

"I understand Felix very well," said Archie, very positively, "and you too very well. You were talking about me as you cams down the road; now, were you not ? "

"Not in any way that could hurt you, Archie."

" Well, I don't want to be chattered over and discussed behind my back," said Archie. " You women do more mischief in that way than you know. I have thought once or twice of recommending Mr Felix Hyde to keep out of the way. Perhaps I had given a hint or two to that effect, and that is why he bas tak'an himself off," and Archie looked so complacent that Marjory left his side, and went into the house with a feeling of irritation which only her remembrance of Felix's warning enabled her to subdue.