Edith,

Otago Witness, Issue 1497, 24 July 1880, Page 24

Edith,

By A. M. M.

Chapter VIII. A Summer Evening. T'S a pity you were not at the ball last night. It was the most enjoyable one I was ever at.' The speaker was Brenda Olive, and the person spoken to Albert Elphinstone. Brenda had slept off all woaimoßß, o,nd now, at five o'clock on the Wednesday afternoon, was driving into town to see Mrs Frank Grey. She was alone, but had not driven far when Elphinstone came up. He was walking, as he often did, and Brenda pulled up, just to chat a bit, and give him all the news about the ball before anyone else had seen him. It was so nice to be the first to tell him how the thing went off before anyone else had had the chance, and she did not let the opportunity slip. ' I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed yourself, Miss Olive, but my time for dancing is over, and consequently I should not have enjoyed myself at all.' <Oh, yes, you would, surely?' And she slightly raised her delicate brown eyebrows, and looked at him rather incredulously. ' 1 am too old for that kind of thing, he replied. ' Why, Mr Mortimer Grey was there, and I imagine he is older than you are.' ' Mortimer Grey is welcome to make a fool of himself, if he likes. Perhaps he had a motive for going that I had not.' 1 Won't you get up and try the horse ? he is rather fresh,' said Brenda ; for the animal would not stand- still, but fidgeted very much. ' I was not going into town, but if you would really like me to, why I should be delighted.' So Elphinstone got up and took the reins from her, shook them, and off they went at a pretty brisk pace, the dtist rising behind them in clouds so dense that the warm sun could hardly shine through. , { Splendid little horse this, Miss Chve. You have not had him long, have you 1 ' ' No ; papa gave him to me on my birthday, a fortuight ago. Doesn't he look flash to-day?' ' Rather. Are you ever afraid to drive him V * Afraid 1 If I were I should not be here to-day alone. I don't think there are any horses that I could not manage.' ' Nor men, either.' Brenda flashed one triumphant glance at him, and Elphinstone felt rather nonplussed. He had thought of Mortimer Grey, and she thought he referred to himself; for Elphinstone, as we know from his own words to Hearn, had made a vain attempt to captivate this lady's heart when he had first known her. There was silence for a few moments, and then he spoke again : ' You have cot told me anything of the ball yet, nor who was there.' * You do not deserve to be told anything. You know lam tired of flattery, and yet you will try your hand at it. I thought you and I had agreed to talk like sensible people whenever we were together. Call a woman forgetful of her promises I What do you oall a man who promisee never to pay oomplimealsß, a,n,d

then, a fortnight afterwards, brings out one of the most glaring ones which could be devised 1 ' ' Something more forcible than polite.' ' Well, don't do it again, because I really would rather you did not.' 'My friend Hearn would suit you. He never pays compliments, yet all the girls are in love with him,' said Elphinstone, wishing to draw her out as regards Hearn's prospects of success, and wishing to know whether he had begun to try last night. The slightest possible change passed over her face, in a moment it was gone, and the only difference he saw was that her lips were slightly compressed for a second or two more, and then she spoke as calmly and coldly as usual : ' I think you must be mistaken as to girls being in love with a man who does not care for them. Very few girls would do such a thing, especially with a man like Mr Hearn, who would never turn out well. Everyone says he is idle and good for nothing, and all that sort of thing.' ' So you do not like Hearn % ' ' 1 neither like nor dislike any of my acquaintances, Mr Elphinstone. I never found it worth while to do either.' And the fair, proud face was colder and prouder than he had ever seen it before, as she thus answered him. ' Not straight into the town, please. I am going to see Mrs Grey, so we go right along the East Road.' The East Road was the one which Mr Halford's house faced, and devoutly did Elphinstone hope that neither Edith nor her sister would see and recognise him. He could say nothing against the road, as it led straight to Mrs Grey's, so he drove past, and hoped he had not been seen. ' You will come in with me 1 ' asked Brenda, when they reached Frank Grey's house. It was a pretty, large, low, white house, with a verandah all round, over which grew clematis, vines, and honeysuckle, making here and there a thick green wall, through which in summer the sun's rays could never penetrate. He could see the flutter of a long white skirt, as the owner walked slowly about on the verandah, and he heard Mortimer's voice. ' 1 don't know Mrs Grey ; I have never met her/ said Elphinstone ; ' but I will hold the horse while you go in.' ' I am afraid you would be very tired, and poor Katie too, as I am going to stay either until papa comes for me, or until to-morrow morning. You had better come in ; I am sure she will be delighted to see you and make your acquaintance, and I am certain you know both Mr Frank Grey and his brother, especially his brother.' Brenda, not waiting for an answer, was getting down at the front gate. ' You are coming in ? I shall tell them you are only taking the horse round the back way, so that I may not have the trouble of doing it. Are you not 1 ' ' I suppose it is Hobson's choice, as you have left me with the horse ; bo, unless something happens, you will see me again in five minutes.' Elphinstone was not in the least averse to making the acquaintance of Frank Grey's wife, who was a pretty young woman of about six-and-twenty. As Brenda shut the gate Mortimer looked up, and, seeing who it was, excused himself to his companion, and came forward to meet her. The girl, seeing someone else, walked through an open glass door into the house, but not so quickly as to prevent Brenda having a good look at her. ' Who were you with, Mr Grey ? ' she asked, after the usual salutations had been gone through. • ' The daughter of i an old friend of mme — Miss Halford,' he answered. ' What a pretty face ! But what a little thing to wear long dresses,' Brenda remarked, rather superciliously. 'Is she going to stay with Mrs Grey ? ' 'No ; they live in the town. Have you never met her here before ? ' ' No.' ' Nor ever heard Rosie speak of^her 1 ' ' Not that I know of.' ' Why, Edith is her dearest friend.' ' Oh-h ! So that is Edith. Of course, I heard her talk of Edith, but as I never happened to ask who Edith was, I was unenlightened as to her other name. But I must tell you that I picked Mr Elphinstone up on the road, and he drove me in.' How Mortimer envied Elphinstone ! But he only said : ' Where is he, then ? ' ' Why, taking the horse round, of course. Mrs Grey will be pleased to see him, won't she 1 ' ' She is generally pleased to see anybody. I will go round and wake that boy up ; he is nearly always asleep when he ia wanted. Rosie is in the drawingroom.' Mortimer went away, and Brenda went through the same door as Edith had, expecting to see Mrs Grey inside, but there waa no one save Edith there.' ' How d'ye do, Miss Halford 1 I am obliged to introduce myself, as there is no one else to do it. Mr Grey told me who you were, but I thought Mrs Frank was in here, or I should not have come in so unceremoniously. I hope I did not disturb you.' Edith had risen, and was still standing. She was admiring this tall, palefaced girl, who had come bo suddenly upon her. ♦ I waa doing nothing, only— ; bo you could not disturb me. I was looking over some music, and had just arranged

it. Shall I tell Mrs Grey you are here ? * asked she. ' Oh, pray do not trouble yourself, Miss Halford. I dare say she will be in soon. Until she does come I can look over the music with you.' And Brenda drew off her gloves, and laid them down, whilst Edith watched her, and looked — a little enviously, perhaps — at her jewelled hands ; for it is most natural for a woman to like rings unless her hand be ugly, hard, or coarse, and even then they are sometimes fond of them. But Edith's hands were soft little hands, perhaps rather browned by too much exposure to the Bummer air, and she had not one ring, whilst Brenda had them on nearly every finger, and the precious stones in them— opals, rubies, and diamonds— flashed and glittered aa she idly turned over the music. • Footsteps were heard in the passage, and Frank Grey, followed by his brother and Elphinstone, walked into the room. The last-named positively started slightly on seeing who was there with Brenda, So that was who Mortimer had been walking on the verandah with when they pulled up at the gate— talking to her, with no one else by— making love to her, perhaps. The very idea was disgusting. A man of Mortimer's age ought not to think of such nonsense. It was very different for a younger man — a man of his own age \ but for Mortimer Grey— why, the man was fifty, if he was a day old. Elphinstone made the mistake those who are in love so often make. They imagine that because to them one girl seems the most lovely and most loveable of her sex, she must necessarily appear so to all others. So they make themselves miserable with jealous fears for which there is not the slightest foundation. When Mortimer, instead of, calling her • Miss Halford,' said ' Edith,' and bent over her to look at a piece of music which was in her hand, he was totally unaware that his beard touched her hair, and of the wrath Elphinstone was feeling against him for bo doing. ' What an empty-headed little fool she must be, to let him go on and make such an idiot of himself,' he thought, as standing at the window, beside Brenda, he watched them talking and laughing together. Mortimer seldom laughed or talked much, but to-night Brenda was present, ■ and he would sit beside her at dinner, and it was pleasant music to him to hear her well-modulated voice, although it were mere vapid nothings of which she chatted. At dinner Edith hardly spoke to him * but Elphinstone derived a good deal of comfort from the fact that both Mrs Grey and her husband also called her ' Edith,' and then he remembered that Hearn had told him Mortimer was a friend of her father's. By the time dinner was over, and Elphinstone was sitting beside Edith on the verandah, with the pale moonlight flickering around them, he had nearly forgiven Mortimer, and quite changed his opinion as to Edith being ' an emptyheaded little fool.' ' Like his impudence, anyway, to let his beard touch her hair, though of course he was not making love to her.' Elphinstone rose, and stood looking down on Edith, who was talking to Frank Grey in the same free and confiding way she had spoken to Mortimer before dinner. She had hardly said a word to him all the time he had been there, but now, turning from Frank, she said : ' I suppose you smoke, Mr Elphinstone ? ' ' Yes ; sometimes I smoke a great deal,' he answered. ' You know I have a good many lonely evenings, and one's pipe is very good company, so I get into the habit of smoking.' ' I know you are dying to have a smoke. Why don't you go and join Mr G-rey ? ' she asked, looking full into hia face. They were near the open door of the drawing-room, which was lighted up. ' Edith's face was in the bright moonlight, and her back to the lamplight, which streamed across the verandah. Elphinstone was standing with his back to the moonlight, and his face in the shadow. When Edith spoke he could see her upturned face — very fair, and almost childlike—in the moon's beams, and a thrill of blended love and admiration passed over him as he gazed at the soft dark eyes and fair face. He moved slightly, and the full glare of the lamplight was in bis eyes. Edith^ caught a glance of deep and earnest passion, enough to bring the warm blood to her face, and send it coursiDg wildly through her veins. In a moment he had returned to his old position, but Edith's gaz& had fallen, for she knew he was looking at her. ■ Elphinstone thought she must surely be beginning to care for him. Could he have read the girl's heart, instead of love he might have felt hatred, for, as he looked, Edith was not thinking of him, but of one to whom she had given all the deep love of her young heart, but, as she felt, it was never to be returned. What was the good of caring for a man who never spoke a word of love to her ? Why could she not forget him 1 He was never absent from her thoughts for an hour ; sleeping or waking, Reginald Hearn's bright manly face seemed to look at her, but not with love— as this strange man had looked at her to-night. If only Reginald would love her—would look down into her face as he had done she would be happy indeed. But she knew it was not to be. Reginald never cared for her a little bit ; and though Bhe did not want to be made love to by hia friend— well, he was rather nioe, and it was pleasant to be paid, such attention— a,

little chit of a girl like herself. She knew she was stupid to care for Mr Hearn, but she could not help it. It was very wrong, too, as he had never asked her to. She thought he only cared for her a very, very little, and wished, finally, that Hearn occupied Elphinstone s place to-night, and liked her as much as he seemed to. n Meanwhile Brenda and Mrs Grey walked up and down, discussing the ball of last night, and the coming one on the Slstat Mr Olive's. . Mortimer lay on the lawn, smoking, enioying the cool night air after the fierce heat of the day, as every dweller in the valley of the Murray so thoroughly does ; for we cannob enjoy a pleasant thing so much as when it is placed in strong contrast to something unpleasant, which to most persons the heat of summer certainly is. * Brenda looked enquiringly at Frank ' Grey as she and his wife passed him, and then with an air of haughty and indolent surprise at Edith and Elphinstone. Edith saw the look, and divined its meaning, and her heart throbbed fast with a strange bitter pain as she thought of the difference in position of herself and Brenda. How to Brenda all bowed down, and yet she. was angry that a poor girl like herself should monopolise the attention of one of her many admirers, for Buch, of course, she believed him to be. She had seen -"'""them out riding together, and when Mr Clive did not feel inclined to go, he nearly always drove Brenda and her mother to church. The tears started to her eyes, but with a strong effort she kepi them back, and, rising, told Mrs Grey she would go home. « I hope Miss Halford will let me see her 'home,' said Elphinstone; 'her way is the same as mine.' ' , Edith did not make any objection. She would show Brenda Clive that she did not care for her rude looks, and would ,not be awed by her just because she, was.rich, and she (Edith) was not. To be continued— Commenced in No. 1494.)