Chapter VIII.

Otago Witness, Issue 1751, 13 June 1885, Page 24

Chapter VIII.

( Continued,) E TOOK her hand in his ; she was too much astonished to withdraw it at once. He looked into her wondering eyes ; the moon shone upon his thin, delicate, boyish face, and on the wanted cheeks which, now oven in the pale moonlight, showed thernsalvon suft'need with a girl-like blush of couflicfcinpr emotions. Cainiola did not at first realise the full meaning of what was passing, and of which she was a part. She was for a moment almost inclined to laugh. But she began to understand the story" told by those eager eyes and that delicate Hushed faco, and the trembling of the hot hand that held her own. Then she folt as if nha could not keep from bursting into tears. It wai all so utterly unexpected ; it wag all ao bewildering ; do diatracticg; no tsrriblo. " Oh, Ge.'.rftip, my dear Georgip," pha toutmurud, drawing fiway hor haad, *'I never thoiitjht o{ this."

"I know you navor did; 1 never triad to make you think of it bsfcoro. I held my tongue, Oandola y and ,do you know why '( L«t mo take your hand again — you won't? You are angry with me ?" " No, 110," Bho aaid, in a low, sad voice. " Why bhouid Iha angry t But this is a great misforfcuno, GoiTgw, for you &nd Cor me." "Why sbonM it bo' a inisfortMua?" He

ipoko now in more assured and eager tone«. n3 louger tremulous, all having been told. " Why .•bonlii it 03 a mi&fortunp ? All my people lova you : my mother a-inma you. You don't, love ma iv I love you, I know that. Bu 1 ; you do lice ma, I know that; aud th« right sort • f l->vtj will coma in time. You don'fe dislike m ■?" fur something in the look of her faiw madj him stop «vith fcbie Mtdt!c-n (juostion. " Dialilte you, Ganvgo, my dnar friaud, ray bruther and more than brother? O'a, wlnt a question. lam very fond of you; you kuow tbat vrtry well." " Then why should fchia ba a intsfortuno? I shall ba only too well content with tho kind oi love you c^n give nvi for tha pre.sout ; I cau wait until the other lovn como 1 ; Icm bo happy with you ovoa if it asver oomos." " I wish you bai told ma M thi>» baf jro," «he =iaid, with something liki impatieaco in her bonm. " What is tha good of making mysteries about things ?" "«L would have told you long ago, only I thought if I asked you to marry mo people might think it wai because of your fortune."

"iVty fortune! Th3C9».gJ>in; my fortune! I wi^h my fortune was afc tho bottom of tho sea— or— yea, that the devil had it," Camiola oxolaimad, loiiag all sans a of hho ammUaas 1 ? of words in h=sr oxcitetnaafc. ''Thara, I oughtn't iiO have aaid that, aad I wish I h-idn'u said it ; 'jug I foplifc all tho aamo ; and you drive ma to it, Gome. What did it matter what pooplo said? Who wnuU hava believad it? Do you i.hiok I ihould hwe believed it ? Do you think your mother would have believed it ; or Janetto ; or dear, kind, generous Mr Lisls l i ' I think you had no right; to keop this thiag to yourself all this Ion? time. If you were really in love with m°, why didn't you say uo, and aot lou things go oa in this absurd Borfc of way ?"

One might; bavn thought from ber worrtn 'fid hec fones that aho waa eura^pd at haviug mmur hew lost tho c'uanoe of rtwrviog him. B'lt George Liale did not now internet har mfiiiuleg thus.

tc Suivly, Cimiola," ho ptovisi, ii a voioo ir>t much liko thai, of a hopeful Jovor, " ih caan^fc bo too Jaio Nothing ha-! fcappoapJ l-> mako any chacge." "You don't know; how could you? It is hoo Iato; it ia ever so much too lato," " But, Camiola — Cvnvii:* ; mv lovo "' " Oh, don'b talk in iJui; w.-.y ; you mtb 1 ; nol [f. is too I tto. i i yon had tol iax - Lnis anousr 1 bpio>-* yon wnt 'i-vny I" " Would you h wo marriod me?" ha asked, in very doubtful tones.

"I would; yes I would, J»w always ve-v f^nd of you; as fo'ii a? if you waro my urofchw ; and I would bavo m-.rrwd you to olease you, and to pleas 3 Lidy Lo^ti*, and to oliase Janette, if it would hr.va yleasod thrm. Do you fcbink X could lia v o refused you i' yon wished it, and Lidy Lotitia? D > you tlviak I hava nor.it you away disappointed, and offended her? 0h.n0."

" Then why must you refuse ma now ?" For he foarad he wag mf iv*ed : refuiad oaco for all.

"Can's you gus'B?" She turned h^r eyes .■vway from his. B^9 looked aadly enough .doDg the path of light which th-3 moon made on the quiet river. " You Jove Hom-ona eluo ?" "Yes, Georgio." "Snme one you didn't kuov whoa I wens away ?"

"Yes, G.v>rgie." " Oh, but it can't In— Mia^o U nobody," Ho Hev«r thought of Albert Romonb. Ho h^.d been jealous of Umwil's p^pilarity vriijh the whole family, Camiola includad, but it hftd not occurred to his harmless egotism to suspect anything else. " Oamiola, you aronoi; sqrious ; yoa aro on!y makmg au excuse. There i^ soinfttiag ales,"

''Tbare ia noshing else, Georgie ; nothing iv the world ; and what I cay ia trug — only too true — T wish it ware not ; 1 wish from ray heart that I wore free to marry you, if it wore only to please Lidy Ljtitia, Bu; you spoke too late, my dear boy ; you spoke ta'i late." She turned hor facn to him now with 4 tander and a pitying expression, and h^t taw i;bftt tears of genuine emotion wjra sp.\rkl'ucj in h^r ej'ep;.

"Have I been long ioo W.q?" ll* look id away; ho did not wish >;o emb-wrai. i liar by letting hnr know that lie had saan her te wa. But she would not have heeded.

"About forty- eight bourn," sho aftid with a strange sm'u'e, and s^e shook her hoad aa if iv vain prota-*. over tho unfair dealings of the destinies. " About forty night hour >, Gaorgie, more or Iphb. I think if whmu you were telegraphing your arrival at Southampton you had telegraphed an offer of marriage to rao, I should have met you when you came with a yes and a kiss "

" But this is impossible ; this is absurd, Camiola You can't havo fallen madly in love in the meantime."

" Can't I, Gaorgio ? Oh, but I can though ; and what ia mora and worse, my dear boy, I have." She was makiDg a desperate effort to keep up bor courage and be lively. " But there in nobody !" he exulaimad, angrily. " Who is ii;, Caraiola ?" he demanded rather inc^n^iatently with tha spirit of his positive assertion.

"Th*t, Gaoi'gie, ia a question you muqa't ask ; F,i all ovi?ut.s I don't mean to ati'3w»-r it. I haven'!; boen unkind to you, daav Georgia ; dear brother, you will not bo unkind to your Riater !"

'"'Still, if we are brothar and 3ister I ought to know," ho urged despairingly. " No, my dear, you ought not to know ; ib in a woman's secret altogether :itis my secrot ; I wouldn't tall even Lidy Latitia a word about it ; and you won't let Iwr know anything, Georgie ; I know you won't for my sake ? lam a very unhappy girl, and I am making you unhappy ; but it i'-n'fc my fault ; and oh, please forgive me, and don't let Lady Latitia know."

"Does— does -he know?" George got out the word with a great effort, and after more tban one spasm.

Sho drew away at tirat as it tho question wore hurtful to her : but her manner inofcautly changed into ita familiar kindliness and frankness. "He does not know, and ho novar shall know, so far as I can help ifc. It would ba impossible that ba could havo ho faintest idea ; and I am ashamed of myself— and there, don't ask me any more, or encourage me into telling you a-iy more. 1 don't beliavo any other girl m tba world would havo told even her brothot 1 aa inueh aa I havo told you to-night, if she wera in my place. Now, Gaorgie, let us go in ; and let us not say any more about this wretched business ever agaia. You don't want ma to marry you now, Georgia, any more, do you ?'' She looked at him with a wan smile on her sad taco

'• No," tho youag man exclaimed, with a burst, of by-torictl pa&i<>u ; " Id. n't— oh, yus, [ ilo -E do."

Then ho foot fo-"th a cry Yihn that of fi sornau, and ho throw hia arms wildly up, and •jtagge'tid, »cd fdll crash on tho gravel w.vlk. In hij oxttiteHienfc he had caimd his wu.m'i to ro-opan, and the blood was crimsoning the front of his ahiri;. Camioia did not call out or alter 0, word. She got dowu -on 'her kneos bi-sido him, and was netting herself to erac ths ne?V: of Ii i Dliufc opon to give air. Sha tht>ughs she hid tafias? fwntsd, r-nd puo bg-'l &hvuv<j heav/l that

one must not try to raise a parson who has f.iiuted, bui; keop the fallen one in a roenmbont poaition, find secure fresdom ot braiuhiap? and ploniy of air. But she coou fouud h<)v handu covarod with some horrible daw, and she could sao in tho clear moonlight; that it wa> blood. Sho knew wine had happened; his wound, had broken out iuto bleeding again. But fib.B di.l not know whftt might happen ; chedid iv>t know thai ho might uot die in hor arms. Yot aha would not c.y out ; aud evou in that moineut of droad and at<jny hor firat thought vra'. foe hia mother, for dear Lidy Latiiia, tor the wild alivm it might btiug upon ii&e. " Oil, if only s'unoboJy, anybody, would com:i ! Did no one, no oao but ha and she think of coming into tha opon i\ir on aueh a night a3 that ? Was no oao coming her way ? If ho ware to die?" \t the thought r-ho bont over him aud kijsed his pale lips again and again, and called by fond names, such as a oistor lavioaos on a parting brothar. Aad while she was ki;aing him 3ha hoard footsteps on tha gcavdl walk, and aha caw a man and a woman noAf.

" Ob, com-) here !" 6ha cvlled, in a low clear voiei, mqanfj only to ba hoard by thouo who were near, and not to alarm a whole crowded company. Mrs Pollen and Mra Rjrnonfc approached. Romonfc, without s!.:iylng 10 ask ti queafcion, or indeed no tp-j^b a word, got dowa on his kneos bosida Catmola.