CHAPTER LVIII.

Otago Witness, Issue 1866, 26 August 1887, Page 29

CHAPTER LVIII.

Mrs Erskine Has a Fainting Fife. I? seems rather odd, does it not, that I have not met your sister-in-law since I came to town ? " said Arthur Filmer one morning, as he and Letty were riding in the park. ""I called three times in Park street lately, and she was not at home. Yes, by the way, she ,vas at home one afternoon, but she had such i bad headache she could not come down. [t seems fated that we are not to meet." "But you will see her to-night," said

Letty. "We all dine with papa, you know." " Is Otway coming 1 " " No, he is engaged. He has some men to dine at the club. We generally go out to dinner parties together," she added, " but he does not stand on ceremony with papa." She gave a little sigh as she finished, and low as it was her companion heard it, and looking at her, he was struck by the almost mournful expression of her face. " Poor little thing," he said to himself, " she is not happy. How blind Otway is not to see that she cares for him ; but it seems to me that he has no eyes for anyone but that Mrs Ogilvey." The kind-hearted young fellow was quite oppressed by the idea that Letty was unhappy, and by his own inability to help her in any way; but he was afraid to touch upon the subject with her. In the old days, before the marriage, she had lightly scoffed at love and lovers and he had spoken his mind freely enough ; but now he did not dare to give his opinion as he had given it then. He saw that, by some ex. traordinary fatality, the position of affairs had entirely changed; now it was Otway who was, as least as far as could be judged by appearances, absolutely , indifferent, aud how was an outsider to interfere between husband and wife ? Letty treated Filmer with the frank familiarity of' a sister, and not for worlds would he have hurt or frightened ,her by hinting that evil-minded people who see harm in everything might draw, or pretend to draw, false inferences from their free and cordial intimacy. So he came and went daj after day to Rutlaadgate,'and Otway, whefto.

they met, which was not often, gave him a hearty welcome. ; This cordiality on the part of Letty's husband (such is the perversity of those who can but judge from the outside) was gall i and wormwood to Filmer, and his worse suspicions were aroused. "Is it possible," he thought, , ," that he can be scoundrel enough to hope to gain his freedom by throwing us together? If. l were certain that was his object, I could kill him. But she doesn't care for me, so he will be bitterly disappointed. What is the meaning of it all? I have always looked upon him as one of the most honourable and high-minded of men, and unless I am driven to it I do not want to think him a sneak and a double dealer." ' " Come back and lunch with me," Letty said, as they were about to leave the park. "I am quite alone ; and you might as well escort me to the Albert Hall in the afternoon to the concert. Mr Otway cannot come, so I have his ticket to give away. Do come ; it will be very good." "Thank you very much, -but " " Oh, you do not want to come ! Then by by all means, don't." " I do want to come very much," he cried. " But I thought " again he stopped. " What is it 1 You really must tell me," she said. "Well then, that Otway might not like it," he blurted out boldly, and he wished with all his heart, when it was too late, that he had held his tongue. face burned. " You are very much mistaken," she said in an icy tone. "My husband will not even ask to whom I gave his ticket." But Filmer's words were a revelation to her. Otway was certainly indifferent, but perhaps other poople made remarks about her and Arthur. The flush upon her face deepened, and a spirit of defiance rose in her sore heart. " Let them say what they like," she thought. "I am not going to give up the only friend I have." They were riding slowly towards the Memorial when the above conversation took place ; Letty was looking straight before her, and consequently she did not see Otway on her left hand walking towards Hyde Park comer, and beside him Mrs Ogilvey. " There goes Mrs Otway with the faithful Filmer," ihe latter said as she touched her companion's arm to attract his attention. " Yes, Letty told me she was g»ing to ride with him this morning," Ofcway replied carelessly, and then he added, " Nice young fellow, Filmer ! I like him." But if Letty did not see her husband and Mrs Ogilvey, she presently caught sight of the tall upright figure of her father, and with him Mrs John, most exquisitely dressed what she was pleased to call " slight mourning," and at her other side walked Walter Duncombe. "There! There is Amy!" Letty cried, "now you can see her; she is walking between papa and Mr Duncombe." " I can see her parasol, but not herself !" Filmer answered, laughing. " I think she has grown an inch or two since I knew her in India ! She certainly never struck me as a tall woman before !" ' " She is taller than I expected to see her," said Letty, " but I do not know why I thought of her as little. Jack never spoke of her as small." " Oh ! no one could call her small," answered Filmer, " but now she looks a very fine woman. Are she and Duncombe going to make a match of it 1 He was not one of her prime favourites in India." " I think he admires her very much," said Letty, and he is undoubtedly a prime favourite with her now. But papa will never gives his consent I He does not like the

man." " I should think Mrs John will do as she likes ; she always had a will of her own 1 And yet, she was easily led by anyone who

had influence over her; that woman Rossitur made her do exactly as she pleased." " I should say it was impossible for anyone to lead Amy, or drive her, either," said Lejity. ," She has the calmest, coolest way of ignoring what is said to her, if she happens not to agree with it ; and when you think she is taking your advice and being grateful for it, she is simply planning how to have her own way." "I suppose people develop new traits under new circumstances," said Filmer, " for that was not exactly Mrs John ErsMne's character whien I knew her. She was very fond of admiration ; very vain, and not very sensible, I am afraid; but it was possible to lead her if one only knew the way. For instance, as I said just now, she was completely under Rossitur's thumb !" " And as I said before, I cannot imagine Amy under the thumb of anyone," Letty answered. " She quite rules my father, and if she does not get her own way, in her own way, she either sulks and makes the poor man miserable, or she coaxes and cajoles him until he is so pleased and flattered he cannot refuse her anything ! Mr Otway is the only man she knows who does not bow down and. worship at her shrine, and she detests him j accordingly 1 She always speaks of him to j me as * that husband of yours, Letty !' " 11 Are she and Mrs Ogilvey very intimate 1" ' Amy actually refuses to meet her! Does 1 not think her proper ! and Letty laughed. ' " Here we are ; and here comes Mr Otway in a handsome." He helped Letty to dismount. I saw you in the Park, but you did not look at me." " Where were you ? Were you alone ?" " No, Mrs Ogilvey was with me. Filmer, take my advice, never act as trustee to a rioh widow. It is the most troublesome and the most thankless office under the sun. I am going to lunoh now at Queen's Gate Terrace ; I just came here on my way to get some business papers she wants to look over. Let me see, Letty — you dine in Park street tonight? Remember we have a box at the Haymarket to-morrow. You will dine with us, Filmer, and come too." ' Letty never 'spoke. She had not seen Otway sinoe the previous evening, and now he was going out again. Filmer found her but a dull companion, and he was not surprised when she dismissed him after luncheon, , saying that she was too tired to go to the' concert. "But we meet at dinner," she said, " and I am curious to see how you and Amy get on."' It was but a small party that evening at Sir John's. The Murrays, who were in town jf j>r a clergyman's fortnight, came ; and a

couple of old cronies of Sir John's, who liked a quiet rubber with him and Miss Lambton after dinner, and Letty and Filmer, made up the number. « Duncombe was also invited, but he was engaged. • When Filmer arrived, the first thing he heard was that Mrs John had been attacked with sudden|faintness while she was dressin and the doctor who was sent for said she must remain very quiet, and not attempt to appear at dinner.

" I told you there was a fatality about our meeting," said Filmer, as he and Letty went down to the dining room together. «^I hope she is not very ill." , , , " Oh, no ! I saw her for a moment ; she looked rather ghastly; but she said she felt better, and she told me to tell you how sorry she was not to see you." It was nearly 11 o'clock; Dr and Mrs Murray had gone away, and the last rubber was being finished. Letty, who had .been singing for Filmer, rose suddenly and said, " I must go up and ask Amy how she is. She will think I am so unkind."

In about five minutes she came back looking half amused and half puzzled. "Well?" Filmer said.

"She's gone out!" Letty answered. " Hush !do not let papa hear 1 He would be very angry. Her maid told me that she said she must have some fresh air, the house was so hot, and she went out alone to the Park. It is close by, certainly ; but still I do not think she ought to be thereby herself at this hour."

Filmer presently said good night, and went away. The following evening, when he came to dinner at Kutlandgate, he asked for news of Mrs John. " I ought to have called to-day to inquire," he said, " but I hadn't time. Did she come back before you left ?" " She did not go out after all," Letty replied. " I found her reading in the library when you went away. She got frightened she said when she opened the door and looked out."

" And you will never guess who I saw at Stanhopegate, when I was going home," said Filmer. ," Kossitur 1"

" Are you

"Nonsense!" cried Letty. sure ?"

" Perfectly. Her's is not a face one can forget; and if I am not very much mistaken, the man she was talking to wag Walter Duncombe. His hat was pulled down over bis eyes, but I am sure it was he." " I never heard anything so extraordinary P' exclaimed Letty. " I must see Amy tomorrow, and tell her. She is always wondering where Rossitur is."