CHAPTER XVIIl.-(Continuied.)

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 169, 11 September 1886, Page 7

CHAPTER XVIII.-(Continuied.)

Oscar called a family meeting that day, and before his brothers and sisters, including jMr Herbert,' denounced' Vanqe, openly' accusing him of stealing the whole sum loat, fend bribing Pollard to assist himj , The fajntly held up its hands! i t£( > quietly remarked that O->oar was crazy, or deliberately wicked, -he did not know which- li only knew that he did not propose to b'earthe onu3 of ! Oscar 8' recklessness. J9e had failed, and as he wanted some vono to < blame for it, Mr Goody-good had' selected the- ecapa-goat of the family, as> usual. . ... .*. Vance was tsagnißcent in his Batirical coldness. . Every single person ptpsent Bided with him except Maude. There woro 'high word?,, in .which Vance ca'aie oft" victorious. - '» «• ' ; „ i The 1 matter gob in 'the papers, nobody .knewthow, 1 and, aa* before,' the impression Igiven was in young Stuyvosant'k favour. Severe reflections were cast upon -Averills conduct. . "His clork, hurt and oii'ettded, sent in hibresignation. • v When she heard of her lover's disasters, .Grace. Delis? mar,- wifcb true girlish rashne v ?, oanio oo from' Boston to console him with hers!ympathy and to utge upon his acceptance half— her wholo- fortune to repair »tlvem: < Such action on her part would not have surprised Oscar..- He knew how noble, how' sympathetic, how generous was her nature. 1 . « ' > > .■ „ < i In.>the fearful bitterness of his trial he looked to her for comfort — not for t>octtsajary npsiptan.ee 1 — but for faith, love, sympathy, justice. • • ' • Grace arrived, at Mrs Woodcroft's about noon. That lady, feeliner upoti herself the responsibility of having "made the match," •deemed it her duty to inform the surprised and distressed youug lady of tbo rumours which ( were abroad with regard to Mr .Vverili's shameful use of his iicrle brother's money, and all 'the accompanying circum.stHncee.'^' " > >< < ' Grace was indignant, hucb; she did not believe th« reports oteven whon Mrs Woodicrofr, a°set ted that vlscar'ssown lamily acknowledged it^, and vere among rho moat severe' othi« condemned. " Forced to admit that there must be something in it, she kaid.thab she. would hava the explanation 'Osoar'ti own lips;- she believed he could cle-u" himself of all charcr'es except th'ose^ of rashness and over-eagern«Bs ■ 'to s|jec«ilate: »■ ■ > • < > ! '''Faults,,'' she said, >" shared- in by hundreds of other honorable men;who fell beside him;' "If. he has' not a dollar lefls, it will not m&ke a. bit of difference to me. We . •will ibe married on the appointed « day all the same." * ' „•>.,, t She wrote a hasty line to her betrothed, asking him to I . come tb her at once, at Mrs ..Woodcrdfb'i?, where she' was waiting and longing ■feo-'Seethim. • • ' ' ■ 'In a short time the servant whom she had despatched with the note returned and reported that he had delivered it"** to the young gentleman." - t . ,• lS ,»Now it, chanced, that Oscar ,w a" down town attempting to clear, up some of the ruinf, < wbilo Vance happened to, be in the hall when the ;beUj rang, and,^he note was handed in.,? It was; he ( who took it, and gwe^sing , at f it^,content6j , thrust it in hia poqlijet and went* to call upon^ the writer, yq fc)i^t when^race, 'heaving, the footman Showing a gentleman into, the parlour,, ran &pvrn all flushed , and, rosy, with her "eqtnuBiam ,t,o show her! lover how Bho tr^ueteqhip and was sorry for, him,, hurxied to repeiYG N him, it t wae yauce, 1 not Oacar, whom she m,et, |i, t ' „<>i,; r , " , * '<i , t .,?'ilB— Mr,. Aver'ilJ;— ill ?" she ißquired, a dcawing*back aud.changing .colour. „ „ ! lW ,*'»No, .my dear Misa.l^elzemar : but,he w,ould not- comwMij.l dare Bay vhe thVinka rneettrtg^l^pu-pxVj'nder % tli« ti,,cum's'ttindea.v,^ ? '» <t <v'»». ' ' ( „ v ,, .; '^H.e. wa8 vll aiway8 if too sensitive,' 1 !,. r s|ie (i murmured, .jqeterminedpto .defend , .him. i:Va¥fo/ SDOU^ bave come, ; after reading myi hjnj', that^Llonged- to assure thim^of my.wpr.i^gfe sympathy." ( „V\,; „y •J.^Whioh.made.Mm.feal.airtthe i suppose. . A^m^n,»"liardly dar,ea to face^a iwomart v wrqng6d aB ( my"brother ,has ft^ear, ftiiss 'j^elzpniar; ;,-,-''"/ ,/ ..'- s , v j r | Hp rojioe tl^!!i^F!B' n «*o l up with tHe deepest v «*n\p^ th Jfi?l*W {>*b$ tocgs hoij^^pv i *to a eofa, ,-. where ihe - beside her .tb.e/,re"His Tpetrothe4|w j ife l8?l 8 ? fortane*:in , t hM), speottt4ad6|is^ft^b^©^ind\|n^

fondnea* «buj> a ..a^^-BPfiOjJaWp. rJ^fiSP-. ness ; adding ,the storyi with winch, we ar* familiar,* that' Jbscaf had 'tbM'ifiim, tb^t G.race wag not} hiB, l id,eal, i etc. 'He exouseaX himself for repeating ihieljOßjibhe,. ground, ithat now the hour f,pe iuHynundeceived,, since so rnuch,had already been. eh'own.,,;' /",' ', ■' ,- v „", r wl. V Poor Grace ! mortified, convinced/ tortured, po death, clio saCat laj&Mike » ghost immovable, pale, stony, ,»]ptilj ( Ifanee>. ; was frightened, at the effect of nis'iniquitous, eloquence.,, ' , ( *, , , ' ' „ t.,..' ' " Wliat are you going to do ab oni it f", h.a. asked, rather uneasily. ' ' [ '^ ' „ ; " I^am goirigjhbtno in the morning, M*> StuyyeeaatV' " f , „ , , This was just what he panted., " " Shall I ask Oscar to «cc you this eveiK ing\ Grace?" „.,', „':' .' , ',* Ash him to see .me 1" she repeated, with. 'womanly icorn'. "No,Bir!'' { / ' And^ Vance; ha,d gone away delighted* certain that" Oscar and Graced would not meet, < and thajb, she would give him , hia chemical by .letter. . , s , " , ,\ ~ t Miss Ddlaemar did as she eaid— returned, to .Boston the following morning j and the. first intimation jwhich Oscar had of her having hee'n in Hew STork was the reception of. afe\ycold lines" from, her, requesting thafc their engagement might be considered at an end. . ' „"['* Under <«??y other circumstances^ the dia^ inissed'lovrGv would hare flown to"ber, dem^ndinef his righj-to a peraonaj, explanation. But ttob under thefce. He had been accused of falsehood and deception by his own family, and ,wnen he would have turned to his betrothed— the pure-minded, confiding girl, in whose love and trust he, believed as ho' bolieyeji in himself and hia Maker —for solacb to hia agonised feeliags, she, ' tpo-^ condemned him unheard. From the hour in which he received her letter, Oscar Averill dropped all attempts to. exonerate himself or to retrieve his fortunes* Making, over evecy dollar of his property which still remained to him to little Bennie, lie left New York, telling hu man being,. except Maude, ;where he wa|j going. ' Sick, hiek — aick almost unto death of life, ha rashly resolved to change his name,- and. t ehake off, every association of the past:* He asked nothing of his past years except ta torgot them. ' . ' In order to assume this false name without discovery, and escape the, prying obser- ' yation of ( Vanco, he did not travel directly po California by rail, but took his way South* sailing from Nevv Orleans to the Isthmus ; and there t^kintr the regular steamer for San Francisco, where he arrived,, as w© .know, one of the most forlorn of the, many forlorn ones who havo sailed through tha Golden Gates to the' shores of " the new E^ Djorado." „, Va,nce, with all liis wit and strategy, pould never j\yile from Mra Herbert any hint as to Oscar's whereabouts, although, quite certain that she was in hid confidence, tfe suspected that they corresponded ; but failed to track the letters, , It Waa not until this June evening, when he overheard Mr Herbert rallying his wife s bn her >secrefe correspondence, that he < obtained any clue j and very slight, indeed,, this would have been, had he ,not resorted -to the base means which he, did— a small crime iua gentleman who had already done, far woree fields. ' " ~ r Nothing could exceed Vance's high spirits, aud his graceful, mockintc politeness I to Maude, on the morning after t heir private !intervie\y, in. her little sitting-room. Mr Herbert had already left .the breakfast-table-and departed down town — anxious to transact what ]ittle ( business he had, to do before rhe worst heat of the clay came on-Vwhen.-Vance, the indolent, strolled into the breakfast room • - , /; The two sisters were still idling over their cups, diccuseing the Newporc question y how F.oon the houfe should bo closed, andl ifould.iho dressmaker ever come uptotime with kbfcir^pummer dresses, 1 eto. 'Ha enI tered into this feminine chat with the esprit of, a lady;' only betraying to Maude that,he cherished any feeling againfet her hj hia profuse and extravagant gallantry. Lillie was delighted with him. Even Mrs Heroerb could not deny his fascinations, &n£ halWorgive him his wickedness, except when -her, heart <vent out toward Oscar, betrayed, exiled, ruined by that wickedness. 'He kept them at table until #he hour cam& at which X.illio was to have been at h§rdrefcPinaker'i : then he offered to escort her there,' atked Mrs" Herbert if she, had any errand?, vowing that his time wa« here and! lie should be grateful if she would give him. something to do for her. And all ths time hia dancing eyea smiled^ into hei 8 with a triumph which made heruneasy, she knfcAV not why. There was no' humility, no contrition, riov fear, in hie demeanour. On© would nQij, have dreamed thati-he hf Id in her' posses- / sion ,the mem« of bringing that hanghty' spirit to shame. His mfinner mad.c Maiid'a far more, uneasy thsin a moody or reproachful one would havedone. Sbecocoprehendejl. something of how.ufcjerly reckless he^ waS^ and his threat of suicide returned to her again and'ngniu, making her shiver in, th© June weather. , As he went out with Lillie to th^ carriage Brought orou'n'l tor their ehoppWg and dre;smaking excur?ioh she, detailed 1 ' him' &, moment in the hall, whispering *> ia^'his ,ear : , , t \ ' ' "Remember!, yru have three months in. which to confess and repent." "My darling sispie, you are too good to an uoniitip i ited f scamp liko your hviaxblo eeryant. t Tljrso months ! One can do agreat deal in that time. "