CHAPTER IX.—(Continued.)

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 2427, 12 July 1876, Page 2 (Supplement)

CHAPTER IX.—(Continued.)

Rose locked .her door, t afraid of sbo know not what, and sat down on the . bedside to think. Who was this Mr. Richards who passed for an invalid and who was no invalid ? Why was he shut op here where no one could see him, and why was all this mystery ? Rose thought .of "Jane Eyre" and Mr. Rochester's wife; but Mr. Richards conld not be mad, or they never would let him out alone at night. What, too, would her father say to her to-morrow ? She quailed a little at the thought. She had never seen her indulgent father out of temper in her life. He took the most disagreeable contretemps with imperturbable good-humour. But how would he take' this ? "I should snot liko to offeud papa," thonght Rose* uneasily. "He is- very good to me, and does everything I ask him. I do ljope he won't be angry. I almost wish'l had not gone." TJherewas no sleep for her that night. Wlien "morning came she was almost afraid to go down to breakfast and face her father. But when the bell f rang, and she did descend, her father wnsnot there. * Ogden came in with his master's excuses. Captain Danton was very busy, and would breakfast in his study, The news took away Rose's morning appetite. She sat crumbling her roll on her plate, and feeling that Ogden had told him,, and that that was the cause of his non-appearance. As they arose from the table Ogden entered again, bowed gravely to Rose, and informed her she was wanted in the' study. Kate looked at her sister in surprise, and noticed with wonder her changing face. But Rose, without a word, followed the valet, her heart throbbing faster than it had throbbed last night. Captain Danton was pacing up and down his study when she entored, with the sternest face she had ever seen him wear. In silence he pointed to a seat, continuing his walk. His daughter eat' down, pale, but otherwise daunt* less. " Rose," he said, stopping short before her " what took yon into Mr. Richards' rooms last night ?" "Curiosity^ papa," replied Rose, readily, but in secret quaking. '* Do you know you did a very mean act ? Do yon know you were playiDg the spy ?" ' The colour rushed to Rose's face, and her head drooped. " You knew you were forbidden to enter there. You knew you were prying into what was no affair of yours. You knew you were doing wrong, and wquld displease me ; and yet, in the face of all this, you deliberately stole into his room like a spy, like a thief, to discover for yourself. Rose Danton, I am ashamed of you/ Rose burst out crying. Her father was very angry, and deeply mortified, and Rose really was very food of her indulgent father. " Oh, papa ! I didn't mean —l never thought —ob, please, papa, forgive me." Captain Danton resnmed his walk up and down, his anger softened at the sight of her distress. "Is it the first time this has occurred ?" he asked, stopping again. "The truth,|Rose, I can forgive anything but a lie." "Yes, papa." " You never hive been there before ?" ," No, nev;er." Again he x'esumed his walk, and again he stopped befor her. " Why did you go last night ?" "I-couldn't sleep, papa. I felfc worried about something", and I was sitting by the window. X heard Mr. Richards' door open, and somo one, come out and rap at Kate's room. Kate opened it, and I heard them talking." Her father interrupted hor. " Did you hear what they said ?" he asked, sharply. ' " No, papa. Only the sound of their voices. It was not your voice, nor Ogdeu's, so I concluded it must be Mr. Richards himself. I beard him go

downstairs, and then I peeped oat. i His door was open, and I " " Weut in ?" "Yes, papa," very humbly. • " Did you see Mr. Richards P" " I saw some one, tall and slight, come upstairs and go in, but I did not see his face." "And that is all?" " Tea, papa." Once more he began pacing backward and forward, his face very grave, but not so stern. Rose watched him askance, nervous and uncomfortable. "My daughter," he said at last, you havpdono very wrong, and grieved me more than I can say. This is a serious matter — more serious by far than you imagine. You have discovered, probably that other reasons, than illness confine Mr. Richards to his rooms." " Yes, papa." " Mr. Richards is not an invalid — afc least not now — although he was ill when he came here. But tho reasons that kept him a prisoner in this house aro bo very grave that I dare nob confide them to you. This much I will say —his life depends upon it." " Papa !" Rose cried, startled. , "His life depends npon it," repeated Captain Danton. " Only three in this house know his secret — myself, Ogden, and your sister Kate. Ogden and Kate I can trust implicitly. Can I place equal confidence in yott ?" " V es, papa," very faintly. "Mr. Richards," pursued Captain Danton, with a slight tremor of voice, is the nearest and dearest friend I have on this earth. It would break my heart, Rose, if any ill befell him. Do you see now why I am so auxious to preserve his secret ; why I felt so deeply your rash act of last night ?" "Forgive me, papa !" sobbed Rose. "I am sorry — I didn't know. Oh, please, papa." He stooped and kissed her. "My thoughtless little girl ! Heaven knows how freely I forgive you — only promise me your word of honour not to breathe a word of this." " I promise, papa." "Thank yon, ruy dear. And now yon may go. I have some writing to do. Go and take a ride to cheer yon up after this dismal talk, and get back yonr roses before luncheon time." He kissed her again and held the door open for her to pass out. Rose, with a great weight off her mind, went down the passage, and met Eeny ' rnnning np stairs. " I say, Rose,', exclaimed her sister, " don'fc yon want to go to a ball ? Well, there aro invitations for the Misses Danton in the parlour." ' "A ball, Efiny? Where?" . "At the Ponsonbys', next Thursday night. Sir Ronald, Dr. Frank, papa, and Mr. Stanford are all invited." Rose's delight at the news banished all memory of the unpleasant scene jnst over. A ball was the summit of Rose's earthly bliss, and a ball at the Ponsonbys' really meant something. In ten minutes her every thought was absorbed in the great question " What shall I wear ?" "To-day is Wednesday," thought Rose. "Thursday one, Friday two, Saturday three, Monday four, Tuesday five, Wednesday six, Thursday seven. Plenty of time to have my new silk made. I'll go aud speak to Agnes at once". She tripped away to tho sewing-room in search of tho little seamstress. The door was ajar, she pushed it open, but paused in astonishment at the sight which met her eyes. Tho sewing-room was on the ground floor, its ono window about five feet from the ground. Afc this window, which was open, sat the seamstress, her work .lying idly on her ]ap, twist, ing her fingerd in a restless nervous sort of way peculiar to her. Leaning against tha window from without, his arm on the sill, stood Dr. Danton, talking as if .he had known Agnes Darling all his life. The noise of Rose's entrance, slight, as ifc was, caught his quick ear. Ho looked up and met her surprised eyes coolly, composedly. " Don't let me intrude !" said Rose entering, when she fonnd herself discovered. "I did not expect to see Doctor Danton here."

"Very likely," replied the imperturbable doctor. "It is an old habit of mino, turning up in unexpected places. Besides, what was I to do ? Grace, in the kitchen, was invisible, Miss Kate had gone riding with Mr. Stanford, Eeny, practising the ' Battle of Prague,' was not to be disturbed. In my distraction I catno hero, whero Mies Darling has kindly permitted me to remain and study the art of dressmaking." Ho made his speech purposely long, that Miss Rose might not see Miss Darling's confused face. But Rose saw it, and believed as much of the gentleman's story as she chose. " And now that you have discovered it," said Rose, "I daresay we will have you flying on all occasions to this refugium peccatormn. Are you going ? Don't let me frighten you away !" . " You don't ; but I want to smoke a cigar under the- tamaracs. You hav'n't such a thing as a match about you, have you ? No matter ; I've got i one myself." He strolled away. Rose looked ■suspiciously at the still confused face of the sewing-girl. " How did you come to know Doctor Danton ?" she asked, abruptly. j "I — he — I mean the window was open and he was passing, and he stop- ! ped to speak," stammered Agnes, more confusedly still. " I dare say," said Rose ; " but he would not have stopped unless he had known you before, would he ?" " I — saw him once before — I don't' know him " She stopped and looked pitcouslsy at Rose. She was a childish little thing, very nervous, and evidently afraid of any more questions. "Well," said Rose, curtly, "if you don't choose to tell, of course you needn't. He never was a lover of yours was he ?" " Oh, no ! no ! no !" " Then I don't see anything to get confused about. What are you working at?" " Miss Eeny's jacket." "Then Miss Eeny's jacket must wait for I want my new silk made for Thursday evening. Conio up to my room, and get to work at onco." Agnes rose obediently. Rose led the way, her mind strayiug back to the sceue in the sewing-room her entrance had disturbed. "Look here, Miss Darling," she broke out, " you must have known Doctor Danton before. Now, you needn't deny it. Your very face proves you guilty. Tell the truth, and shame the Didn't you know him before you come to Danton Hall ?" They were in Rose's room by this time. To the great surprise of that inquisitive young lady Agnes Darling sank down upon n loungo, covered her face with her hands, and burst into tears. "Goodness me," exclaimed the second Miss Danton. As soon as surprise would let her speak, " what on earth is the matter with yon ? What are you ' crying about ? What has Doctor Danton done to you ?" " Nothing — nothing," cried the worried little roamstress ; " oh, nothing. It is not that ! I am very foolish and weak ; but, oh, please, don't mind me i and don't ask me about it. I can't help it, and I am very very unhappy." 1 "Well" said Rose, after a blank pause, " stop crying. I didn't know you would take it so seriously, or I shouldn't havo asked you. Here's the dress, and I want you to take n great deal of pains with it Agnes. Take my measure !" Roso said no more to the seamstress |on a subject so evidently distresvsing ; but that evening she took Doctor Frank himself to task. She was at the piano, which Kate had vacated for a game of chess with Mr. Stanford, and Grace's brother was devotedly turning her music. Rose looked up at him abruptly, her fingers rattling off a Hvely mazurka. "Doctor' Danton what have you been doing to Agnes Darling ?" "I doing ! I don't understand !" "Of course- you don'fc. Whero was it you knew her ?" " Who says I knew her ?" " I do. There, no fib's — they won't convince me, and you will only bo committing sin for nothing. Was it in Montreal ?" "Really Miss Rose ".

" That will do. She won't tell— she only cries. You won't tell — you only equivocate. I don'fc care. I'll find oufc' sooner or later." " Was she crying- ?" " I should think so. People liko to make mysteries in this house in my opinion. Whore there is secrecy there is something wrong. This morning was not the first time you ever talked to Agnes Darling." " Perhaps not," replied Dr. Danton, with a very grave face; "but poor child, what right havo I to make known the trials she has undergone ? She has been very unfortunate, and I once had the opportunity to befriend her. That is all I know of her, or urn at liberty to tell." There was that in Dr. Frank's faco that, despite Rose's assurance, forbade her asking any more questions. "But I shall never rest till I find ont," thought the young lady. " I've got at Mr. Richards's, and I'll at yours as euro as my name is Rose." , • [to be continued].

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