CHAPTER IV.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 12817, 27 March 1905, Page 6

CHAPTER IV.

MARY FEARS CARftNA. The count} waited for Iyald}' Su*;an Minister to take Uie lead with regard to Miss Verney. The cfc>ju|nty detenniaied that if kaidy Susan Minster showed a disposition to be frienjdly, then it woluld J>e sa.le to follcywi her example. For I,ad }• SKijsan was a very important person.. To have her goojd woUd, to lie ' admitted into her <irc\e of fvienkl.s,' | was a honor tlrat was eagerly solught thfToAigJliout the whole /of Wests'hire. Tho^ugli she was dosej on the hoddens of sixty-five, I/ad3 T Susan was Sitill trim aiwi / 3Trtulth.Ptdlooking. Sihe had a most m!nsiral voice, an!d was keen-witteiclj. Some peop.e were afraid of her, so,me dis4ike«d her—'Ga'rina Forrester wa,s one l—"butl—"but ! m/ost / people knew that, despite her fVh'arip tont,uc, T/ady Susan Minster was o<nc of the kindest women in tihe world. She lived at the White Priory, a 'leligjlitihil old h!o)Ujse not fan from YelVentom, anld, next to fherj hiLSbanid|—^a man wiho • hail lost has sigilit ng3i<ting for his country years {t^eiilijaps the creature whom, vhe loved best in the whole world ,vas G<eoirge Verney. On him sdie 'uatl laivisllied all the ' tenjcterftiess bhiat was treasured in her heart. He alimiost filled the void left by tihe .death of her own, two little .hifdren many years ago. "Bay" Comjyens pretended that he was very jealoius of George, thotiigih in trti-tiH" I^afdy Su|s(aiii ' haxl a sioft spot in her heart for her nepfli'ew. To Sir George's, delight, > his olid olid frien/d never hesitated to give to /Mary that welcome ; wliicfli he desired her to have., > T6 his flurt'her ideligiht, Lady Susan acti^alh^ fell inj love with Mary^ Verney. "fit is one of the sweetest faces I hajvie ever seen," she had said to George, whon he liatl taken her to to the carriage after her visit, and a little colour had crept into the yo'iilu'g -miaar's; face as he hearfd; this,. ■ "She is quite loiv^bly, G^eorig-e.'' Yes, Mary was lonely: —so whito, so fair^^-liikie ! But as tihe days passeld "he h|egan to wish that she wofiil'd lose that pathetic air, that frightened look that came iroto her '.;yes at times. Her silence, too, 'ihi/rt Mm, for he imagined that he reaW tjhe secret of it, anid he grieved that sihe shafnld grieve because she had taken so mfudi from him. Hie came upon her one afternoon sitting in f'romt of the. fire in one of the big rooms. He thought at first sjhe was asleep, she lay so still in an okl veivet ciiair,' but as he came aticl stood Tjieside her, he saw that she was* not as-leep, only gazing into the fire, with those lajg«, sad eyes that were to him already the most 'blea-sitihil eyes he 'Wafd ever seeni. "Drcamiing, Httle oatisin ?" he saijd'; then -he gtave her a letter. ,'Tt is from Lady vS^an; She is getting u(p a farewell diatiec for me nsxt week", and this is y6wr 'invitatd'on.'-' I Mary "Veiuicv sat forward anid looikiecl at him. | "Farewell V sihe repeated,. "Are —lore ' yo/u gning away, so. —no coon ?" i H« smiieft. tcßo. sooti ! I liihi'Jc I harvQ been

'here too long alreafcly. There are heaips of filings that I oogilit to be doing, an.d Aunt Agjatihla is daily exipectinig me in town."

;M\ary nervously lingered t'hv note she held .

These las,t l'qw days she haid drifted once again into a k&nid oi' dream, hut it was a 'tltifferent one from, that which Inaxl 1 lliekl her I spirit thirougih the last few months, tt was a "dream that 3idd something of ihia,ppiness in itt— ; a certain a tangible sense of comfort, a feeling that 'had never oome to her Before, and nsow she knew hiow to trainslate this. It was the presence of this man, with his awifailing tlnaitg-ht, his wonjdeitfiul sympathy, tlnait "had bmo,ugiht that .(ream.

am scurry that yoJu 'are g»hi!g, v nlic said, almost iiwoliintarily. "It will be stnan-ge here'with.uiujt yan. ElvenytlMnig /is strange to me, evien Mentis, ' anE sometimes I am — frigihtencd."

"Frig/hten-ed ? |W|hy shaukl ycxu Ive Mgjliteiied ?" the yoftiaitg man asiked, tertderly. "Yoki have everythingi in 3 r oiinr power to make peolpfcs loK^e yo:iij. Come, Cousin ■l\l!ary'''i — die stretcflifed o)ut his ihamds — "II want yo;u to giive me a promise."

I Slowly, half timidly, she p)ut her I'luaand into his.

'Wlhat pjramise ?'.' s(hie asflced, in a low voice.

U I want yolu to be hajpipy," said George iVerjiey. "I want to see jyoiu simile. L— -I kn;ow what is in i yo(iiir Jieart, Mary ; bait believe me, dear, yo(iu are troiiibling yoai-rself '■uinneeessaTily! Wton't yoiii try and 'realajze that I am li'aplp.y ? Bnfcleed, 1 1 have never known whaU real jhaiflpiness meant till now. 'It gives me siiuqh joy? to "know that the (dear oid man's wislies have been ! carried owt, and that yo\u, my !UnJele Hnng'o's child, are in your ip roper place. I will confess to you." iVerney went ooij luiQon- . sciQit«ly caressing that little ihaiiid, "tliiat I might have hacl some bitterness if 1 had been called iiipkm to give up Yelverton to an- ' other ; bxtx not to you, IVljaryj — not toj you. , Ami," he went on, more qiuickly, luwrying his wound's ■ oeLausc he saw her lace contract as with* pain, "yon will see a lot o§ me. I canaiot be here as minlcih sis I should like, I shall be bacjkwai'cls ankl forward's very often ; and, Mary, I want you to kttiow •.Jiy Aunt Agjatha. , She is the sweetest woman that 3 T c*u 4 oan cioii- < ci\*e — a great vSiifTerer, "yet so ';)lu,cikv. vShc has l>een ni} r best ihjuan ever since i was a little t-hap, so high." M-ary looiked up at him. \Y.hen he was .so n^ar, the warmth of his nature seemed to thaw the misery in her .heart a little. It was almost natural to her to j-.mile in answer " tqi (his smiles. Kven the black bitterness of the secret she carried seemed to grow a little less merciless when the spell of i Ms wonderful goold'ness tuiul.ihed her as it did now. Still she failed to answer, and Gedrige Veniey clung to her little hauiid, more closely as he sjpojke on. "fWbtn.'t yo\u give me this promise, iMjary ?" he pleaded.. "Yoiu -doiii't k|now wfeat a difference it wotold! maike to me if I felt that yoiii wqillld not grieve abtdut me. I kmow 'qjuite well thajt iyo\n are wo,rrying yotuinself to, death Just bodaailse I am going to do what every man s!h(oiuM doi — try to earn my Hiving;. Well, dear, believe me, 1 am absolutely sincere when I tell yo/u tHiat I am glald to worflc. I always, wanted to do sometiliinjg, nHd this need for inide'penjdence is aUouit tlie best thing that co)u«l.d have haj^pened to inc." Slue slowly drew her han|d away from 'his. * (To bo conlinnfifl.) THE "MASTA" PIPE.— The "M»s*a" Pip 6 consists of a m«Bt eLmiple and effective arrangement, of Traps and Cooling Chninl»«f» wkicfc, while causing the tobacco to retain its natural fragram/e, ensures to the smoker a perfectly cool, dry, clean and wholesome smoke. What we claim is tbaU— tbe "Maata" prevents objectionable moisture being drawn into tho moutb. The "Mast*" pre.tsnts moisture saturating the tobacco in the bowl. The "Must*" requires no cartridges or absorbents. The "Masta" is economical, a« not a. particle of tobacco is wasted. The "Mastii.** retains the full mellow flavour of the tobacco. The "ifasla" is not complicated, and can easily b« clean<d. The "IVlasta" U tho only peifec-t pipe for "wet" umokers.— To bo obtained from J. A very, Devon-utrt'i't.— Advt. For Up-10-t]at<- Printing- apply to Ilcmld Oilifß.