CHAPTER I.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 12865, 25 May 1905, Page 6

CHAPTER I.

"WIIERK TIIKR.ICS LAZINESS, THKRK'S BOUND TO BK •.UISCIIIKK." |

It was in the dark of an October

[afternoon, and a tall young girl ! was walking rapidly homeward through a dark and dreary -looking country lane. She wore a tweed cap, pressed closely down on her head, 'and a kind of long covert coat ; two dogs, one an Irish terrier and the other a water spaniel, | followed at her heels. As though ' they understood that their young 1 mistress had need of their proteci tion in this lonely road, they trotted along close behind her, ignor- ■ ing the temptation offered by the ( banks, hedges, and ditches. I Now and again she spoke to ; her companions. "Good old Bob!" : "Dear old Sally!" she would say, I stooping to pat their heads and ! ]ook into those faithlul, affection- ' ate eyes. j The dusk deepened perceptibly, 1 and there was a dampness as of • threatening rain in the cold air ; but Patricia Chesterton walked along contentedly, singing softly to herself as she went. j 'When, she reached a certain point in the road she paused, and • seemed to hesitate. Then, shrug- ! ging her shoulders, she produced a , leash from the pocket of her coat, i and, calling the dogs to her, slipj ped the leather through their collars. I "I am so sorry, dear old things," 'she said, apologetically, "but it is getting so late that we must go through the court groirndtf — it will ; cut oil quite a mile — and though ' I know you are to be trusted, the keepers make such a fuss about you. As if well-behaved, .moral dogs like you would poach or ] steal, or even look at a hare or a

pheasant !" She laughed to herself as she talked on* in th«fc fashion, and the ! dogs fawned and raressed her, and * uttered sounds which would have 1 signified nothing to most people, but which were as intelligible as , words to Patricia. <,

i She pushed through a narrow gateway, holding the leash securely, and entered a kind of wooded inclosure. It was almost dark within, and some girls might reasonably Save felt a little nervous when once the road war- left behind ; but Patricia did not know wJiJart fear • '•meant. .• i mVJfrreojver, every inch of the path was familiar "to her. It was' very quiet within the grounds of Heron Court ond the panting and pattering of the dogs' footsteps alone broke the silence. She progressed some distance before the dense growth of trees soemed to open a little ; beyond, faintly discernible, thero was a stile, painted white, which Patricia had climbed more times than she could remember. She had just slipped deftly from this perch) — the dogs having been helped through- — when Bob gave a growl and Sally followed^ suit. Glancing swiftly about her, Patricia, saw something moving almost stealthily to the right. She frowned an-d shrugged her shoulders— to stalk suspicious characters was the duty of the Heron Court keepers. The next moment, however, she was filled with amazement, for the clogs' growling -had changed to a low bark of greeting, and the figure she had taken for a poacher approached quite close to her and revealed another girl. "Leila, my dear child !" Miss Chesterton exclaimed. "WHiat are you doing here ?" The other girl spoke h/iirriedly, with, something like exqitement, and it almost seemed annoyance, too, in her voice. "You were such a long time, Patsvt— and* — and so I thought I would come and meet you) — andr— I am so glad you have come at last ! Do let us get out of here — il is so gloomy and dreary*— H- " Patricia slipped her arm about the other's waist. "Fancy you coming here all alone ! Brave little Leila ! I was hurrying home to you ; I -thought von "would be wondering what had become of me But how did you know I should come back this way ?" I "Oh, I guessed it," said the ' other girl. She was hurrying on, and making Patricia hurry, too. "I know you always take a short cut when you cam—' — " ! Patricia noticed that her cousin ' was breathing quickly and nervously ; she pressed "her arm more closely about Leila's slim figure. 1 "Dearest, you should not have ' done this. You know it is so ' damp here on these lato autumn days, and you catch cold so easily. T really feel T ought to scold you, Leila, only that it was so sweet of you to wanjt me." Leila laughed, a reckless laugh. 1 "It was not really sweetness," fhe confessed. "I was so horribly dull. Oh, here we are— coming to {he road at last. I am so glad!" , "So are Bob and Sally," laughi cd Patricia. I A few paces more and they had left the grounds of Heron Court behind them. As Miss Chesterton bent over her dogs to loose them, she p-lanced at her cousin's feet, rind tlic gkain of n : tccl buckle < aught her eve. "Why darlin»\" she exclaimed, "von arc wearing your thin house

shoes, — and that cloak is not hali warm enough." "Oh, Patsy, please don't worry — I am all right !" said I,eila, almost peevishly. "You know 1 never wear thick boots if I can help it. Now let us walk quickly ; 1 4s.ni el t something very nice in the kitchen as 1 passed out, and I believe old Annie is making hot cakes for tea." Patricia Chesterton laughed and answered with some aliectionate nonsense. Nevertheless, she was considerably worried about Leila. The girl was always complaining, and was certainly not robust. Patricia never took any care of herself ; she was out in all weathers, and would have laughed at the idea of taking cold ; but Leila's case was quite different. Patricia fussed about her cousin as if she were playing the anxious mother. She made plans with herself now, and resolved to take all sorts of precautions, so that the other should not suffer any ill effects from her carelessness. It was very unlike her cousin to have gone out in this way. During the last few months that they had been together, Leila had never e~ vinced the smallest desire for independence, and candidly confessed that she hated walking, especially in the country. Therefore this little excursion in the dark and damp puzzled Patricia slightly. The other girl divining shrewdly what was passing in her? cousin's mind, put on her gayest manner. "You have not toldj me what happened," she said. "Did you see Mr Bulstrode ? And was he very horrid .<"' j Patricia laughed. "He was not there, at least not when I arrived, but his bailiff told me that young Syms would be just the man for me. He gave the man an excellent character, so I think I shall engage him. Just as 1 was coming awa}% jVIr Bulstrode passed me in his dogcart ; he had another man with him, and he very lieiarlyv drove over (me. By the way, Leila, has Hubert been here to-day ?" "I don't' think so,' 1 Leila Arundaie replied, after a pause ; "unless he had called since I came out. f You heard from . him this morning, didn't 3^oll ?" "Y r es," said Patricia. They were coming in sight of her home , now, and a iglimmer of tight could be seen through the trees in the distance. The dogs, trotted on cheerfully. "I believe they smell the cakes!" said Patricia. "Let us have a race," suddenly suggested Leila. She slipped her arm from Patriia's, anid sped away into the dusk. But Patricia made no effort to run after her cousin. "It is dull here," she said to herself. "I wonder what I could lo to make Leila's life a little j brighter ? I must not leave her so j much. I am afraid she must miss the excitement of a town. I cannot expect ' everybody to love the country and this clear old farm as [ love it. I have noticed a restless look come into Leila's eyes very often of late. I would take her away if I knew where to get necessary money, and could keep things going on as they must be kept." 'She sighed quickly. "Ah! money, what a miserable, what a beautiful thing it is !" Leila stood panting, waiting for her cousin, when Patricia reached the porch. "You never ran," she said. (To he eoniimie<M