"A PERILOUS GAME."

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13356, 21 December 1906, Page 6

"A PERILOUS GAME."

. CHAPTER Vll.— Continued.

- By Bertha Wl. Clay.

,y> - Airtho'r of ''Tnj^aWNlJO^-TfiE WOULD,"' "4 :B]slsJR. - ATOKJOrBNT," 'BEYONp "ON HEX, WSDDINJS. .MORN," "lU£ LOSI l^^Y OF BAtmON," etc.

"Won't EcToftdate b« in to luncheon? 7J asked.' K^s, brother. , \[ "OH, yesr~Lie's'in his. 1 study ; at pre-< sent/. Xfco&'Aig- over* some roots of ttoru —or ''#6Wx£fcdig flor'icultural ! ' as yo» eatf-i't^ •' '' " "'. " ' "Ga^tV^ new apecimen?" asked Bs&Udasoit, 'with /' cjjuizzical gravity ; ''the house- 'W.otn't h-olcF him ii'he has." ' ' . "Be* (j'uiet,' you profane fellow," Jiftid she. ;' , w JLK>n't''-you . think he ought t« know ' a'- 'icttle more about such things. Mr'fi^yify"?'^ '\ ,' v x ■•**." "One naiucalißt in a family is quite enough^' observed Ernest. "JTovc you. ever been; for v country Val.. »r:th -my brother, bavUc ? Yvhy, hu's\alt hVs time with his, head i:i the hedges ; and the other half* he's { oking aft«r -^.beetles and 'flora' on ihe ground, 4ajici-lie stuffs his pod eta .•ath.>.attc^ii\s^of mold and weetis I" l^rjeffsH .merrily, &in.cd «, i p^fc, «ti her- .riroi'her-in-iato's * curly .ie»fcL, lie- skillfully dodged. . -'■•Of Jcpur'sp,'' she , said, "you niii" AlindaV gt?i on in a coim-StyV-^i^" •'"! ,;Uon't Rnow what in the \o'Ad *' you vpiild t«ifc a^oirt ;- vom nen-'lo^k at nature frowi'ttro wholly iffurant atfiudpoint*--yo'i.:ra the pot.ic. his the 'titSfon'tifk:." "'"Yes/V s^id _ x lseaxid*S'_'rt ; % 'if 1 .jay, i-Qr bxajnpjk?,, . ( ..Il'ow bcauiiinl thai jrquji of /ite^rs i*',. thrown out'agaiiwt wb<J j &ackgf oxnrd of bkt6 siiy aixl pMrpiy*<jlb.\jd,' X© an--j«x?rB that the t,reds are Te^harlfably fini) «pecimens o' sornjatninjf * wiith aya v Uatiii aaano, «'\ucl then l^prqefeeds to classify the twigs and "dfsseaib. -the bark." /jJI am afraid Beau is incorrigible," aai'd Savile^ and" the 'duchess was fain 'tp ajflow, th« impeachment. . f ■■ Ltmeheori was 'just then .annaunoed^ and the-three were jodnod iai the dining room bjf the duke, w-ho , was in'jutyil^riti^on over &c>mc new flower., and) jjroceecled ti» r expottod , his . riis;overy to ! S»trilo, the 3'otmg man tiatening wiUi- polite attenidon, though 10 trtorc', interested i n the Subject than Eraes-t was. , ' , Certainly 'no onlooker Avx>iikl have imagined v 'the Duke of EJoiidalc and Ernest'"'Bea i udesert * -ijo 3bte' feveft ' half' brother^.;', they were as «Hfferont .^i^ appearance a:s they were . in tastes, tharac'te^ail^/P I ! l^'^- B^a^delerts .>Y«re ' a i^bv^rfeially -4»ands<>m^ faoe^ »aft^- tl*p jiulte, jvho was som^' iigditeen y^ars than lm iitrother,. was ;,n9t;>. wi'thotit / his sbarc ,01 ,the tamilyl, heritage. " Y H& Wja.<rtall, rofnist and . well 1/aUt,. thohg'y ,x losing so-thetbittg of K«igkt bj' ft.stcKip'' in-- ihe,. 4 ( shoulders,,. contractor ,jy s whatv Ernest called "hedge pocking-.' and* p'prin^:' over,. and hq-, : tanjeal ''hpoUs. , ■*.■-- . - ( k- '. .■ :>\ \inBtea^ ; af'St'he.-iidayk hues r of- • hisfather's\yaCB, tlv^ duke haul i>n:h;erited x^s mp't'ber',B 'ligftt CQmjjlexdon, > fair, hajr', ami bjiiq dye» ; birt the regular eatures belonged to the Beautlescrt' Wopd,,- anid ho. looked the, aristocrat,but had imor6 ! 6f,il*o.'cbuntry\ ih«antih'c' town aboat him. Erhe^t 1 was taller ..than 'his brother, jjnd of^fight," supple build, and he \&<l ihe fine ..Beaivdesert Hints, dark, •mle slvin, dari^ brown eyes, at once' *oft aAli-.br^lliattt, and blaclt, ' curly hair.'. The f ea<tures - had the jeculiar-ly-deliqato.. niouldii^^seen in moat^ot the Beaudesert portraits. , Eraest,^i»deed,,wias a strikingly ha«d; some man: ;' ■ aiid nrbn o^l the world and cooirtieiv as -his tarcrther -waa- 1 of the country. ,, About him, too, there was always " Something of rQ.-nance. . Freda used , to '-. say that Ernest •ught.ta a plumed hat, a velvet Suit mxd eL rq!pi6r. was noth'r trier in . his? nature .commonplace or pro,?aic y I}V ,^eemed ,to touch ©very? thiii^ wdth s 'fe'omejthi!^g' of ■po« r try and aympartiiy;' just,,^ sunlight "will gloriIy. .a:,dul.l' room r "pr a prosaiic street. Yet*, bejtwc&en. these '^broth'ei's, so dis: similar in, pvery. : tvay, \vho could not look /on v 'a ]a«dspep.e ( . A\^rt>h , the sanif ?ye*, no -'point lot agreement m anjrt'hijng 1 , tWr«\\STaB . a strong tic cif. aff«ct ; i<&fe,; ..tht*ttg4i/ISrnest hsid more «roal $yjt^§,ihy.' with his sister-in-law ; and." snff!" fond' tlwjujgh <dlxb v*a.B of her h.u»ban^-. : • ijaicv/i vpry - well ,- tlifat for teal ' help , oiid counsel he was not ! much ."ijcttfir tKan a- ohikl ; j ihat for suoh shtj. oansTt go to Krne-st, and for qmicli , eJW besides. . Ho. had\, po, mu<Jb too, bf that faculty o 1 intuitiotn, s>6 rare .in •, men ; c he knew thing's • before votf. tol4 them.' He "sdaraied always to understiarid, always had vSyanipathy iprd a man.-s , clear j\iid i g f m«n't, with that ..'aQufeness 1 ol^ , intc^ktat whicli his family t*ad m'Eeritied frcftn their Nor^ ai«m \ ancestors, - but whioh th«A dulce, taki*ig/-mdre , his ;motlw, had mjiss^d.- '-'■„,>. -To : lier. . hu 3 hand, Freda bad said 'nothing: about 'Margfliertta St. Lys. ' Frbm ':-T3ri?.est' '^10 had- no reserves \ ?he'' wonild , lia-ye told h-i'ni all,, as a •na" tier ."of eaiirse. wnder any circumstances. •' •>*' ' ' • Now; . while Edendale. in his .resf>riant',' but .pleasaW. / v<Sice, discoursed -\upon Jthe. » yistractive futj•turcs v of hi? new , find, his trife, under covei^Qf' ,>±Hp \ 9dund> saad^ in a low .ton«, .to jlrnest,^ j^vh.© sat. next bar, an v | spoalung in^Frehdh : v .' /'Did ■ you . lmow that x Oifftidame St. Lya i§' iv London V r . . " 'J " ''"iYes ,*' he ; anshnvsr^i ;, * Wh& ' ' has .& HpiiSe in? HoTtibrd ' She Mali be a- s.ucCesß. ; i" she, k"nows ; .'. some , very Sfip4- pepp]« ; whp^*n ■ shs^has -.tn©^. a; bxp&d ;.• not "'"fflbly ' inetf-r-eff they.

don't count— tout vrorae;^"/ an.l he' rfamed four or fiVe v/ell'-fcnoWn people. *' "But* they are Bohemian/ said the isuehess.- '..',,' "Oh, yes ; ap is M^Jaroe St. Lys. mill, they are Wpmto against whom do one has .jmyifeng' seKbus "to say." ! "Of emirse I v&ir not' rooeivo her," saul Freda ; , t% lni,t> one might ..nicct licr else%vhftro ;' and I don't to do so. I fljij more than vexed -tliftt she wilLn^ot boast oEv iko which wna-^ri infamy "to her.?" ''.\ • Ernest drew, a- -quiGk^. aileut.ibrcath, byt h^ sojid, quiotly. :" iV'l don't think that ,is "likely, Freda. Ii the -\vorna?£ is" here to try T and malec a jgopil - nMiicl-.i — as • I be beve sho is-r-she \y<m't' ittter things too much to ( . ..hfr. discredit.,. But* .ii you should come across, her* , don't, for our sake, sifg'gost .to her, in your ronnpor,' that'^hc/ia' an anyway andesjrable." '; '. -, , "You cen trjist ma/EmeM?; Uiough [ should ima^itta' slw- would scarcely care io seek me." . - • ■ Eurrgt smiletl a li't'tie^ liivterly. ! , iTft-be effucjfluwi.) •