"A PERILOUS GAME"

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13359, 27 December 1906, Page 6

"A PERILOUS GAME"

By Eertha M. Clay.

Author of #:•*■■• / ; ' ■ y " "THROWN ON T^[E WORLD/ "A '. BITTER ATONEMENT," "BEYOND PARDON," "ON HER WEDBTNG MORN," "THE LOST LADY OF HADDON," etc.

"Zilind," Margherita said, .in. ijivhiL, carte blanche to - some of these she knew, "no vulgarity. In English society r.oW— one never knows ; but I choose to know. 1' am aristocratic by right ' and to the core, though 13oh'emiertne. No ,t, t stockbrokers' 01 tradesmen ; poverty 1 do not nuind : but money without g"ontilitj- 1 cannot tolerate." ''Who "do you say wants an introduction V *,she was saying* to thy gmtleuran txow, a young painter. "31 r Browne ? What a name ! What •i he?" '■' A j great contractor— as rich as jroesTis — -"- "Thank 3'oiu — I don't want to know him. He will talk about money, and -ail me "M-adame. 3 " ''Lord Ernsst Beau-desert— '!Alr Gar thorns," announced the foofoman, an.i .here \vas a little flutter through the norn, a movement toward the doo*-'- ' Tessie •flushed 1 , up, and -tried her" ut.nost. from where she sat, to see th'u loor. 'Margherita gave' Guardi an amuse »*laaice, as she passed, ih'im on her vvay to greet the newcomers. And Ernest Beaudosert was face to (acGi'with the Avaman .v. bp.se <:ruel :bqtietry had destroyed his little sistci'r—the woman , he was bent on wounding to the soul. The picture Folkard had shown Mm dad, "in some sort, .prepared hiui fci she, "beauty he should see : but, after all, 'what was the colourless photograph compared ' wit>h ' the living, breathing 'original — form as well as race V Loveliness to take a man's jreath, and send , a thousand- thrills throng'h. every nerve ; glory of redTold hair, and dark eyes glowing with all possibilities of passion. A woman to make onet forgive al. th : ngs— forget all things— fout herself.; Was it this woman such; a man as Ernest, Beaudcsert.. had ,se£ , hiinssll the- task of -vinning, thut ho might ;ast her oft ?* She cruel and pitii-Uss? Could ho believe it, as lie loiXied U th* face that almost ltobbed .Him, man of the world and ready cctimtcr. >f the self -command co-nventioiialitj required— -almost, not quite '! He was able tp answer' her coixlia•greeting with perfect ease of tone' and manner, ■ ortly he felt— though t-ht-.vords of that selfish, - reckless 'letter suemed burning t into his Ivear.t — tha". \c had set hiins'elf a- task on whic)' -•ictdry would c<ist him dearer than lefeat. "I a_in always ylcaspd t-> "wj^lconKmy friend of Mr Garthorne's." saifl Xfargiberita.- i-n her crisp, dear Eng ish, wi^J) th« Italian cadenbe in he| nusical voice. "You bnow, he ' v.-a*s /cry good to me. Took such a oare >f me all across Russia — a terrible ourncy !" "Not to me !" said Garth ornc "I "-.JicAV tn» pleasure was on nay s'idc." ."So do -V s a*d Beaudesert. "1 en•y.you; Garthorne." I "Of course/*' said Madame St. Lys, aughiri^.; ".Lord; Ernest. , J suppose ox? "know many of these people. Here a new arrival. You ■ shall greet , our friends, and afterward I want : o t^lk to you/ Ho bowed, ml turned away. It woni'd" bf{/an &\d thing- for any >fhpr woman to say, perhaps, to a . ..otmll stranger, and that st>rangor a -ouiig -'autl fiaßSdsomc man, but it 'did .c/l sonnd odd. somehow, frotn Mai'g'lerita. Wiiatevor slio chose to do ov say ; bec«,mc at once charming-. The inevitable 1 knbwle-dge o>f her beauty uid poWer over men, too, saved' ;itch speeches fi-om any charge 'of •anity or, presiunptuous coquetry. It was fo "^patent »that any man was deightocl tQ too with her, to talk tv ■ )er, flattered by •being any wai^' ingloii out by her. ! • Beaudesert, on his side, knew— could jo>t ,help lcnowin'g — thofagh he was lothrnqf of a coxcomb. that he was a "avourite with wpinen ; b-ut he 'put down Madame de'» St. Lys' flattery 'as •-oi the- yo}inger son of- a duke and t-he >wriei* of" Glarelp-Mont, rather than to any attraction he personally possosskd ; bait here he wronged llarg'herita — at any rate, in part. •- V "That man,-' s-he said to 'herself, .vh'ilo b\re smilingly greeted the new-jo-merf?, "is; worth kiiowdng 1 . Hr has brains and soul, a spleaudid' face— iot" -merely handsome.' One could far 1 ■yet wh&ther, ho were rich or po'cr." Mcanwhi'Le, Beaud'oserf was running the /^auntlot of people' N he . did kinow, and ' "being." iritrod'ucod to •jp'ooipl-e he •Uf'n't/ -know, paying, in many oases, '1-c penalty of being a man oi 'birth, rait'c antl fortune, and a favowrite— f^r^soma of these .people he d'd not Ukc a bit. or only remembered them •is human beings of no particular importance, wh'Uf* they all sesmocl t^; like t© • remember him. Among those remembered as facts' was' Miss Tcsi?ip Da'nvers, whem hW qfldck eye speedily sinffled ouiv, ■xnc\ she' was' saved the necessity 1 of making- hei'self evident to him. : fo'r lie went .straig'hL to -where she sat 'by a- young - p.qinter, who had been- tcllt »o- her how much ha should like to put her in*P a picture he was paint: iuqf. "Miss ' 'Da'nvers/' said Beaudesert, Jiolding out his haiv'd, "this is an unexpected pleasure." ■ . „,'"Toi 'me -alfO'. !" said" sbe. .ami'liir and blushing .^ 'a'- little.'"^'! « only

knew this morning that you were in England." "I Came home the day before yestorday. Is this your • first appearance here"?" # "Yes, I suppose you knew Madame St Lys abroad V" (f N>o ! A friend of li<>rs was kind enough to barmg 1 me to-night." "Isn't she- perfectly) lovely I" said Tessie, enthusiastically. Ernest smiled, tfaoug'h he knew the enthusiasm was only ior effect. '■You cdntradict the spiteful saying, Miss Danvers, that p*ie beautiful woman vvfll not praise another." •'Nonsense, Lord ' Ernest I" said Tessie. with a fleeting, , upward look she had found very , telliug ; "there's no comparison '!" ' "Nor ne:d of any," said he, with an admiring erfon-co, which he knew would, please Tossia, whom he mentally regarded with a knnd of iqiiizzical indTilgence : and, she .certamly, was pretty. though .it was a sort of •prettiness that did not touch one chord of his nature. i (To be continued.)