THE CREAM AND THE MAN.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXII, Issue 848, 2 December 1905, Page 2

THE CREAM AND THE MAN.

SERIAL STORY,

(By Mrs L. Baillie Reynolds.)

CHAPTER XII. It was an afternoon of hot sunshine, of cloudl<sS£ skies,- of waiim peace, and the rich fullness of July. The gardens of Dellthorpe, though the bedding-out .had been sadly neglected that summer, looked lovely with their mass of rambler roses. The house itself—neither an ancient nor an imposing structure, but just such a house, as one sees on the fringe of: most English-'villages,-.with a garden, stabling, two'or three fields, but no park; a drive gate, but- no lodge—wore the look of an empty place, a dwelling from which "the family" was unmistakably absent. Out on the terrace .which ran past.the southern side, overlooked by the windows of the drawing-room, sat Ailsie Freeman, ■tfho had grown old in the service of the Morrows, knitting; - and thinking to herself of the bitter fate_ of. having to turn out with old age staring her in the face. The place was old. 'No hew generation of Morrows would arise to smile into the face of the old nurse. It had been sold just as it stood, with its early Victorian plenishings, and' all that it contained, to strangers ; " and something more that they didn't bargain for," muttered;;.Ailsie, "arid that's the ghost." ' ' - She was a fine-looking woman, not yet showing her years, with a steady, sensible face, and still abundant fcair, neatly arranged. There were lines on her * graven there fourteen years ago by the disgrace and banishment of her nursling, the Alan who was to her as a son, so early had he been left motherless. ' : '

It was his sin, his wickedness, which had brought-the blight on the place, and left it fated to hold r.o more Morrows. '' And Ailsie. must go. There was no provision for her in the late Mr Morrow's will. He had never dreamed of Hugo's selling the place or dismissing her. - New it was said that the workmen were coming, in on Monday next to make highboilers and _ bathrooms iind new ar&Tris; and this was" all to be done in great haste, so that the feet of the new owner? already sounded in her ears tins .afternoon. i; VP.? gardener,; with anxious"eyes,, passed her ; on; the gravel a-basket of exquisite,- pea\ on .his. arm... "Seems, a. Bin to leave 'em on ths vines," he said, "But .° ?, ea^l . ' em •■ I could wish the. new uns ud come along, if it is only to send you an me packing." , . last <lay o' the old'times, Merch, said Ailsie. "On Monday they'll begin, and after that it'll all be different, on needn t wish to hurry matters." Merch shook his head, and w-ent on, and again the afternoon peace descended upon Ailsie in her solitude.

. *ldo wonder," she wliispered at last to herself, letting her knitting fall upon her ?ap, Ido wonder what they'll say to my ghost, I do J Of course, Mr Denver will haye that it's all nonsense; but suppose the new folks shouldn't, like her, would they be likely to wish the property off their hands'again? Now I'm -used to her in a manner of ispedking." She turned her eyes suddenly to one of the long drawing-room windows. Some-1 thing white was moving within, ii hfi herself," she whispered; but it's ssJdom I've seen her in such broad day as this." l*he wl-. a figure approached the window, unfastenc... it from within, and came out! upon thi- .errace, as Ailsie sprang to her feet wit], j, gasp of half-terror, half-amaze-ment. There : :ocd the ghost—'arge eyes, cloudy hair, wh.i-e gown, and all, but carrying a hat in one hand; and with a glance of eager, palpitating suspense, she stood there smiling, looking at the old woman as one who awaits recognition. . Ailsie was rigid with an amazement only faintly to be described. What was this? What could it mean? Who could this be who stood there looking at her? The girl ?ame slowly nearer, smiling as (she extended her hands. i " Are you Ailsie?" she asked, with a little laugh that was almost a sob. " God-be good to-us, who are you? Who are you, I say ? cried' the old woman. " Have you ever, seen me before?" asked the ghost.- " Seen you before?. Pretty near every night- these last five weeks, until last Sunday was a week. I wondered at ye for not coming; it has been so regular of late." ".That is only because I have come later, when you have been asleeu," said the visitor, still smiling. " I was working so I hard all last month, and used to fall asleep in my ch;iir after supper— chat is why .you saw me 'so often." "I don't understand, miss."

Tlie girl came closer, and with a. -Witt, graceful movement put both arms round the old woman's neck. " Oh, you are Alan's nurse, are you not ?" she whispered. " You must love me, for I' am Alan's wife." J a'ive—warm, —you're no spectre, my dear, but a real woman of flesh and' Wood ! What does it mean? What does it mean?"" " O Ailsie," said the girl, clinging to her, " it means so much that I daie hardly think of it. I understand no more than you do. I ; only know that, ever since I was nine years old, I have been used to come in dreams to this very house where now I myself stand in the flesh ?—that before. I had ever seen Alan, or knew that he lived, I used to come here, and dream of it, and love it! And it is all the same as I dreamed it. I have been through the hall, where ail the Landseer pictures are, and between the curtains at the stair-foot, and along the passage, through the draw-ing-room, and halfway up the stairs-to- the window with the crest- and the motto upon it! I have never been farther than there, Ailsie, in my- dreams, and'l would not go farther now without- you to take me." ■ The old woman collected her forces-. " Is Alan with you?" she asked. " No, lie is not in England yet, but he is coming—he is coming !" " He never told me that he was married when he came down here last winter.— that awful time!' " Ailsie, presently, when you are quieter,

I 'will tell you aboutiit, and you sh;.'.'; kn*;-".v why it was that he did not speak to ; »u of me. 0 Ailsie, wouldn't it have bi-.n strange if he had seen me, as you have, walking about the passages? But no, he could not; I scarcely closed my. eyes tu:lt one night that he was here, so I coakl not dream the house." "But- how come ye here now, in the flesh ?" panted the old woman. " Where do you come from, ma'am ? Why do you coiner'

'"Because, because," cried Honor, battling ivitli sobs, "because Alan has boupiit Dellt-horpe, and he is coming here to ,'ive!" Ailsie sat down again upon the chair she i hud quitted. The ::e\vs was too sudden. The girl, who was < holding her ab'-ut •the neck,. sank down beside her upon her knees; t;hen the -old woman, winding lier arms' round the slim form of her "master's wife, covered her f:ice with silent kisses, while her form .shook with the sobs ;;ud tears of joy. ..... . . After some while, when she was calmer, she rose, and led the girl within doors. But it was -long before she oould at all realise what had happened. Honor dared not go inside the house with her until she had told her- enough of. the situation to ensure her discretion, and had impre-yed upon her that she was for this visit al;o----getlier incognito. . . '•'l felt that I must show myself to you, and try whether you would .recognise mo," said she; " but the maids are not to know who I am, because I will not have" Mr Denver know. . The property "has been bought with- no mention s>f -.names; and I am simply a stray to-irist who has cme to look at the house, because she knew the Morrows, in. yiays gone by. Remember, that is what you must say to th-Em. all. For this reason, too, I shall not come here again,- but leave all the arrangements to you. lam going to take you i into my confidence/ Ailsie, to tell you things that no .•other person on earth knows or will ever know, and' when you have heard all, I want .you': to help me in a little plot. I am -staying ■at King's Neston, at the post-office, and you can write to me there, under the name of Miss Gray, and we will • arrange everything between us. Will you "help, me?" : The old woman- could not, for very-joy, believe her -ears: • Her heart- went out there and--. then..' to- Alan's ; wife-:ia . perfect devotion.. .She -would ; have upheld the most crack-brained, plot in the ~wbrld her. They - went' over the whole • house,. ani Honor: 3m ad'e- notes to "what'••was required ;;for~ithe misters arrivalwittf a clear-ieafdedness which astonished the'. old -p-oman. House-linen sadly, needed Augmenting, certain. , carpets upstairs -' must- be replaced^-the kitchen outfit required "much supplementing, arid a new range was already in process of erection. j There ;-yta& a -clear three weeks. ~b?f ore. 1 Alan could be in London, and in that time all was to : 'be done that could be done, - f Carpets' were to be beaten and relaid, idljtntide garden-beds filled with geraniums a»d - such other plants as could be ; Boi\ght - ; in bloom ; ail was to be prepared , for the welcome of the man who,' long'trouble; was to come.h'ome to his own' again. All' these orders Ailsie was to feign to have received ■ from Messrs' Hazel and Bland, and she was to let Honor know how 'everything went on. It was after sunset when, the girl had- finished her survey and took her leave.

I don't think I shall haunt the house any more, Ailsie,"-she whispered. "Now my eyes have seen, and I can be content. But if you should see me, you won't be alarmed, will you?" ' ; The beautiful dusk was settling down slowly ,over the land. The sky was glowing like hot copper behind the row of pines upon the hill. That "■ picturesque' 'dash of heath-land which Hertfordshire blends so temptingly with more domestic and quieter pictures was all around the' village. The road wound up and down, the hills rose, and all was to Honor as though she had known and loved it for years.

! "It is my home/' she whispered to herself as she --came : J out 6f the gate into the rpad,- and'walked, the inn where she had i left the fly which brought her. ' :A man who had entered through the drive gate a moment before had; seen' -her approach, and had. darted into the shadow of som§ trees. "This man had ridden & bicycle,; which he still ield, and on which he had come station. " Run to earth!" he whispered gleefully,-; "I guessed as much. I expect siiie ing here. However, it may be best to ascertain, for v m know nothing of her movenients,} and, she shall not .shpj a. second- - 1 fiitgers. "'"Harvey did .me a good turn when he divulged that Alan was the 'purchaser." - He Avaited •until ; she had .'gone out of the gate, and then, leaving his machine in the bushes, followed as carefully as possible. Her white dress was unmistakable; lie saw iter go; to the inn and sit down to wait until her horse was put Then the carriage started off, and he, running; back at top speed, got his bicycle, and jwas off in pursuit, easily keeping, the thing |in sight until it stopped at the King's' I pcst-offiee. .. t . ~ : -, 1