THE OTHER MAN.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12968, 7 May 1906, Page 2

THE OTHER MAN.

CHAPTER* X.—Continued. After making his dramatic confession, Kar.e ceased speaking and . turned away. There -was silence in the room, save for the dull snapping and flicker of the fire, while from the darkness came a woman's sobs, answered by a deep groan of anguish from the bowed form of the man who had just signed his own death-warrant. .Tie two men. Sir Arthur and Richard, sat looking at Kane in dumb amaze. The former was the first to find his* tongue, although usually the more unready of the brothers. '"This is most extraordinary—er—presume you are aware cf the full import of whXt you have told us—and—er—of the consequences," This last significantly. The culprit bowed. '" Kane, old man," said Richard, " I'm unfeigaedly sorry! I'd rather it had been any man but you. I won't say but what, when we saw old Plish yesterday, I had certain misgivings, but I was unprepared for this." "There was—there is—there can be no palliation or excuse," said Kane, lifting his head. "The guilty knowledge became more than I could carry after all your kindness and—" The sentence was unfinished, for his voice broke. "I presume you realise that this ends everything, Mr* Kane," said Sir Arthur, with a wave of the hand to. where Stella was sitting sobbing softiy. " God help me, I do!" was the reply wrung from the anguished spirit, " but my punishment is greater than I can bear!" and with these words he left the room, and the clang of the heavy outer door announced his to those .within. Stella broke down utterly and "would not be comforted. "Send for Marcia!" she wailed, and, knowing nothing else to do, Rick set out I across the park to beseech her to cometo the motherless girl in her extremity. " It is too dreadful, too horrible!" said Marcia, as they drove back after she had been made acquainted with Kane's confession. " Suppose he had killed you, a-s he had meant to do, the wretch!" she panted. "I'll never forgive him, never!" " Oh, I don't know," said Richard, coolly. ■ "He came mighty near it, but he just missed it, you see. If I'd caught him red-handed, or even three months ago, Fd have been pretty hard on him too: but now, you see, it's different." "I don't see!" said Marcia, vindictively. "Wait until you see Stella," said Rick, significantly,; r ' ." She ought to hate, bim, too!" insisted Marcia. "Well,- I fancy she won't," was the quiet reply, arguing that Master Rick possessed rather more insight into the workings of the feminine mind than might have been expected. Curiously enough, much of his own hot anger '• and indignation had left him, and he found himself looking at the matter from the' position of an outsider or an onlooker. No doubt Stella would readily enough admit the enormity of the offence, but Rick could see how it might appear to her as a mere episode in a daring and "adventurous manTs career. Then, too, the beggar had made a, "clean breast of it. However, Stella kept her room all the I n&xfc day, anaV"s"Ovi» one" knew what her | feelings were. ~ /■> , ■ . : CHAPTER XI. .Kane honic to bis solitary Cedars and" began'to put hi* affairs in order. . First he made over to Richard Dysart the sum of £50,000 in cheques and securities, the original proceeds of the sale of the diamonds of which he had been despoiled. Even this depletion of his fortune left Kane a rich man. In a few hours all was done, and even wired to enable passage in the steamer fer the Cape, for thence he had determined to retire and end his days. England would know him no more. But the tugging at his heart-strings would not let him leave the old country without a word from the only woman he had ever loved or ever could love. So, in defiance of convention, and not knowing whether her brothers would interfere, he sent Stella a line as follows: "I am leaving England for good. For | the sake of our united past will you say j good-bye? I shall be in the church porch I at sunset." It was a forloron hope! She might come.; she might not venture to trust her strength to go" through such an ordeal; she might write instead; she might not reply at all; So it was with no very hop<eful feelings that Kane made his way to the sorrowful tryst. Instead of Stella he found Richard Dysart awaiting him, smoking a long cigar and Sicking the light snow from his boots witii a dog-whip. Kane halted, in doubt as to his reception and of what might be coming. It was as he feared—he would not be allowed to see or speak with the girl. Rick removed the cigar from his teeth, and came forward, to Kane's' surprise offering his hand, w&icb the culprit gripped with fierce tenacity, a great gulp-in .bis, <hrcat the'- while.*-' In his bruised amf state of mind.the cool nonchalance' ,V'i ?eai:-gem"ality of the other's manneri *rr.s like a pat oh the head to a pariah (kg (hat L.-a been, uniformly kicked and cuffed all ai.und the camp. ' -"I mtlx<& your' letter aSout the Money," sr.ia Dysart, "and I'm bound to say that you've tried to" da the handsome thing, as I told Sir Arthur. I can't quite make it out, Race. By rights, I suppose I ought to bate you, and all that sort of thing, don't you know, but for the life of me I'm not able!" and the speaker gave a dissatisfied sort of chuckle. "Perhaps it's the life cut yonder; one gets used to giving and. taking hard knocks and running all sorts of risks. . . It's part of .the great game. I won't say but. what if I'd come np with you at the Cape there'd been a lively sort of reckoning between us; but somehow I can't ,call you down here at home when we've eaten each other's salt and been such uncommonly good friends." He paused and puffed his cigar,, .as if to give Kane a chance to speak, but allthe hitter's old audacity had deserted him, and he slowly back and forth by Rick's si*<s his gaze clouded and his brain dullel. ." Perhaps . it's on account of Stella," Dysart went on musingly, as if loth to cease wondering at his own pacific state of mind. ."She's hard "hit, Kane—worse than any of us. I'm nfraid. What's to be done?" stopping short in his walk and facing him. . Kane groaned pnd staggered, and would have fallen but for the help of a friendly tree .trunk, against which he leaned his. band "heavily in tin excess of bodily weakness and mental abandon. "I wont*"ihsult you by asking if" you .'eve her," Rick went on. * "It's plain to be seen the little women loves yon with heart and soul. " not keep her from me!" burst rr* from the fcrff-ed of -"-he other. ; ' T have no ricrht to sr-k it. I know, but if T do not see her it will kill us both !" " That's about it, I imagine," said Rick,

sententio-u?ly. " I'm up tne same tree myself," lie continued, with a conscious laugh. " and 'I know how it would feel." "Of course, I relinquish all claim to her,'" said Kane. " I know that's hopeless after what has happened, but—" " Now, look hoifc, Kane," interrupted Hick, "I'll undertake to square Sir Arthur, and seeing that I'm the injured party I fancy he won't have much to say. Suppose StelLi agrees to marry you—in view of the facts you won't want to live in England ?" '" The world is wide," answered Kane, raising his head, a gleam of hope newborn in his eyes. " 1 dare not ask you to trust 'me! 1 1 have had a bitter lesson, and I have paid dearly for niy crime." Like most healthy and sane Englishspeaking men,. Richard Dysart hated a scene or anything approaching . heroics. So he simply clapped the other'on the shoulder and said bluffly: "That's all right, old man! Good-bye and good luck! Wait here and I'll send Stella to talk to you!" And whistling to his dogs, who had been muzzling each other by the old lych-gate, .Richard strode away into the fast-gathering dusk. Soon Kane saw the little cloaked and hooded figure approaching through the private woodland path that led from the Denecroft domain. Slowly she came towards him, her veil down, nor would he seem to presume or prejudge her attitude by advancing to meet her. Bitter sorrow and vain regret Bad set their seal upon his finely chiselled features, while affection gleamed unutterable and unspeakable in his eyes. With an inarticulate cry she tottered into his arms; shaking with sobs, her head sunk on his •breast; With 6elf-accusing words he strove to soothe her, putting back the rebellious tendrils of hair that fringed her temples. By degrees he calmed her agitation, and poured balm into her aching heart. He told her anew of his undying love, and that it was because of this ennobling passion he had schooled himself to the confession which had raised up a .well-nigh impassable barrier between them. . "If I had not loved you so well, dear," he concluded, " I could not have brought myself' to face it." ".'.'.. "And now I love you all the better," she exclaimed, smiling upon him proudly through her tears. " Your noble • heart was ■ revealed to me then." ; "You must forget.me, Stella!" he said, trying to put her away from him. " Never!" she asserted, nestling the closer to his side '. , "But I leave England at once," he insisted. ' , " Then ybu must take" me with you," she cried, "for I cannot live without you!" , (The End.)