CLAUDIA'S TRIUMPH.

Thames Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 8352, 18 May 1896, Page 1

CLAUDIA'S TRIUMPH.

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE SECRET FO THE CASKET.

Lord Nortonsball made jbo secret of j his design to win the fair Claudia for , Irs . mistrese, and talked openly amongst his associates 3of hit proposal to her, and the manner in which he had been repulsed, calling her a little hyprocite and a prude, and all the other epithets which a disappointed man will apply to the woman who has pride and spirit enoagh to reject hit sdvtj|ipe&. . " : 'His lordship was one of those who imagine that any woman in the actress's profession was fair, and had not good sense or 'feeling of honor sufficient to know and feel that there are many true and pnre women who tread the stage in velvet and tinsel, or that honest wires and tender mothers ace to be fonnd among the hundreds who nightly administer to the people's amusement. But there were some amongst his friends who had sense enough to see La Claudia's reak^rorth and modesty, who expostulated with him upon his open pursuit of her; trat he only laughed at them for their pains, and a rowed his determinations to follow up his scheme.

' Pshaw! ♦ She is a woman, therefore to be wooed j she i« a woman, therefore to Be won/ was his reply to his friend, Lord* Wedderbnrn, when one evening that gentleman had broaohed the subject. 'Some fellow says that in a pl^y, I think, my dear Wedderburn, and a ?ery wise man he was, too, for there's not a woman on tbe face of the earth that a man cannot win in some way if he chooses.' ' You have a very poor opinion of tbe sex, Nortonshall; but I fancy yon will .find youtself mistaken in this instance. 1

' Nonsense, man ! She may be a dragon of virtue, or a miracle of innocence ; but she's a woman, and, as such, has a vulnerable point. I mean to find it out.' 'And your wife ?' 'Oh, let her sulk in Paris. I m not going to be the laughing-stock of alt London over her romantic ~ lore for that young sailor.; and, after all, she's a fool for her pains. He's dangling after La Claudia, too. By Jove, itr would be worth trying, if only to win her from him. Not-that I've ever met him there; it's my belief that she smuggles him out of the hou^e whenever 1 make my appearance; but 1 shall meet him some day, and when I do let him look but for himself, that's all.'

Mr Austin Bertram heard all this, partly from Lord Nortonshall himself, and partly from other quarters, and he was not slow to carry it to Frank. He was kinder than ever to the young man, making himeslf almost a necessity to his daily life by the thousand and one little ways in which friendship can be shown. Frank made but little remark when he heard his friend's intelligence, only saying that he needed no new proof of Claudia's goodness or Lord Nortonshall's perfidy, and the subject dropped for thHJtime, though Mr Bertram could see that he was more affected by the tale than be chose to hare appear. •Bit it's not for the s.ike of Ta Claudi»' he muttered t>'himself.' * It's the ether one—ha fair-haiied beauty over yonder, he cares aboul..^e thinks that it will make her suffer—pray heaven it may !' he continued with a savage path. * My', Iprd lady, my gay y.ung spark and the famous actress I owe you all come thing and hb I'm a living raan«ril nay my debts with intet* est before long.'

It «vas for Alma that Frank Vav»§. our grieved when her neglectant husband forgetting -hie Allegiance to her, thus frpenly rurpued the actress. Do what he would think of her as he might he loved heistill ? ;j>ut'there was a bitter feeling miagled with his love —the certainty that she had forgotten him. 4 Better §V he sighed. • Why should I c*us?e her to be.unhappy ?, And if Vhe still t'mught of'me :s« [in th§ old. limp, she mnet be stV'i But—— Oh Alraa Aim'! She must hare known that I was stricken nenr to death and yet she couH be silent.'

But he wrorged her th«re. tfe knew nothing of th ? letter she had sent. Her passionate appeal to hiui, for one word to tell her how he waa had never reached him. It, was safe, in <ther keeping ready to be ÜBed as a terrib'e ensine in timo to c^me.

He •hought how he could avert the evil and endeaveured to devise a way to let; her knowof her ,hn§b»nd'ii courses without making mischief >; hut no m^ani? preseoted themselves. - He ' oou'd^not jwrjte ,tp her toa^ wpiijd (^e Jlan|ei ous ; ;,an4 Ww to ietjier knowf was more th^n he eouldcontrive,, <.^ *; . A\

'A- sudden thought 'struck • him—jhe wduld aß^Oiffudia^ij^dyicC^ auH' hs started|or Bayjwaier on|hejipur of the j -nomen}|^ .reached > the villa; | bowev«ir he badiobaeidered. He might | t mix her up in, bis by r po doing. 'f'i(nd t ttjat^^bttldLJbftv j»icked and i cruel. Shejjhad enftq^h trooble already i on her head without burdeuiog her with big, ' '

, -. It w«»conßequentiy as an ordinary visitor that he knocked at the door, an< was most v/ajmly welcomed by Claudi wbo in her neat home irepi sprang t m-et him wHh b beaming face. \ Oh, Frank/she exclaimed, in a jo; ful tone, 'I am so glad you hay*coum I was frighior'ed about you.* ♦Frightened !' ' Yea. You'll think me very fooliab bit I drefm-d——' :

, 'Dreamed"! * >!*, then, Itae'Qa"ei Mab bath been with you,*" )ie laughed * Don't laugh at me, Frank, -■ 2ndt« it was a 'dreadful, dream *ti^»agh r moi conf v- ing aifd bewildering, I rtinatnti that you were in danger—ia dasger t your life, Frank—tod that X m i peril too and another person too, a wftttai and it came to us.all thr«.ugu— whoa do jm thirkr '; • 1 [ cannot guess,' « Your fri«hd, Mr Bertram * ' IVoush him f Why; .what posstU* harm can I c do to us.'. . .' Vh i don't know. I only feel Umi STne»hing will happen «n1 bis c will b the h«nd to inictit I Imsure, 1 * My daar Claudia^ ypd-vr* nervoul this morn ng '; let us "talk- abovt tome thing else—this for instance/ And t he spoke he touched the little cuke which lay upon the table. * I ban often felt curious to know what H CM

taiae but it is always go secarcl fastened.' • And you are cut ions 7* •I am.' 1 Like all men. Curiosity if a fiilio laid specially to our sex- but it belong quite as fairly to yourtij - SuppoM I ke<* that casket merely for its ' outwai beauty!' Many Indies keep jac thing! upon their tables.' 1 Then why lack itf-

( Must you have a reason for ever thing? Have you ever tried to op« it, that yon are bo persistent atari it being looked ?' . 'Yes, often.' ' You impertinent man. d serve that it should have turned ont miniature infernal machine, fnli < little guns to shoot you as soon as opened. , That's s fine reward f< curiosity;" If any of my other frien< are tormented with the same cnriosit I must lock up my pretty casket f« fear of mishap. It is pretty, is it not •Very. It~would.be a pity to r move it from its place—it is quite a ornament; and if it is loelced, arid yo keep the key, there cannoVbe muo danger.' ' But it is not locked, most* sapiei judge; it has neither lock nor ke I see that you will not be satisfied n: til its mysteries are explained, so hat it to me, and I will exhibit its wonde fnl properties without delay.' ; Frank handed it over to her turnii it round as he did so and rtgavding attentively.

(To be continued.)