HIS LAWFUL WIFE.

Thames Star, Volume LVII, Issue 14728, 5 August 1921, Page 7

HIS LAWFUL WIFE.

(All Rights Reserved.)

By JEAN MIDDLEMASS, Author of “The Yellow Badge*” “In Storm and Strife,” “Hush Money,” “ The Case of David Lisle,” “ A Life’s Surrender,” &c.

Published By Special Arrangement.

CHAPTER XXl .—{Continued.) The vicar after awhile consented to this arrangement, and Lionel, in a manner he little dreamt of during his ruminations of the previous evening, found himself once more within the grounds that surrounded Orchard Cottage, and there, some half-an-h'our later, Kitty found him.

Whom he expected he' scarcely knew; he was in far too perturbed a condition to think of anything but of Ninette’s illness. He was, however, a good deal taken aback when Kitty came out of the house. She, on the contrary, was quite at her ease. Why should she not meet Lionel Travers? She was pleased rather than annoyed at\ seeing him. : “You are waiting for news of Ninette?” she said, as she held out her hand to him : “Oh Lionel Travers—Lionel Travers, what have you been doing? I thought better of you.” ■ He looked a little surprised at this genial, off-hand way of addressing him, while he in his heart had been raging against Kitty for having brought about a separation between him; and Ninette.

His reply was merely the stiff question; “How is Miss Ninette?” “She is calmer now. Philip and Dr. Hillick have managed to quiet her. We have had a terrible night, and she has constantly raved of you and accused Philip of keeping you away from her.” Lionel Travers sighed heavily. “Yes,” he murmured. “The poor .child is the victim 'pf that unfortunate lie.”

“What lie? Why is she the victim? What do you mean?” “You surely are aware that Wrottesley found my pencil-case in the copse, and suspecting I was your companion that day when I foolishly agreed to act a lie, he has somewhat viciously accused me of it. Philip Wrottesley is not of a nature to give his sister to a man who is, he believes, philandering with another woman.” “And y°u gave yourself away? You gave me away?, O Lionel!” “I did: nothing of the .kind. I had pledged myA word to you not to say that we had been acquainted before you came to Burnside; and I have kept it, dishonorable though I be lieve the action to be, disastrous as it has been in its result.” Hitty beamed once mere. “ihat’s aU right,” she said. “If there is nothing but suspicion and absurd jealousy on Philip's part . I will soon settle it.” “What will vou do?”

“Ask no questions and leave the

manipulation of this matter to me. I told you, if you remember, that if you-would help me bv being silent I would return vour help with interest . when occasion demanded.

Now is the time, my dear man,

when you require my help, and you / shall have it. Don’t look so grave, as if twenty years had been added to your life since last we met.” “Surely this is scarcely a moment for rejoicing, I am surprised that you —” “Ninette is better. Don’t worry, the crisis is past. She has only to

be kept quiet. She was over-excited yesterday. The unexpected announcement of my marriage to Phil, and then on the top of it to be told that you were coming back was too much for her. But happiness is a wonderful aid to convalescence. She will be all right in a few days.” Being an Englishman he did not say how thankful he was, but he looked considerably relieved. He merely said. ‘‘So you have married Wrottesley. I congratulate you after—” ‘‘Poor Harry! Don’t you think I merit a peaceful life?” ‘‘Yes, certainly. How did you hear of his death?” ‘‘From the lawyer Hastings, the man who holds the forged cheque. Curiously enough he was also my father’s lawyer, and is managing my affairs. Harry shammed being ill, and I myself got him off to

South America. But it seems he was more really ill than I thought, and was carried on shore dying. He sent for a friend, the old man he knew out there,' and he wrote to me at an address Harry and I had agreed upon, saying how ill he was, and that he begged I would do the best I could with my life. I told this to Hastings since there was no further need for secrecy, and a few days later I heard from him that the end had come.” ‘‘Did not the friend write again?” ‘‘No, I wrote to him but received no reply.” ‘‘All’s well that ends well,” said Lionel Travers; ‘‘but it is a curious tale. It seems strange to me that Wrottesley did not have poor Jackson’s death more fully attested and authenticated before—” “OhjQit’s all right. Mr. Hastings is going to give me back the forged cheque when I go up to town; then

I will take it to the vicar, and make myself known—so, till then, please keep silent.” s “And you have been living with your mother during the last few months?”

“Yes, 'but I could not go on there, so I was obliged to marry Phil. She won’t leave Ryder street, and she won’t leave Peter Wilkins. I suppose they will jog on for ever.” Lionel Travers asked no further questions: he was thinking. The tale as told by Kitty did not please him; and if he had expressed his real belief, it would have been that he did not give any credence to the statement that Harry Jackson was dead. i

Was .Philip Wrottesley a dupe or a fool? He was too clever a man to be fitted, with either sobriquet. Was it possible that though he had allowed Kitty to assume his name, no marriage had taken place between them He had more than once heard Wrottesley, who had peculiar views, express a disbelief in the necessity of binding marriage laws. Still, he could not bring himself to believe that he was sufficiently misled and infatuated as to bring such a complication into the house of his sweet young sister. Altogether Lionel Travers was exceedingly perplexed and worried. Of course, sharp-eyed Kitty saw this, but she ascribed it solely to his anxiety about Ninette; and so she babbled, on in her rapid way about the good time that was dawning, hoping thus thoroughly To reassure him.

“I will put it all right, you will see. You men always magnify nothings. I’ll even make Phil apologise for having suspected that you were in the wood that day—kissing me too, you impulsive, wicked man—as if anyone has a right to kiss me but Harry!” “And are you going to tell Wrotfcesley that Jackson was in the wood?’ asked Lionel Travers, suddenly aroused from ,his contemplation of passing events by this audacity. “No,” she answered, hesitatingly. -I never commit mv'self to a decided lie; but, as I said before, you leave the matter to . me. Most likely a good laugh and a little chaff will settle it. Phil will be so pleased, at Ninette’s recovery, and at. having me for a wife, that he will forgive everything and everybody.”

IVonel Travers was only’too thankful to accept this hope, and saving he would look in later in the day, and hear if the improvement in Ninette was maintained, he turned toward ,the gate, to go to the Vicarage and communicate the doctor’s report to the vicar, as he had promised. He felt cheered, in spite of his suspicions and fears; but how could any. man help being cheered while under the influence of Kitty’s sanguine, buoyant spirits?

Yet to sail in smooth waters was not Kitty’s usual habit. If Lionel Travers only knew how troubled they sometimes were, and how her little ship' tossed and pitched, he would have pitied her instead of thinking she was competent in her helpfulness to steer other stormridden barques. As they stood there saying a few last words about the invalid in whom they were both so deeply interested, the postman with the second delivery came to the gate. Kitty took the letters and glanced at them. Several of them were for Phil, but two were for her. One was from Peter Wilkins, and'the other from the lawyer Mr. Hastings. She bestowed the final hand-shake on Lionel, and then went into the house, not feeling quite so sanguine as she had appeared to be a few minutes back.

‘‘Why should those two men have written to her by the same post?” An instinctive forboding of evil seemed to creep over her, notwithstanding her trustfulness that all would be well in the end.

CHAPTER XXII.

FALSE NEWS.

Kitty put the two letters that were addressed to her in he.r pocket without opening them, and then, Lionel Travers having departed, she went into the house.

Sh'e took the remaining letters to her husband, who had seen nothing of her interview with Travers, as he was in the dining room at the back hospitably entertaining Dr. Hillick.

Ninette was still asleep, and, with care, Dr. Hillick was most hopeful that in a few days she would be much better, though she was passing through a severe and dangerous attack.

The old servant, who had arrived with her at Burnside was now with her, and would let them know when she was awake.

This being the arrangement, Kitty said she would go to her room and lie down, since she had been up all night.

Certainly, dear, the very best

.ling you can do,” answered Philip vVrottcsley, accompanying her into tnr , assage, and -t utting the dinicg room-door behind him.

“Havo Travers and the vicar go"e,” he asked.

‘ Oh, yes; some time ago. Mr. Fra-, ers is coming around again presently to inquire. Of course, 1 knew before I went up to .tendon that he is in love with Nin-tte The day I left—the day we went over to Kelton Court —there was no doubt about it.”

“I found him here one day later, in the garden with Ninette; but such a suspicion never crossed my mind, otherwise —” “Oh, you dear, blind old bat! Otherwise, what would you have done?”

“Kitty, is there any reason why Travers should not marry Ninette?” “Gracious! What a solemn question! Not that I know of. I should think that a marriage with him would be in every respect mosj; desirable for our darling. He is well off, is not a bad looking fellow, and, from what little I have seen of him, seems nice.”

“What little you have seen of him. Do you know, Kitty, I suspect he was your companion in the wood that morning that my jealousy Was so desperately aroused, and I had a stormy interview with him and told him so.”

“O Philip, how could you! What did he say?” “He got very angry, went away, left Kelton. in fact, next day, anil has not been back since until he arrived yesterday.”

“Now we know why Ninette is so dangerously ill. O Phil, Phi!, why do you let your passions to get such mastery over you as to drag you along a false route” “I found his pencil-case in the copse.”

She laughed mockingly. “What a substantial proof! Why, Mr. Travers must very frequently be in that copse. It is the short way from Burnside to Kelton. I ».n not surprised he was angry. I wonder he ever came back here at all. I do not suppose he would, if Ninette had not been ill.”

“If you will give me your assurance that your companion in the wood was not Travers —”

“Stop, Phil! Don’t insult me. If you think that I would give a rendezvous in a wood to a man I had met two or three times in your drawing-room, I am surprised you should have made me your wife.” “But you will not tell me who your companion was, not even to me, your husband?” “If you were a woman instead of a man you would probably have guessed.” * ‘ Karry Jackson ! ’ ’ She did not answer, she said she was too tired to talk any more She only held up her crimson IV-

to be kissed. Well might her f

be crimson

for conscience will

sert itself. Even when a he is o

implied, it is apt to weigh as hca ily as if it .were spoken out righ Kitty, indeed, seemed- to be sensib. of this fact as she went into h room, and, having shut the doo sank down into the nearest chair-

She had stalked a horrid bogey she feared, for .it was certain tc. come out sooner or later that her acquaintance with Lionel Travers had not commenced in the drawingroom at Orchard Cottage. For Ninette’s sake she must keep up the delusion until a marriage between herself and Travers could be brought about, arid trust to the asking of no further questions on Philip’s part. Recovering somewhat from this lest ‘ 'excitement— life seemed to yield little else but excitement' for Kitty—she put her hand in her pocket, and drew out the two letters she had concealed there.

{To be Continued') L.W. —20.