LAMES' COLUMN. AT THE LAST MOMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6138, 26 March 1898, Page 3

LAMES' COLUMN. AT THE LAST MOMENT.

[Bt W. Pett Ridge.] . (ITia Woman at Home.)

There are* still people who talk of Wellington and 1815, but it is now generally understood that the real battle of Waterloo takes place every Saturday morning at the station of that name, when the special trains start for South Africa. It is a desperate struggle whilst it lasts, and the "uninformed men have an exceedingly warm time of it, but they have always conquered before, and this encourages and gives them enthusiasm. Mr John- Beste— the name was on the leather label of his single portmanteau — Mr John- Beste, down ingood time-before the real tussle began, looked on with interest. He was a tall, reserved looking man, with a short beard and the brown complexion that comes to men who "have looked at the' South. African Ban.

*** No one to see me off," said John Besto. (A short mother was stepping on tiptoe to kiss a burly youth, ancl the sight gave him thoughts.) "Of course thero is no one to ccc me off/ __b continued, argumentatively. "Why should thero be?"

Mr John Beste placed his portmanteau 5n the corner of a first-class compartment, and laughed a. littlo bitterly at his grumhled soliloquy. A light touch on his arm made him wheel round? The sound of a soft voice made him flush.

"Mrßeste!" "'Miss Langham !"

"Are you here to say good-bye to ane?"

"That was the idea," said the young lady, brightly. "I suppose there are .others. How long before your train "goes?"

"About twenty minutes, Miss Langham."

"Only twenty minutes? lam sorry ,that youare going so quickly. And you niil see Mr Charterhouse, I. suppose "—sho 'stepped aside to avoid a juggernaut trolly of luggage—" as soon as you arrive," 6he resumed.

Is Mrs

"T can't possibly avoid, that. lianghamhere?" ■

'■ "My aunt does not know that I have oome down. Did you want to see her, Mr Beste ?"

" Her presence," be said gravely, "is not indispensable to my happiness."

; "Pm afraid that you are inclined to be ;a little unjust to her. You don't know her 'as well as I do, Mr Beste."

"That is so. But; Mrs Langham has made a confidant of me during fcho time ithat I have been here, and — well, I think I ■understand her."

" Tout comprendre c est tout pardonner, quoted the young lady. "Not in every case." ' "I Bhould like to know what you talked about. It occurred to me at dinner last night that——"

" Upon my word, Miss Langham, I have half a mind to tell you."

" Half a mind is plenty, Mr Beste. I ihave a special reason for wantinf*-; to know. •My dear aunt has not always the be3t tact in the world."

"That," he said, drily,

'* occurred to

me. • "Was it of me that she was talking, I wonder ? Was I the subject ?" " It was or you," he said. " And my aunt said ?" " Am I bound to answer these questions, my lord?" ' A band of Jewish financial gentlemen came along the crowded platform, forming an entourage to some important individual in their centre. With lthe enterprise of their race, they forced the other passengers aside, and Mr John Beste and Miss Langham were separated in the commotion. "You aro bound," said the young Portia, returning, "to answer all the questions that are put to you for the next fifteen minutes." "Mrs Langham," said Mr John Beste, shifting his rug from one arm to the other, and bending a little closer to the bewildering hat and the charming face that it selfishly attempted to hide, " Mrs Langham was extremely anxious that I shoidd convey certain information to Mr Charterhouse. Ab manager to Mr Charterhouse's valuable mine, Mrs Langham seems to have thought thafc I should be a valuable — what shall I say? — a valuable fellow conspirator." "Go on," she said, quickly, and with

great concern. " I wonder whether you can guess what I am going to say ?" " I hope I am not guessing rightly. It is too terrible !" "Mrs Langham was good enough to say that for anything I could say to my — my master, Mr Charterhouse, that would assist the object she had in view, I should be well repaid. ' This was of course very generous of yom.' aunt." . "Go on, Mr Beste." The time was flying. Passengers were eetfcling down in their compartments, and at every window was a bunch of heads. There were tears, too, because some of .those on the platform — parents saying good-bye to sons, and wives saying adieu tohusbands — were sufficiently old-fashioned to possess emotions. " And what I had to do was this. Mr Charterhouse is, as you know, a bachelor." "Mr Charterhouse may be an old maid for all I know or care," she said, hotly. "And I— l was to use my influence with Charterhouse — which is, • I admit, considerable — to induce him to come here — to see Miss Langham." j "And buy me/I suppose," she exclaimed, - toembling^'with excitement, but not allowing her -voice to raise itself. "To buy me, • -and to sign the agreement at Sfc George's, -■fHanover Square ?" "I think," he said, apologetically, " that your aunt is very anxious that you should . makea good marriage." " These good marriages are all bad ones," declared Eva Langham, hotly. "Mr Beste, you must help me. I cannot allow my aunt to make rae appear shameful and ridiculous in people's eyes. You must promiso not to say a word ■to Mr Charterhouse about me. I don't know him, and I don't want to know

"He saw you once; I think, when you were a girl at school." "I beg of you, Mr Beste, to do this for me. I shall marry— whun I do marry— • just whom I like, and I wUI no t consider any one whom I don't like." "I am glad to hear you say so." "I should not dream of saying anything

"I thought from what your aunt said that you understood — -" ' "Indeed, indeed, Mr Beste," she said pleadingly, "you must nofc think so badly of me as all that. • . J " I can't tell you. how glad I am " he said, honestly, "to hear it. is}^ a{ . any rate, take away pleasant memories now." "Thank you.' " And," he went on, with something of a hurry in his manner, " I shall think of Y ou „ a great deal, Miss Langham. Now that you have told me this, I shalllook back unon this visit to England as one of absolute delight." " And — and you will come back . again ? He waited a moment. " I wonder whether I might write to you " he asked. "I think," she said, looking up w i^ & pleased expression, " that there is n 0 \ m against that." "I was afraid you would consider it an impertinence on my part." " You find that I do not.' "There is something else to explain," he . iaid, awkwardly. " I have been here, to some extent, in disguise. I think perhaps I had better write and tell you all about it." " There are still five minutes, she said, looking at the tiny gold watoh on her wrist; " Why not tell me now ?" ''I suppose," he said, with some nervous- ' ness, " that under no circumstances would ' you marry Mr Charterhouse ? " Under no circumstances," replied Mißß Langham, decidedly.

"He is very rich," he remarked, " and I happen to know that he "

" I desire," said the young lady, with much spirit, " I desire nofc to hear Mr Charterhouse's name again."

"Your mind is quite made up ?"

" Quite !" , A porter stood patiently at the door of the compartment, holding* ifc open for the passenger to South Africa. (" There's nothing like a young engaged couple," said the acute porter to himself, " for making trains late. They don't care.") " But suppose I were to tell you," he said, taking her hand ancl holding it, "that Mr Charterhouse, who was>apoorish man until three years ago, when this mine was found on his property, has been in England lately ? Suppose I were to tell you that he has fallen in love wifch you — — "

.' " Even that does nofc concern me, Mr Beste.'! . -

i" And supposing I were to tell yon that, to avoid being pestered by financial people, and to see tho little schoolgirl • who has grown so tall and so — so charming, he preferred to call himself, not Mr Charterhouse, the owner of the Wost End mine, but Mr Beste, the manager of " " That," said Miss Langham, her breath coming quickly, "would make all the difference."

The porter jorked his head towards tlie compartment, to hint to his client that moments were valuable. The client had no need of this intimation, for he knew better thau tho porter how very prncious tho moments were.

"Do you really mean that?" he asked, quickly.

" I never say things I clon'fc mean, Mr Boste— l mean Mr Charterhouse.-^ Sho laughed a little nervously. " I shall always think of you as Mr Beste."

" But will you always think of me ? May I como back here in threo months' time and ask you formally — — "

"Now then, sir," said the porter, "you'll go and lose tho special, that's what yon'll do."

"I mustn't do that, my man. Good-bye, Eva. I must take my seat, I suppose." Ho stepped into the compartment, and the porter, shutting tha door, received a tip that made him whistle with delight.

" And you won't give mo aa answer now, fchon ?" ho went on, anxiously. " I -wish thore was time to persuado you, dear, to say 'Yes.' But I suppose I must wait until I return, acd wo must talk ifc over thou, and I must try to induce you "

" I think," said Eva Langham, looking up, and drawing her grey veil carefully up from her Ibis, " I think that, considering how very badly you have behaved, tho wisest thing you can do is to — is to kiss

me."

There was jusfc time. "And that means?" ho said, delightedly.

" Ifc means," sho said, " that I am very, very happy."

Out you go, special train to Southampton. Go slowly for a space, mind, because there are folk in tho'train who are reluctant to leave ; go slowly, because there are hopes .and ambitions amongst your passengers, ancl this start of yours is the first step towards their realisation or their disappointment ; go slowl)', because a bearded man, with a look of content, is straining his sight to miss nothing of the picture of his future wife.

"Well," said Eva Langham to herself, shyly, "this has been a busy twenty

minutes."