WILL-O'-THE WISP.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10536, 10 August 1912, Page 3

WILL-O'-THE WISP.

(By LILA HAYES.)

Author of "The Transformation," " Peggy's Tramp," eto.

[All Rights Resebved.]

CHAPTER I. DrSwainson's somewhat diminutive Bmoking-room presented the effect of being crowded with men, he himself leaning, tall and lank, with his shoulders against the mantelpiece. Yet there were only five of them in all, varying in age from six-and-twenty to forty, and obviously, to the most casual observer, differing as widely in type as in. years.

They were intimate acquaintance*, all of them, but the exigencies of work —hone of them were idlers—and dissimilarity of temperament, made such a meeting as the present quite an exceptional event. That they had assembled with some special purpose was apparent, but so far their talk had drifted from one unimportant topio to another, and by common consent the real reason for the gathering had been ignored. From time to time they cast furtively inquiring glances at each other, and, by au unspoken consensus of opinion, the majority of these were directed towards the doctor himself, who, as a matter of fact, was prime mover in the matter they had in hand. The silent pressure brought to bear upon him finally produced the desired effect, and he broke a strained pause in the conversation with these words;

" Deuce take it, you fellows 1 I begin to wish I had let the whole thing alone, to follow its natural and uninterrupted course. Hang it all, it's a bit heavy on a man in these days to pin him to his past!" "Look here," said John Fairfax, a wizened-looking man of forty, with a forehead betokening enormous brain power of some sort—-"look here. Swainson; it's one thing for you, the only married man among us, and disinterested from that point of view, to contemplate a policy of non-interference, but it's quite another for ua. You're evidently funking this job, though you must have felt its necessity pretty strongly, or you would scarcely have been the one to summon us fellows hero to discuss the situation. It's natural enough that you don't realise Mia3 Marchmont's danger as vividly as wo do, and so you can afford to bo more magnanimous in your sentiments towards Dearman. To put the matter plainly, the rest of us are in one box, and not only share with you tho desire to set Miss Marchmont on her guard against possible disappointment, but we would cheerfully sacrifice a good deal to have her transfer her interest to us."

There was a murmur of approval from the other men, and an emphatic shake of the head from the doctor, implying that they misunderstood his position. Before ho could defend himself, however, Marcus Winscombe threw forward, his chin in charcteristic fashion and took up the tale. He was slim, fair and delicate_ in appearance, and earned, with considerable enjoyment, a slender income from his pen. "Yea," he said, "I'm entirely with you, Fairfax. Eve~n though our anxiety for her is tinged with selfishness, aa

perhaps it is, we are none the less capable of viewing the question dispassionately and on its merits, and 1 want to know why we are here at all if we are not emphatically agreed that it's high time a spoke was put in Beaxman's wheel!"

" Quito so!" said Whealer, the bank manager. "We have practically decided that Miss Marchmont has to be warned of Dcarman's weaknesses." His dark, handsome face was flushed with feeling as he added: "The only point to be settled is which of us shall undertake the thankless task of tearing the veil from her eyes?" " Well," rejoined the youngest of the men„ Philip Braxton, mathematics master at the Grammar School, " I should just hate to do it; but somehow it seems fair I should. For one thing"—his ingenuous face clouded—"l am still under Dcarman's glamour myself to a large extent, and it seems to me that that knowledge will communicate itself to her, and help her to understand that I am not moved by private animus in the affair." " Come to that," said the doctor, " the same might bo said for all of us." Another murmur of approval arose, but the speaker lifted his hand for silence and went on: "At all -events, if we aren't still under Max Dearman's glamour, each of us, paradoxical though it sounds, owes a debt of gratitude to poor old ' Will-o-'-the-Wisp ' " " One of the extraordinary things about him is," said Fairfax, thoughtfully, " that though, counting by time, he is four years my senior, in energy and vivacity he is younger than Braxton there! And I'm glad, doctor, you have touched on the power of Dear man's personality. I should feel a sneak if I didn't freely acknowledge that in a sense he's been the making of me.

"Upon my word," cried Wheeler, " the whole thing is an anomaly, and I suppose the explanation lies in the fact that the man himself is th* strangest mixture ever created. Poor devil, it's hard luck I _ Here I am ; for instance, taking part in this conspiracy against him, yet all you fellow 3 know, all except Braxton, anyhow, that if it hadn't been for his influence I shouldn't be the respectable member of society I now am. He has a marvellous instinct for seizing upon the best that's in a man and making that man realise it for himself."

"All the same," said Winscombe, "the fact that we know him to be a man of extraordinary fascination and ability need not blind us to the other side of his nature, nor make us lose sight of the necessity for putting Miss Marchmont upon her guard. It is settled, then, that Braxton, seeks an early interview with her?" A tap at the door precluded tbe possibility of immediate reply. The door slowly opened, and a big, fair head showed itseli in the aperture. The head was followed by a frame equally massive, and momentary consternation fell upon the conspirators as the very man they had discussed stood revealed. " Hullo, doctor," oried the newcomer, in a singularly musical voice, and with a genial warmth of manner difficult to resist, "holding a committee meeting, eh? I'll come and act as chairman."

Purposely ignoring the scant welcome that was extended to him, Max Dearman threw his huge body into the nearest chair and surveyed the different members of the group with quizzical good humour. Yet, beneath his apparent sangfroid, the doctor, who knew him best, detected signs of nervous tension.

Talk was resumed, desultory and disjointed, and there was a general effort to maintain an atmosphere of ease, but it was speedily arrested by another remark in Dearman's musical voice.

"Truth to tell, doctor, and if our other friends will forgive the plain Soaking, I had hoped to find you one. There's something on my mind, and I wanted your advice. But no matter I I'll shake it off, and we'll continue the business of committee. Unless," he added, with an open smile of raillery all round, "you gentlemen would prefer me to make myself scarce P"

There was a feeble disclaimer to his suggestion that he should leave them, then the doctor emulated Doorman's own blunt frankness and said:

"I deolare the meeting adjourned, gentlemen I Under the circumstances, you will understand that I am curious to hear upon what matters I have to advise Dearman."

The broad hint was taken, and in less than five minutes the two had the smoking-room to themselves. Max Dearman had much to say and long before he had finished his hearer was holding Ms hand before his eyes to hide the softened light in them. Once again he had succumbed to the domination of the other's personality. The gist of Dearman's talk lay in the confession that he had already declared his love to Ivy Marchmont, and had received the assurance that he did not love in vain.

"Now tell me, doctor," he said at last, "am I to follow the dictates of my is it my heart?—and tell her what you know so well, and many a woman too—heaven help her? —of the fickleness of my nature, and of the fatal weakness ,that has come between m© and every form of honourable success P

Words and tone rang with a deadly bitterness, and for the life of him Dr Bwainson could not keep the note of sympathy from his voice as he answered ;

" Dearman, you have no choico in the matter. You must not only tell her all —you must leave her tree to forget you. She is too fragile a flower to be broken on the wheel of your tragedy." His voice deepened and hardened at thought of her." Curse my own dila-