HELEN DROPS HER HANDKERCHIEF.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11763, 29 July 1916, Page 2

HELEN DROPS HER HANDKERCHIEF.

Gtrr COURTENAY CHAPMAN.) mo* interring j f&U P «rived thefe, Hon I only child of the law Lord Txaquair and his Ame "^ n g e , ■fttomrmita Vannorden, so that |hL?ted not only the tradrtional 1W quair beauty, but her mothei s fabu the innermost circle of; London's best society, but she was fam- , & for her -whims and one of them had caused her to leave House and the January h « n^ in f i Wake hersoli at two days to , gx 1 6p:tz—which is not even a first-class , Wjf choser. Davos or! Bt Moritz, "here there might have been half a dozen people we knew 1 | moaned her chaperone plaintively. j V Helen flashed a g:ance at Lady Balfrom under incredibly long, black, rSky lashes- that gave. her blue eyes softness and mystery of a summer the third time you've said #'! to-day, Cousin Jane," she replied, ! SQftty, soft as purring, 1 and it s got to | &}' "the very last if you don't want me ; to ring for Marie and have her pack vou in a bandbox and post you bacK 'to, England,' labelled ' This side up ■•With care!'" i'.Sha langhed, but Jane Balhara sat ■qt> suddenly, like a startled rabbit. . , People called Miss Careening hard sometimes, but most of the happiness Jane's starved heart had ever known Had ;ome to her in these last three jnagical years, and she yearned over -the beautiful wayward girl with a love ; Ttfiat made her almost clever where 'Helen was concerned. fftSAnd it was " not like " Helen to . -Seak in that soft, purring tone—" the ..vpice she scratched with," as an Irish•'Jnan had once called it—to poor, de.'f&ndent Jane. So Jane Balhnm prickle up "her ears—and followed Helen's i'gjlance across the winter garden, where ! fjiiey sat at tea, to the little table bv : & staircase, where a man sat quite ; lipn®. ' J

He had bat just arrived, and he was tall and broad-shouldered, with a face as still as if it had been from bronze, out of which looked tjie steady eagle eyes of a racing motorist —or au aviator —or an explorer. Vaguely Jane felt him to bo an interesting man, a man with the glamour of a great personality about him, j and she turned to Helen to say so, but ! the words checked on her lips, for dim as was the light in their corner under the palms she saw something new in | Helen's face. I " Finished? Let's go upstairs; the j books I wired for came this afternoon. Traversing the great room under fire of so manv curious eyes was quite an i ordeal to Lady Balham. She scurried ; across it and "fairly ran up the first J flight of stairs; then noticed with disI may that Helen was uo longer behind ! her. | She looked over the balcony just in i time to see the new man stoop to pick up Helen's handkerchief and Helen 1 turn oh the lowest step to receive it 1 from him. She thanked him careless- | ly; then sudden recognition dawned in her eyes. ! " Surely—it is Captam Adamant! she said. " I heard you lecture at the I Roval Geographical." I Her voice was low and sweet, her eyes smiled, she -looked wonderful as she stood there in that roomful of orI dinary mortals —a princess out of a j fairv tale—the vision of a dream—ex- | quisite, regal, supremely unconscious of j the eyes that focussed her from every tea-table. And as Rex Adamant looked at her, though his exprosson did not alter, his face grew a little paler. " I saw you on the platform with the Duke," he said. "You are Miss Careening." Helen's cheeks dimpled suddenly, mischievously. "I wasn't labelled I" " But I asked your name," said the ! man, quite simply, and then —it was 1 strange, in fact Jane hardly believed her eyesight, a faint rose-flush, crept into Helen's cheeks, her lashes droop--1 ed, and without another word she turned away. ' Jane, scurrying on guiltily to their private sifling-room, felt unhappy for him; her soft heart always bled for i M' : ss Careening's victims, and it seemed cbvioas that this man was destined ito join their ranks. Somehow she j felt he was too fine and simple and

■•.plendid a person to bo played with and flirted with to while away a spoilt beauty's fortnight, and—it was a tribute to Rex Adamant, • had ho known it—she screwed hor courage to tho sticking point, and, timidly, stammer- . inj-lv, said as mi.eh to Helen. Helen wa tolled her nervousness heard her halting speeches, and when at last Jane came to the end, half expecting to be crushed with a frivolous sentence, Helen said quietly; "You waste your pity this time, Cousin Jane. I didn't coruo here to play with Captain Adamant. I camo to " she brokj off short, but her eyes glowed, and a little, tender crept about the corner.'; of her lips. Jane Balham jumped right out of her seat; Helen laughed—a tinkling | laugh that broke in the middle. u O, Jane I Dnn't look at mo with such saucer eyes I" she said. "Sit down again and tell me how pretty I am, and that you're quito sure I shall —bring it off." Jane sat down again. She was inured to shocks from Miss Careening. Presently she recovered her powers of | speech. I " Then you knew ho would como here?" r.ho tiocusod. Helen nodded, j " Overheard the Duke tell Major ' Darwin —they both thought it such an odd choice for a man who spends his days round about the equator. I'd made up my mind a'bout him at once, you know —when he lectured—and this seemed such a very convenient meeting place becauso, of course, he must ; never guess T camo to—find him." I She laughorl again, very softly and sweetly. "He would be so fright- , fully shocked, he would think it quito —unwomanly. lam sure ho is ter- ' ribly old fashioned, men from tho j wilderness always are!" She leaned forward and patted Jano's hand. Lady Balham squeezed the strong 'slim fingers. "I'm sure I hope you'll ;be very happy, dear. I thought he had a good face— —" 11. Miss Helen Careening had been an object of hourly interest to the 147 other visitors at the Grand Hotel. Captain Adamant and Miss .Careening were still more thrilling. . After tho first night, when ho had dined alone at a table next to hers, , Captain Adamant had made a third at | Miss Careening's table. They tobog-

ganed together, skated together, went tki-iii"; together, and it was oven reported' that they played bridge in the evening?, in Miss Carecning's private sitting-room. All this .sounded promising In lovcth of romance. On the oilier hand, practical people pointed out that it warfrankly incredible that the Hon Melon Caiv'sing. who wax known to have rejri'ted a, belonging to a European rri?;:iii'.-r hour*?, and was reported to ho hesitating to "throw the handkerchief" to whichever she _ please;l ct two il'iken, one German princeling ov " irrdinlr-ed " fannlv and marvellous pood looks, an Italian descendant c:f tho Medicis, one Engli,h and two French marquesses, and earls, haroru-, millionaires galore, with younger tons beyond all counting:—that Helen C.-ir-cen'ng, the most beautiful girl, nnd tho richest and most talked of, in two hemispheres, should' ever dream of stooping to a mere captain from a marching regiment, tho Ron of a poor count! y parson, even though he hud madei a considerable name for himself m tno hinterlands of West Africa. That she should condescend to amuso herself with him was a 5 much as ho could, expect. Perhaps it was as much as Rex Adamant did expect, for tlio crisp, sunny days slipped by, a.nd ,not a word of lovo did he speak. His eyes spoke, but his mouth set like iron wlion they did so, and Helen, who usually slept like a child, tossed more than one night long, wondeiing why he set this watch upon his lips. That ho was free to seek her if ho chose, she never doubted. Men of Rex Adamant's stamp do 'not philander with one woman if their duty is pledged to another. That he d'oubted her affection she hardly believed. At first pride, the desire of the woman to bo wooed and won, had made her cling to a mask of seeming indifference; but there was that about this man that broke down all disguises. The clear tr.nth of his soul was an answering truth from all be met. lie loved, and knew she loved, and yet—lie would not speak. The riddle grew into terror lost ho meant to go back to Africa—alono. Helen took her skis and slipped out of the hotel by herself to think ■ this over. She had not dreamed that lovo could be like this, this passion and this pain, and tas she glided with winged steps over the surface of the snow an odd smile twisted her lips. Rex loved her and' she loved him;— yet so long as he did not choose to speak she was impotent. Not for her to ask him whv.

Its not fair!" she told herself fiercely. " The woman's is always the heavier lot. They could spoak to me, plead with me, set their fate to the touch again, _ and yet again. I drift helpless at his mercy." Her eyes filled with tears, but she held them back angrily, and when the cleared from them grew conscious that Adamant was at her side. He asked no permission, but took her hand as though it was his right, and' they new outward together Usually Helen talked, and he listened and smiled at her gay fancies, her sparkling wit; but to-day her heart was hill and she kept silence, and presently Adamant began to speak. His words,fell cold upon her heart, for he spoke of Africa, and his coming return to the district— twice &s largo as England—over which ho ruled in England's namo.

* Ho told her, rvs he had not told his audience at the Royal Geographical, something of his hopes and ambitions for the future. Splendid golden dreams to the man who loved England more than his very soul, and Helen thrilled to the glory of the vision. Yet underneath all her wounded heart throbbed _ painfully, and asked, hy tell all this to me if he will not let me have share or lot in his life? And when he had finished and waited for her 'to speak, she said only: "You are very eloquent to-day Captain Adamant!" in a hauty voice that, this man had never heard from her lips, though other men knew it well. It seemed to pass him by, for he smiled a little and said, ' " Don't you think it should maJco a man eloquent to have a woman like you listen to him? Don't you think •all thcso things get pent up inside one when he lives, as I must live, alone, without speaking to a girl of his own raco from January to December?"

He looked at her, and his eyes caressed her, but his lips shut in the way she knew, and Helen's spirits rose in anger; how dared he play* with her sol She would not brook it—no, not even for him. And sho spoke slightingly. " You should find a wife, if you feel the need of an .audience so trying in your backwoods." She noted with satisfied pride that her tone was perfect—just the princess advising her page, the great lady condescending to be interested in the domestic tribulations of tho country curate, the tone that stings a man from any woman,_ and still moro if he has ever lifted his eyes to her. But Adamant smiled a little. " Unfortunately no woman has ever —thrown me her handkerchief/' he said. - Helen checked on her skis to star© at him, in frank amazement. " Do you mean you are waiting for some woman to propose to you?'"' she asked, and forced herself to laugh her most tinkling, innocent, heart-whole ■laugh; but now Adamant looked at her gravely. " Not some woman—ollo woman—" he began slowly. " Surely tho man must do the wooing?" But though she counterfeited careless amazement-, dimly she began to understand, and her heart beat. "When the man has something to offer," ho answered her curtly, bringing out his words with visible effort. " When he has nothing to give—when he can only ask sacrifices from tho woman ho loves—when sho stands .above him like a Queen . . . then it is his part to wait in silence, and see if she _ will stoop as Queens must do and raise him to her side." Helen was silent for a long moment, her lashes -drooped and a soft colour came and went in her cheeks.' At last—- " Has tho man nothing to give?" " His whole heart!" said Rex unsteadily, "his first love. But what is that? It is woman's prerogative to bo loved. Sho should have more than that, amd tin? man has nothing to effer except a life of exile, a life of hardship in a lonely land that drains a woman's youth and beauty." Helen looked up quickly; she had told herself—told Jane Balham. too — that ho should leave his wilderness. for her, and yet she realised now that she had always known that this could never be. Rex Adamant was not the man to leave bis duty and lounge at a pretty woman's side. And she knew that she. loved him best because he wag like that, because he would exact from her this sacrifice —or break his her.ri- and leave her lonely. • ■ Sho felt his eyes upon her, but still she' could . not look at him. He . spoke •agii'n- and .his voice was hoarse. "I caw you when f lectured!" he said. "-The -Duke asked mo ;o Trevor I heard you would be there—-I came here to avoid you, because already I loved you too much to ask you anything at all. I found you here before mo—and T. would have gano next day, only —only—" he halted. tieion -forced herself at last to meet his 'dance. " T drop my handkerchief!" /die 'said gravely. " Then a tiny, tender smile crept about the corners of her lips and a lacsbordered bit of cambric fluttered down onto die snow between them.