Girls at the Cottage

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16819, 23 August 1922, Page 11

Girls at the Cottage

THE “STAR” SERIAL STORY

fiv

Florence Warden

CHAPTER XlX.—Continued. “ I ended by paying she would soon be convinced that I meant what I said.” “ And what did you mean by that?” *' Never mind.” Judith broke away and dashed tipstairs, and Claudiue was fain to respect her desire to avoid further explanations. As Cl a udine expected, there was a knock at the door in the morning, and she recognised Basil’s voice asking urgently to see one of the ladies. But Judith had prepared for this eventuality, and Hawkins was persistent in her assurances that none of the ladies were at home. Even Cousin Kesiah had been made to join in the refusal to see Lady Thorncomfi’s son. Poor Basil came back again in two hours with a letter for Judith, which Hawkins delivered to the elder girl in the. presence of the younger. The girls were in the dining-room together, and no sooner had the maid left the room than Oaudine sprang upon her sister and cried : “Open it, open it, Ju. Poor boy i "What does it say?” Judith sat for a moment without answering, the letter unopened in her lap, the tears in her eyes. Then, with an abrupt, unexpected movement she tore the letter in two, not without difficulty, for it was thick and evidently voluminous, and threw the two pieces into the middle of the fire. “ Oh. no, no. Don’t.” cried Claudine; and she made a movement as ,f to save the letter. But Judith took up the poker and rammed the two pieces of the letter firmly into the reel heart of the fire until they began to smoulder and then to blaze. “ T didn’t think you could do such a thing!” murmured Claudiue, touched and distressed, as Judith slowly rose from her chair. Her eves were dry. and her tone was almost hard. Didn’t you?” she said in a. mocking tone. “ You will soon see that I can do more.” She went out of the room, and the next- thing Claudiue saw was her sister, dressed for walking, passing rapidly across the little front garden on her way out. Claudine ran out, breathless and frightened. But she was too late.. It was two hours later when Judith, with slow steps and lacklustre eyes, came slowly indoors again. Her cheeks were pale ; her whole attitude dejected. “Where have you been, Ju?” asked Claudine in a tone of timid alarm. “I have been on the Meads. T met Dr Cone. He is always about there in the afternoon.” “ What did you want with Dr Cone?” asked Claudine sharply. “ I had to tell him something. I am going to marry him,” said Judith with a fierce, hard note of triumph in her voice. Both ladies were startled when they heard Judith run rapidly down the stairs from her own room and slip out of the cottage, gently closing the door behind her. “ Where she going?” demanded Cousin Keziah, half rising from her chair.. Claudine had raised the corner of

the blind and was looking out into the lit*-' front garden. ** bhe has turned to the right,” she said in a low voice. “ She must be going to Downscliffe.” “ Downsc-liffe !” repeated Cousin Keziah, in alarm. “ Yes. I suppose she is going to deliver her letter to Lady Thorncomb. so that it may reach her at once.” Kesiah sighed. “ It is a pity,” she said, in a whimpering sort of voice. “It is nailing her colours to the mast too soon.” Claudine nodded. “ That is just what she wants to do. I suppose. Oh, Kesiah. she will be so unhappy.” The elder lady was looking frightened. . . “If your uncle bears of it in time.” she said, “ he will stop it, I am sure.” “Will he? But he is a friend of Dr Cone’s, too.” The elder lady looked dubious. “ A friend, yes. But that’s another matter. Where poor Judith’s happiness is concerned he wouldn’t think cf himself. T’m sure.” Claudine wished she dared to ask more, hut she knew that Cousin Kesiah was less and less communicative the more, she was pressed, and she dared not risk the usual rebuff. There was a harrier of silence, of mutual distrust, between the two whicn made the younger glad when she was left alone by her cousin, who went into the drawing-room to be away from the girl, there being quite as much diffidence on her side as on that of the younger lady. Claudine. who knew that Judith had gone to deliver her own letter, was hoping against hope that her sister might meet Basil on her way and that there might ensue an explanation between them. She felt that poor, unhappy Judith would not he in the mood to resist an appeal from the man she loved if he were to make it at that moment. Bub her hopes were not realised. Judith caught the motor-bus into Downscliffe, and oil reaching the town at about six o’clock went quickly down the hill to the hotel where Lady Thorn comb was staying, and delivering her own note, asked that it might be handed at once to the. lady to whom it- was directed.

She bad said what she bad to say to Basil’s mother in the fewest possible words : She had informed Lady Thorncomb of her engagement to Dr Cone, and had expressed the hope-that this would be considered a satisfactory end to the matter. Judith had laughed bitterly as she read over the letter. “ It reads like a note for the deliver'’ of goods,” she said to herself. “Veil, so it is.” "When she had delivered the note, which seemed to hear her down with its weight, she ran lip the hill in a state of indescribable agitation. Would Lady Thornoomb tell Basil all about it? She thought not. And her heart ached at the knowledge that she had been near to him a few minutes ago, and that she might never be near to him again. For this was to he really the end the last stage of what had been from the first, though she hud not known it. a hopeless business. TO HE CONTINUED.