“UNDYING MUSIC."

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17028, 30 April 1923, Page 11

“UNDYING MUSIC."

NEW SERIAL.

(Byl

L. G. MOBEREY.)

CHAPTER Xll—Continued. “ What a blesse'd woman you arc I” lie exclaimed again as they passed slowly on to wal'd k the- house. " A blessed and an understanding woman - the best friend I ever had,” lie added thoughtfully, his glance meeting the clear shining cf hers. At liis words Hester’s heart gave a little leap of thankfulness, but underneath the thankfulness there lurked | also a sense of disappuinmerit. a sudden craving for something more. His best friend? Yes, _ she was thankful, to be that—and yet—if only If only! Those two small words can mean so much in a woman's life, and although was one of the last women to dwell upon them, ihe words did occasionally thrust themselves into it at the moment when she and Brian paused once more on the terrace in front of the house t*o look across the park to the shimmering sea- beyond the woodlands. • If only 1 could be that, something more than ‘ best friend.’ ” was the wish that swung through her heart. But she would not allow it to do move than swing through. “Thank God you are even his best friend." A second thought followed hard on the first, and the smile with which she turned to her husband when he spoke again lacked , nothing of serenity aud sweetness. •1 don’t believe you would ever guess what it was that Mrs Chalmers , wanted to tell me,” he said ns they went through the open window into the library, where he drew up an armchair lor his wife and stood by the fireplace looking down at her a little sarcastic smile playing round his lips. " She wanted to tell you sometning special, did she? ’ “Something very special indeed. Brian laughed outright. “ Something you would never guess. She is going to he married again.” “ But that is not very surprising, dear. She is extremely pretty and attractive.” . “The fact of the marriage is not surprising. Her choice rtf n bridegroom is the surprise, ■' Brian miswered drilv. “Prepare for a shock. Hestei She is going to marry your artist fl '“"viiat?” Hester sat upright and stared at her husband. “ Brian, yon must have made a mistake .She rant be going to marry Mr Hickson- Mh ; he must be years younger than she is and be and that dear nice Gladys -we-e certainly very close friends. T don t know that they were actimllv engaged. but —Mrs Chalmers and Philip Wiik son Oh, T can’t believe he would

“ Be so silly?” Brian put ill when Hester broke off her sentence., ~ T ...... to sav something of the . • L wwwred'. “'lt is difficult to T imagine ‘why lie could have done such a thing. Or—no. perhaps njnot very difficult to imagine, because - don't think me unkind ror saying Brian—he is a very young man, and ° h ”l7~a finished woman of the world able to twist him round her httie fin. wer,” Brian ended her sentence tor her “ Yon have arrived at the right conclusion, my dear. I have lie doubt of that; though what X confess docs nuzzle me a little is why she found it worth while to persuade an artist who is still only rising to marry her. Young Dickson still lias ins name add rame t. c make, not to mention his fortune. 1 should have expected her to choose a man who could give her every lux-

“ I don’t think Mrs Chalmers i< at all poor.” Hester answered with certain hesitation. “ She lives ill a co.tsipe, but nothing in the cottage o. in her way of Hv.ng, as far »« ' hare seen it, would lead me to suppose she was suffering from proverty. My own impression is that she simply took the cottage because she wished—well. she wanted to he in this part ot the world. Hester rather stumbled over her explanation and again her husband laughed, a short, sacractsic Hmgh. . “You need not mmd the plain truth.” he said. '“She meant to come and sit down at niv gates, hoping to find I was still the'same kind of fool she had once known. H she had any doubts on the subject before, hope to-day lias proved to her that I nave outgrown my folly. I am cured.” , . , , , Hester leant forward, longing to take her husband’s hand in hers, to say to him: “ Then shall 1 some day be more than just your best friend?’ But the words did not pass her lips : wisdom conquered impulse. Perhaps her subseonscious self, less impetuous than her conscience, counselled patience, exhorted her to wait, to hold her hand yet for a little while. CHAPTER XIII. “ My son will, cabby his message. It seemed to Hester that after the announcement of her engagement to Mrs Chalmers. Philip Dickson’s manner become stiffer and more formal : he no longer talked to her in the boyish, spontaneous wav which had so much charmed her. and she fancied that he deliberately kept her at arm’s length, evidently anxious to avoid any intimate conversation. “ He. feels sheepish because ot Bria i and Airs Chalmers, and he is ashamed because of. Gladys.” Hester reflected “He knows I am Gladys’s friend, and ho is afraid I may resent liis treatment of her and say something to him about But Hester’s husband had been right when he said that she owned tire golden gift of silence; she knew when to speak and when not to speak, and to tire young artist she avoided all mention of his engagement. He worked at her portrait with almost feverish energv ; it was evident to his sister that he was sum.finely anxious to. finish the picture as* quickly as possible—which, under all the circumstances, was scarcely surprising—and Hester herself heaved a sigh of relief when the final strokes were painted on the canvas, and Philip stepped back from liis easel saying, with a ring oT triumph in ins tones: “ V believe Air Marti.,dale will be pleased.” (To be coniinuwdl.