Fine Feathers.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18780, 8 June 1929, Page 23 (Supplement)

Fine Feathers.

“ STAR’S ” NEW SERIAL.

By

EFFIE ADELAIDE ROWLANDS

Author of “ A Bunch of Blue Ribbons,” "The Man From the West," “Brave Love,” etc.

(CHAPTER XVII.— (Continued). She laughed now as she said: “Not a little. I don’t think I ever cared for anyone, except my dearest mother, in the way I care for you. Oh, Bryan, how different life is when we are together! Everything that affection and thought and money can do is being done for me, and yet am I ungrateful? I have been left utterly tinsatisfied. I have longed for you; 1 have wanted you! I have been so lonely.” And then she told him about her sister, and she found herself speaking of her mother, and of how on these beautiful sunshiny days her heart contracted when she thought of her mother lying in her grave, and what need she had of that mother. And 3 - et every now and then she asserted warmly, most sincerely, truthfully. that she had grown to love Sir Arthur, and that she owed him a great gift of gratitude. And once again she pleaded with her lover not to judge the old man too harshlj*. “I will not judge him at a 11,.” Bryan said. lie was still clinging to her two hands. The world was all around them. The boats were passing, motors were flashing by behind them, nurses and other people walked past the seat, but they were lost to everything except the joy of being together. And then Bryan began to speak about their immediate future. “You see, darling,” he said, “I am quite content to let you stay with Sir Arthur as you tell me he is so ill, and you are so necessary to him. At the same time, I want him to know what you are to me. I want everything to be put on a better footing. I want him to realise that you were everything to me even before he came into your life so intimately. And I know that you had turned to me, and that you were learning to love me. These things must count with us, Mary!” Then Bryan shrugged his shoulders, and he laughed a whimsical laugh. “What queer people old people are! f have almost had to separate from my , grandmother, and now we are up against this strange old man and his. jealousy of me. But after all I am independent, and if he has been very good to you, you are not going to treat him badly. Still, you are going to belong to me; there’s nothing for us' to wait for. There is every reason why we should be married without any further delay.” The colour rushed into Mary’s face, but she smiled at him. “We must be very gentle with Sir Arthur. I don’t know anything about your grandmother, except that I believe she must be a very difficult old woman, but Sir Arthur is not really very difficult: he is very sweet and very frail, lie has had a terrible illness, and he has grown very fond of me, Bryan. After all, I am afraid he has not very much longer to live, and we? Well,” s'aid Mary, “we have all 1 our life in front of us. We must not be selfish in our happiness.” “I am afraid I am selfish,” said Bryan. “And oh, my love, I cannot tell you what a difference it makes to me to sit here beside you, to hold your hands. Am I to lose this all again? Shall I come back with you to the house? Is Sir Arthur fit to see me?” Mary answered him very quickly: “No, no, you must not come to the house. No, Bryan, he is not lit to see you. You must leave this in my hands. ... I shall tell him straightforwardly that we have met. 1 think he is a very just and a good old man, and if he is really fond of me, well then he will be glad to help me to what is my happiness.” They sat for a long time together and then they got up, and Bryan walked back with her slowly towards Sir Arthurs house. As they did so, they were ignorant of the fact that they were observed. Lionel Crafter had arrived at the house just about ten minutes after Mary had gone out. lie asked for her. and when he heard that she was not i

in the house, he frowned ,and he even dared to make a protest to Mrs Man“l thought Mary was not allowed to go outside the grounds? I know that was my uncle’s express wish. Did you know that she was going?” Mrs Manson nodded her head. “Yes, I did. I sent her out. I think she has been shut up in the sick room too long. It is not enough for Miss Pagent to just walk round and round in the garden, it’s very dull.” “\\ ell, she could come out with me,” said Lionel Crafter hurriedly. “I have asked her repeatedly to let me take her out. . . . Sir Arthur has desired me to take her out in the car. and she always refuses.” Then the young man added in a nasty tone. ‘‘l suppose, Mrs Manson, that you have been giving her some of your prejudiced views about me? Isn’t that so?” "No, Mr Crafter, it isn’t necessary. You see, Miss Pagent is not an ignorant child, she has been in contact with the world. She lived in an office, she has worked for her daily life—a thing vou have never done, and I can tell vou she is a pretty good judge of character. Believe me, Miss Pagent does not require me to give her views as to your nature and character.” Crafter scowled at the housekeeper; he looked as if he would have liked to say some ugly words. Then he turn ed on his heel and went up the stairs to his uncle’s bedroom. He sat there for almost an hour, but Marv did not come in, and Sir Arthur dropped off into one of his uneasy sleeps, so Lionel crept out of the room and went down the stairs. He got into his small car and he drove away. lie did not seek the Embankment. Some impulse came to him to tell him to be cautious, so he waited in a side road where he could see all that passed. And after a little while, he was rewarded by the sight of Bryan Angleton and Mary Pagent walking very slowly together, linked closely arm in arm and deep in conversation. Lionel Crafter’s hot jealous blood flamed into anger. He had done his best to force himself into Mary’s good graces. He had not openly made love to her, but he had paid her great homage. He had tried in every possible

way to let her understand that he had great regard for her, and he had relied on the fact that he was convinced that his uncle would be working, perhaps unconsciously, to influence the girl in his direction. Vet he had been conscious all the time that there was something standing definitely between himself and Mary. And now it was not merely a question of money with him, and the need of being absolutely in his uncle’s good graces: there was an unexpected element working in his mind, and that came from the fact that he had lost his heart to this girl. Possibly he would not remain very faithful to Mary, but for the time being she represented to him everything that he most desired and admired, and her image pushed all other women on one side. Consequently when he saw Mary and Bryan Angleton together, and he realised that they were devoted to one another, and this constituted a very grave danger for himself, he felt just at the first unable to decide how he should act. lie resolved that he would not go back immediately to Sir Arthur’s house, but he would go later in the day, and then he would have come to some conclusion as to what step to take with regard to the immediate future. lie found himself hating Bryan Angleton with a savage passion which was almost surprising to himself. He had been envious and jealous of the young man from the start, but now that he knew Bryan and Mary were lovers, his hatred mounted higher and higher. And as he turned and drove away, he told himself grimly and yet fiercely that he would And some way of deal ing with Bryan Angleton in such a way as to put him once and for all out of Mary Pagent’s life. (To be continued )