GRASPING A SHADOW.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XX, Issue 1356, 1 June 1887, Page 6

GRASPING A SHADOW.

Young, tall, dark, handsome — a manly, noble young fellow he looked as he turned to greet her. She was pretty, and she knew it. No one was better able to throw a world of meaning into eyes, and to murmur sweet words which meant nothing. The one object of her life seemed to be, in fact, to see how many victims she could slay with her charms. No ideas of love or marriage disturbed her mind as she coquetted with the handsome young lieutenant. She was simply enjoying herself ; perhaps just dimly thinking it a vast pity that such a charming man should be a ' pauper.' Charlotte Goldney called all men paupers who did not possess at least a thousand a year. For her part, she intended to marry a millionaire, and she had one now in view, who, from all accounts, would answer all her requirements, and to whose heart she intended to lay siege on the first opportunity, with little doubt in her own mind as to the result.

Of this Cecil Dudley, the young lieutenant aforesaid, was naturally ignorant, as he wandered with his divinity in the moonlit garden after their waltz together ; on the contrary — what with that very moonlight and the light of her eyes combined — he lost his head, and, before she could stop him, was wildly entreating her to share his fortunes as the wife of a poor lieutenant in a marching Tegiment. Her unutterable scorn as she cast his poverty in his teeth acted like a cold-water douche, and at once and for ever cured him of his sudden passion. With a low bow he offered his arm to conduct her back to the ball-room.

'You are not angry with me for my plain speaking ?' said the coquette, with one of her most fascinating smiles.

'On the contrary, Miss Goldney, you could not have done me a greater kindness than to open my eyes so completely to my shortcomings ; I beg ' to offer you my sincere thanks.' She stared, and then turned away, shrugging her shoulders. She had expected vows of eternal constancy and hints of a broken heart ; not this cool sarcasm.

'Shall you be at Plascotts' next week, Miss Goldney ?' asked her next partner, a young officer. * I don't know,' was the reply. * I halt promised to go,to the Thompson's on that day, to stay for a little while.'

' That's a pity. I hear that the new lion> Greenlees, who has just come in for a tremendous fortune from an old uncle, is to be there ; I should say he must be worth at least a million.'

'Oh, yes! I have heard of him, and am quite curious to see what he is like. I really think I must ask the Thompsons to let me off.'

Dudley was standing just behind the couple, hidden by a window curtain, and he overheard the foregoing conversation.

'So that is your game, my lady, is it ?' he said to himself. ' Vain, heartless flirt ! I'll do my best to put a spoke in the wheel there ; my old chum Greenlees is worthy of better things than to be married by a coquette for the sake of his money ! * # # #

There was quite a little excitement at Plascots' among the daughters of the house when they heard of the expected arrival of the millionaire, the forti of the season. ' Oh, I do hope he will be tall and dark !' gushed Gertie, the sentimental ; ' I do so adore dark men.'

' It #on't make much difference to US, Gertie, whether he is dark or fair,' said Daisy, shaking her bright curls. 'Who do you think is coming after all ? Charlotte Goldney ! You know what; that means. No oue looks at us when she is near.'

The girls pouted and sighed a little, and then their spirits rose again, as G-ertie said —

' Well, never mind ; there are other fiiph in the sea as good as Mr Greenlees ; she can't marry all the men at once, and we must try and console ourselves with her leavings.' This with a grimace. 'By-the-bje, Milly, said Daisy, turning to a quiet girl on the sofa, ' there is an extra man coming unexpectedly — a Mr Howard; some poor relation of Mr Greenlees, I fancy. .jfliowpvev that may be, mother says jpju are to dine every night while he ib here, or he will have to go in alone. There, Mousie, what do you say to

'Oh how good of mot her ! I thought I was going to miss all the fun. I must really run and thank her.'

And the pretty little thing ran off delighted.

Monday came at last, and with it the expefcted guests. The train was late, so the people went straight up to their rooms on their arrival to dress for dinner. One of the first to descend was Miss Goldney, resplendent in black and amber, looking very bewitching, and evidently armed for conquest.

Little Milly came next, V6ry pretty and piquant in white tulle with a wreath of buttercups and daisies. Her eyes sparkled witn anticipated pleasure ; being only sixteen, she was not yet promoted to all the privileges of being ' grown up ' and this party w&s an experience hitherto unknown. A couple of girls from the neighbourhood were the next to enter, and after them the bouse guests dropped in one by one. Cecil Dudley had already been staying in the house for a day or two ; he was an old friend of the family. He devoted himself to Daisy, much to that young lady's astonishment, for she was generally accustomed to be nowhere with him when Ch&rlotte was near. Miss Goldney bit her lips slightly at Cecil's desertion, but consoled herself with the thoughts of the millionaire. And nost all eyes were turned towards the door as the anxiously expected guest was announced. Alas for Gertie's hopes ! A alight, fair younj> man appeared, bearing not the slightest resemblance to her ideal. In spite of thi3, lie was pleasant to look at. A pair of mischievous, bright blue eyes looked the world in the face*, and the laughing mouth was scarcely hidden by the long, drooping moustache. He was trim and well made in figure, faultlessly exquisite in dress — a woman's darling, evidently. This Adonis was followed by another man — tall, with a very quiet manner, curly chestnut hair, and a heavy moustache. He was introduced by Mr Greenlees as 'My cousin, Mr Howard.' Dinner was now announced, and the pairing off began. Mr Greenles conducted his hostess, while Cecil Dudley was assigned to Daisy, Charlotte Goldney to a blushing young curate, and Mr Howard to Milly. The latter little girl, all dimples and blushes, was seriously afraid at first of the tall, grave man by her side ; but he, presently, noticing her confusion, good-naturedly exerted himself to overcome it, and soon they were chatting together like old friends. ' Do you know,' she confided to him afterwards in the drawing-room, ' I am so glad you came unexpectedly.' ' Indeed ! May I ask why ?' he said, much amused.

' Because I know tbat if mother had received longer notice she would bave asked another lady to stay here, to make the number even, and I should have been left in the school-room.'

' Then since we both appear to be here unexpectedly, I think the best thing we can do is to entertain each other for the next few days ; what do you say ?' And he smiled reassuringly on the piquant little face. 'Oh ! I shall be delighted ; but, don't you think you would prefer Gertie or Daisy — or Miss G-oldney ? You might find me rather stupid.' ' Neither Gerlie nor Daisy nor Miss G-oldney would thank you for that suggestion,' he said, smiling, and glancing to where the young ladies sat each in a cosy nook, with a devoted swain in close attendance. ' No, lam afraid that if you don't take pity on me, there is every chance of my being left out in the cold.'

• Very well, I will, then,' said Milly, with a sigh of content. So r this neglected pair were everywhere together during tbe week that ensued, somewhat to the amusement of her sisters.

' Dear little Milly, i am glad she is having a good time,' Daisy remarked to Cecil Dudley; l I only hope the child's head won't be turned, for of course Mr Howard only looks on her as a little schoolgirl, with whom he can amuse himself. I must give her a hint not to think too much of his attentions.'

'Better not, Miss Daisy,' said Dudley, with a queer look in his face ; ' Howard knows what he is about, depend on it; you may safely trust your sister with him.' ' You talk as though you knew Mr Howard ; I thought he was a stranger to everybody. He seems a nice man, though,' she added. , 'He is a nice man,' said Cecil, impressively; ' I know him well ; we were college chums — he and Greenless and I.'

And then to turn the conversation, he proceeded to walk through the grounds, and they went off together.

In the meantime, Miss Goldney had found her match. A more thorough- paced flirt than Toui Greenlees could not exist on earth. He loved ' going ou the war-path,' as he termed hia flirtations, and he was ever ready to meet a pretty girl more than half way. But he always came off unscarred from the encounters ; indeed, he flirted so openly and distributed his favours so equally, that the objects of his devotion seldom lost their hearts irretrievably.

'No one takes Tom G-reenlees' attentions in earnest,' the girls would say : ' we all know his little ways too well.'

To be sure he surrendered himself to the charms of Miss G-oldney, as to the prettiest girl present ; but although he paid her every imaginable compliment, and was by her side morning, noon, and night, he never seemed, in spite of all her faaciuatious, to be auy nearer prc-

posing than he was at first. And he was ever fatally ready to amuse himself with aoy of the other young ladies whenever he could induce thum to tear themselves away from their devoted admirers. Seeing how uncertain was her hold on him, Charlotte's interest deepened, and tbe coquette \v,as piqued into having a wanner feeling for Tom Greenlees than she bad ever felt for anyone before ; it was a clear case of the ' biter bitten.'

None of the other men had a chance with the beauty when Greenlees was present. Howard once or twice triod to make himself agreeable, but met with such a decided snubbing that he retired from the field, and devoted himself more exclusively to Milly than ever.

It was a glorious autumn day — a perfect day for a picnic. The men had been out shooting all morning, and the ladies had joined them at luncheon time.

Daisy was looking supremely happy with Cecil by her side, keeping her supplied with dainties. Milly and Brian Howard were seated near them. The girl was coquetting with a flower which Brian evidently wanted ; perhaps she had been taking a lesson from Charlotte — who knows ?

' Fate is really bard on me,' said Tom, with a merry laugh which belied his words, as he threw himself on the ground by Charlotte's side. ' Some men have all the luck ; look at those happy lovers with whom affairs have gone so smoothly f

1 Are they lovers,' asked Charlotte, a little curiously : ' How do you know ?'

1 Why, haven't you heard? I thought girls always told each other such things at once to make them envious. It happened in this wise : Did you notice that Dudley received a letter yesterday morning which seemed considerably to astonish him ? Well, soon after breakfast he sought an interview with our host in the library, and told him that, through the death of a distant cousin, he found himself heir to a considerable fortune, on the strength of which he asked for his (Mr Plascot's) second daughter, Daisy, for his wife. Consent was given, conditionally on the lady's being first obtained, and to judge by the look of things at this moment, her consent does not seem to have been hard to gain, does it ?'

Charlotte felt a pang of hurt vanity as she thought how soon Cecil had forgotten her. For his fortune she did not now care ; was not Tom Greenlees worth ten times as much ? Tom had boen more attentive than ever the last day or two ; she felt the prize would soon be at her feet.

' Events never happen singly,' continued Tom ; ' you know the old saying, " One marriage makes many." My cousin Brian, fired, no doubt, by Dudley's example, also sought an interview with paterfamilias, with the request that tbe hand of Milly might be his ; his star was propitious like wise, so you behold the result in the two pairs of happy lovers before you.' ' In the latter case, at least, there is no unexpected fortune,' said Charlotte. ' Can your cousin afford to marry ?' > ' Well, he has just enough for bread and cheese,' said Tom, with a griu ; they'll rub through somehow, I daresay. Love in a cottage, and all that sort of thing, you know. Halloa ! what 'B tbis-? A speech, eh ? What a bore !'

The host, Mr Plascott, was tapping energetically with a knife against a glass to procure silence. Having at last succeeded, he rose and began — ' My dear friends — I am anxious, while we are all here together, to announce to you two engagements.' (Hear, hear, from all bufc the four victims, who groaned audibly). 'The first is that of my second daughter, Daisy, to Lieutenant Cecil Dudley. The other' — here he paused and looked round with a smile of triumph and amusement — 'is that of my youngest little girl. Milly, to Mr Brian Howard Greenlees !'

A loud murmur of astonishment went round as the latter name was announced. Millv looked up at her lover in speechless amazement ; all the others gazed pointedly at Tom, who looked anything but guilty of im posture. 1 Before we drink the healths of the happy couples,' the host continued, ' I have a iittle explanation to make. When Mr Dudley came here ten days ago, he brought me a message from Mr Brian Greenlees, asking us to allow him to pay his visit incognito, the reason being that whereas he was anxious to find a wife who would love him for himself alone, he felt that his enormous wealth might prevent his being sure of tbis. My wife and I acceded to his whim ; of course keeping the secret from bur daughters ; it was the more easy to do this, as Mr Greenlees' cousin, Tom, was kindly willing to represent him for the time. 1 (' Capital fun it has been, too,' murmured Tom, iv an audible aside.) 'And now, ladies and gentlemen,' concluded Mr Plascott, ' I ask you to drink the health and happiness of brides and bridegrooms.'

A perfect storm of applause and congratulations followed as tbe toast was duly honoured. As soon as politeness allowed, the four unhappy victims made good their escape. Charlotte Goldney's disgust may be better imagined than described. She went home the next day a sadder, if not a wiser, girl. In after years, when the wife of & decrepit old baronet, she could seldom think without a sigh about what she called her little mistake.