Chapter XXIII.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXV, Issue 4253, 29 June 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

Chapter XXIII.

Only thyself, thyself can harm. Forget it not! And lull of pc ice, As if the south wiud whispered warm, ' Waitthou till storms and tumults cease. ( —Akos. ft#R. ARHITAGKE!" exclaimed Dr. Ifl Grey, sternly; "I did not expect this conduct from you. I beg you >o remember that, at present, Miss Vere te under my care." Frank drew himself up, and his eyes Jashed. "I have said nothing to Miss Vere that you could disapprove," he taid, proudly. I "Of course not!" said the dGctor, ibrugging his shoulders, with a sarcastic <mile. " Miss Elsie, I will take you in, •if you please; and I think we may as well wish you good afternoon, Mr. Avmi!tage," and he held out his arm to Elsie. j Upon Dr. Grey's sudden appearance, the startled lovers had separated involuntarily. Now Elsie drew a step nearer to Frank. " Indeed, Dr. Grey," she said, hastily, "I think yon are very rude to M"r. Armitage; yon look as if you did not believe him." " I am not sure that I do," returned fche doctor, with a good-humoured smile He was too kindly and sympathetic to maintain his first feeling of anger. Moreover he saw clearly that opposition would never answer with this spirited young lady. " Let us make a compromise, Miss Elsie," he continued;" '• you must come in, for it grows damp, and Mr. Armitage will come too." :- He turned towards home, and Elsie made no further objection. Dr. Grey felt uncomfortably like a gaoler, and reflected ruefully that it was an unpleasant and thankless task to perform the role of pere defaviille. On the wholei he thought himself more lequal to the occasion* than the softhearted Vicar, whose responsibility he übad taken upon him; but none the less idid he wish the duty had fallen into its (lawful channel. ! Arrived at the house, Elsie hesitated. She was reluctant to Jeave Frank with the autocratic doctor, but she saw that Ihe was waiting for her to go upstairs jbefore ushering him into the study. She ■gave the doctor one appealing glance, land then turned towards her lover with a certain dignity which became Her very rell. "Good-bye, Mr. Armitage," she said, 'holding out her hand to him ; " perhaps II shall not see you again just yet, but (■we shall meet some day. Please do not ever speak of yourself as disgraced; (that can never be, as long as you "keep from —from doing wrong," and her [voice faltered. f* After all, Dr. Grey made a veiy poor ,Bort of pere^defamille; Mr. Yere hiniJBelf could not have acted more inconsistently. He deliberately turned his jback upon the lovers, and became apiparently absorbed in the state of the [weather. When he turned round, Elsie [had disappeared, and Frank looked as jnnlike a criminal awaiting judgment as ,could well be imagined. The doctor (opened his study door, and they walked ' ;tn. j "This is all very wrong, you know," he said, with an effoifc to resume his judicial air; "I would not bave had it , happen for the world. You see lam jresponsible to Mr. Vere." j I " I think you are rather under a mistake," answered Frank, colouring slightly. ' "Of course I do not pretend to deny ,that I came here to-day hoping tc see 'Miss Yere, but I did not intend to speak i to her. In fact, I promised Mr. Yere to ' »—to be silent." | ; "You have kept your word charmingly, I must say," said Dr. Grey, with a ' satirical smile. ; "• "I have not said one word that all the (world was not welcome to hear," protested Frank. I "N6P Well, words are superfluous sometimes," returned the doctor, drily. ' i "Dr. Grey, I think you are hard StiDon me," said Frank, "I am leaving : Brookvale in a few days; I could not go without seeing her face again. In- ' jdeed, My. Yere gave me pei-mission." j } " Inconceivable! " murmured the jeloctor. I k " Not quite inconceivable," said Frank, ' drawing himself up. " You forget that Mr. Yere believes me innocent." " I did not mean to throw any doubt ■upon your innocence," answered the ' idoctor, gravely; " I have really no right ' ito interfere; but if you will allow me, , las your friend and Miss Yere's, to exipress an opinion, 1 may just say this: I jcanhot think it right for any man to engage the affections of a girl too young to be able to judge for herself, when he tas no reasonable prospect of being able to marry." i '} "And when he has such a slur upon his name as I have," added Frank, bitJterly. "That is perfectly true, Dr. jGrey; indeed, it is very much what I jfiaid to her father; but it is difficult (sometimes to act up to what one knows ■to be right." } "There is no engagement, I suppose ? " asked Dr. Grey. I " Not a word," answered Frank, sadly. "As you said, she is very young, and • may learn to forget me. lam not unselfish enough to say I hope she will, though it would be best for her, undoubtedly." The kind^aearted doctor had some ado to refrain from saying the comfoiting words he knew the poor fellow was longing to hear, and which he was very Bure the Vicar would have said. I " What are your plans ?" he asked, Jpoking the fire vehemently by way of 'relieving his mind. i "We are going to Gloucester," answered Frank; "I have taken a little bouse for my mother in the suburbs of jfche town." ' "Glouces'er! Is" th,at wise, do you think ? " asked the doctoi-. , "I fixed upon Gloucester because my has friends there," said Frank, jSimply. " She lived for years in the town when my father was alive. She will be near her meeting-house, aud will be happier there than she would be in a Btrange place." " And you ? " /" I hope to get employment," returned Frank, quietly; ''it will be difficult, I fear, but surely some sort of work will be open to me. 5 ' *"I hope so," answered Dr. Grey, kindly. "I wish I could help you, but I have no friends in Gloucester." As usual, when talking to Frank, Dr. jGrey's instincts as a physiognomist conquered his judgment, and he could not treat him or speak to him as though lie thought him guilty. The warmhearted doctor would have helped him if lie could, not only for Elsie's sake, but because he was irresistibly attracted by the straightforward, manly expression pf bis countenance. sn&Upgojgy W *»« tfeoßgbt, as U$

shook hands with Ms companion, "t believe he is innocent; and if he is, whatablackgaid the other fellow must be." i "Kitty,** said Dr. Grey, soon after Frank's departure, " you were born under an unlucky star. If you bad Btuyed at home this afternoon, instead of gadding about, you would have had enough romance to last you some time." "He's been here, then?" cried Mrs. Grey. "I'm glad of it. I should have thought him a poor sort of lover if five miles could keep him away. "Five miles, goosey," answered her husband ; "it was not the distance, but his own sense of honour which ought to have kept him away." "I don't believe in that sort of honour,'* said Mrs. Grey, equably. "If yon lovo a girl, you ought to go and see her. Honour indeed ! " ." Really, Kitten!" said Dr. Grey, shaking his head, "I hope you will grow up a little b*cfore your children are old enough to begin this game. A nice time I shall have of it ! " " I do not think you will manage at all well," replied his wife, with prophetic solemnity, "you will Avant to say 'No' to everyone, and will not consider the lovers' feelings a bit. Ido hope you were kind to that poor young man this afternoon, Tom." " Much kinder than he deserved," answered Tom smiling, and thinking remorsefully of that one moment's weakness in the hall. When Mrs. Grey heard the full history of Frank's visit, she admitted that her husband had not been unnecessarily severe. j " Though I do think, Tom, that it was a pity you came upon them in the lane just when you did. How they must have hated you ! " " Probably," said the philosophic Tom ; " the sentiment was mntut.*, I assure you. I didn't bargain for this I sort of thing when I invited Miss Elsie | here." " You are not as callous as you want me to believe," answered his wife, smiling. " Why, Mr. Vere himself could 1 not have done more than give the pooi things an opportunity of saying goodbye properly." : "Nice notion you have of what is proper ! Proper indeed I why, I should not be surprised if he did not kiss her when my back was turned." i "If he didn't, he never deserves to have a chance again," said Mrs. Grey, emphatically. • " That's all very well, Kitten," replied the doctor more seriously, " your sympathiea are all for the lovers now, you don't look ahead. I wish I could make you see what a sad prospect this love affair is for your friend Elsie. Better a little pain and disappointment now, than a life-long waiting. 'Hope deferred maketh the heart sick.' I trust she may be able to forget him ; she is very young, you know, and there is no engagement. Don't keep the thing alive, Kitty, by ill-advised sympathy. I really mean what I say." Mrs. Grey looked thoughtful. " I think you are mistaken," she said, after ajpause. " I daresay it would be better m some ways for her to forget him, and perhaps marry some good man with plenty of money ; but I think in that case she would have lost something which money could never give her. Happiness does not consist in having a long purse and no difficulties. Elsie would be happier sharing Frank's troubles and poverty than she ever could be if she were to forget him. But we are discussing impossibilities; she will never forget him." " i "Sorry you think so, Kitty," replied the unromantic Tom. " I'd rather see her the wife of the said worthy owner of the long purse, than to watch her drying up into a sharp old maid." " What a dreadful idea, Tom ! " returned his wife, indignantly. " She will \ never become that sort of old maid. Generous, unselfish, good people never dry up." "All right; have it your own way," answered Tom, laughing, " only do try and screw a little discretion into that fluffy head of yours." It was perhaps fortunate that Elsie's future in no way depended upon Kitty's discretion. She had very little to say about her interview with Frank ; in fact, what was there to tell? The words ! which had \ assed had been harmless enough. Love, however, has a language of its own, which is above and beyond speech. Eyes ask the fateful question and receive the reply, which carries joy or despair to the heart, without a word spoken on either side. Sweet lnnguage of the heart! The heritage of lovers from the days of Eden until now. Elsie could not speak of this new joy; it was too sacred for even gentle Kitty's sympathy. Her love was likely to bear more < horns than roses, but as yet she did not feel the pain, the weariness of that ' hope deferred' which the doctor lamented for her. It seemed to her as if all the world was suddenly flooded with sunshine ; for she had inherited not a little" of her I father's hopeful nature, and bis peculiar faculty for castle-building. Happily for £er,*this inheritance was tempered Jby strong good sense and stability, in which qualities the poor Vicar was sadly deficient. I Dr. Grey watched his young visitor's bright face with some amazement and much compassion. "Poor lassie," he thought, "she does not yet see the dark side of her picture. Might one venture to give her some advice, I wonder ? " \ Chapter XXIV. , Lore led by faith and fed by hope is aMe To travel through the world's wild wi derness j And burdens seeming most intolerable Jioth to take up and bear with cheerfulness, To do and suffer, what appears in sight Extremely heavy, love will make it light. — Oheistofheb Hahvet. HTpHIS is very kind!" said Frank. | "You have come to see the last of us." > "Not so," replied Mr. Yere; "only the last of one chapter in your life - a ' painful chapter ! Frank, I have seen Mr. ' Dodd." " About me ? " asked Frank, eagerly. " Yes. I could not reconcile it to my conscience to sit by idly, without making an effort on your behalf." ' "It was very good of you," returned Frank, gratefully; "but I am sure nothing can be done." "I fear not. I must say lam but* prised. So just and honourable a man ought to be able to see both sides of a question." " You forget what the other side involves. If lam innocent, what is Sam ? It is precisely because Mr. Dodd is so upright himself that he finds it impossible to believe his only son capable of such a crime." "It is" not just," said Mr. Vere, hotly. " To my mind, the fact that you and Sam were rivals alters the case entirely ; but he could not, or would not, see it. lam disappointed in him." Frank smiled; no man was less capable of seeing two sides than the good Vicar himself. " Poor old chap ! If he ever finds out the fca& it wili. kiU, W% f beUeve/

said JTraSik. "If such a thing sliould happen, he would do iae justice, no matter what it cost him. He ia true as steel." " And as hard," responded the Vicar, quickly. " Frank, you are a good fellow. I fear in your place I should not be as forbearing." " I have no quarrel against Mr. Dodd," said Frank, quietly. "Tou ought to put the matter into the hands of a lawyer — an action for defamation of character. It is your best and wisest course." Frank shook his head sorrowfully. "Perhaps. It would, at least, give me a chance ; but, Mr. Yere, think what that would be to my m other. To go to law is contrary to her principles ; besides, I have uot the means to do it.'' Mr. Vere was silent; i'or once in his lif e he louged f or riehi's. " Wt- 11, Frank," lie said, sighing, " it's' little enough I can do i'or you. except' be sorry for you, and you'll e:iy with! the Irishman, 'Boohul, &orr! I can do; that same for mcsclf.' " "We have most of us a good supply of self-pity," replied Frank, smiling; •' but, indeed, Mr. Yere, you can do one thing to help me.' "Ah! true, I was nearly forgetting;" 1 and he di-ew a email parcel from his. pocket, adding, with a droll smile, ' I| t'e&r our good friend, the doctor, would' cry ' inconceivable ! ' again, if lie knew! that I was giving you my Elsie's like- 1 ness — by way of helping you to forget her, eh?" "I shall never forget her," replied Frank, gravely; "with or without this sweet picture of her dear face, she will ever be in my thoughts— my guiding star, my comfort in the dark hour oi'! deepair._ Yon have been very merciful; tome, Mr. Vere." ■' "I am not sure of that ; " and Mr. ( Vere shook his_ head doubtfully. "It 1 would be wiser for you to put this unlucky love out of your head. However,! my dear boy, fortunately or unfortu ] natelyfor you, I could not find ifc in my; heart to say ' no ' to you. You 57111 see; also that I have added a lock of the' dear child's hair — you remember it was; ! all cut off when she was so ill." "Mr. Vere, you are indeed a true; friend ! " cried Frank, with tears in his' eyes. "You shall not have cause to! I regret your kindness ; I will be true to! my promise. Elsie shall neither see mcl ' nor hear from me until my character is' ! cleared." , "God grant that may bo soon, my. dear boy," said Mr. Yere, earnestly ; "you may have a hard time before yon,' but, whatever betide, never for one moment doubt that God sees you and i cares for you. I know wlmt you would 1 say, Frank— l knowthat you cannot yet realise this truth, but listen : ' I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These thiugs will Ido unto them, and not forsiike them.' Don't be discouraged, my boy ; walk in the paths of duty, and, believe me, the time will come when you will be able to I say : ' Whereas I was blind, »ow I sec " God grant it ! " said FyanJt, reverently. " Good-bye, Mr. Yere ; lam deeply grateful for your kindness, anil — I shall not soon forget your last words." The good Vicar had not long leffc the cottage when Mr. Dodd arrived. Mrs. Armitage received him ceremoniously. She could not forget the time when he was a poor workman, dependent upon her husband for his daily bread. In her eyes he was guilty of base ingiatitude. " I wished to see you before you left, Mrs. Armitage," began Mr. Dodd, nervously mopping his bald forehead with his capacious handkerchief. " I cannot omit to tell you what a grief this here parting is to me." Mrs. Armitage drew herself up stiffly, but made no reply. "I am sure it is, Mr. Dodd," said Frank, quietly. " You have always been a kind friend to me; even now jou might have made things much worse for us. But I think it would be best not to discuss any business matter before my mother" — layi'j- his hand on her chair with a tendei f protecting gesture — "you cannot wonder that she should feel very hurt " " I do. not wonder at that," interposed Mr. Dodd, hastily ; " and I did nor, come here to discuss the affair which is so — so mysterious and so painful. But I am anxious to know what you propose doing in Gloucester. I wish you had arranged to go elsewhere ; it would have been wiser, in my opinion." " You mean that I shall have difficulty in finding employment where the slur on my character is so well kr.own ?' returned Frank, colouring. " But that will make little difference. You see, I should not think it honourable to accept a situation anywhere without informing my employer of the accusation against me, so I considered it best to remain where I have friends." Mr. Dodd sat listening, with his head bent, and a very thoughtful expression upon kis face. Either this young man was a most hardened hypocrite, or he was innocent. In which case, who was guilty? No, he could not bring himself to think that possible. "Well," he said, after a pause, "I hope with all my heart that you may be right; but, willing as yon are to work, and hopeful as you are, you may find it I difficult. Have you thought of the docks, now P " " I have no intei'est there," answered Frank, doubtfully ; "of course, as your agent, I have known Mr. Dale for the last two years. But I think it an unlikely thing that he would help ire." " You think him hard, I see," replied Mr. Dodd, " but he is a very just man, and I think — in point of fact, I know — that if you do not mind taking a subordinate position, he will give you a trial." "You have asked him?" said Frank, with a slight, i-flVnt: "fii.it \v;ir wry kin-1 Yes, I daresay I have been rather •too sanguine." "I think not, my son," interposed Mrs. Armitage, smoothing her black satin apron with trembling fingers ; "cinyone who knows thee, and is capable of appreciating thy worth, will be only too glad of thy services." " "Dear mother," said Frank, smiling at her, " I wish thou wouldst leave us to discuss these matters alone. Why distress thyself needlessly ? " " You are rieht. Frank." said Mr. Dodd. |to ub co.vrixuKu] . * " '