For Honour's Sake.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7965, 16 February 1906, Page 2

For Honour's Sake.

By Bertha M. Clay. Author of " Wife in Name Only," " Wedded and Parted," "Dora Thome," " A Queen Among Women," " A True Magdalene," etc., etc.,

CHAPTER XXVl.—Continued. "Oh! I remember, I suppose I put it in as a mark some years ago, and forgot it. But you needn't have re minded me of the man. I hated him. By the way, here's a letter that-con-oerna you more than it does me. Of course, 1 can't pay it." She gave him the letter carelessly. Stewart, still standing, opened it, and saw that it was her milliner's bill, dating from the time he baa gone to India. The sum total was eo immense that, accustomed though he was to his wife'? wild extravagances, he was Weatlhv, careless in money matters, hating to talk, and, above all, tbintis, to quarrel about money Captain Stewart habitually paid his wife's bills without even remarking on their amount, or pointing out to her that her princely allowance for Din-money ought, as a rule, to cover expenses of dross. But it was clear from this bill that Pauline, since her residence in London,, was bent on trying to reach the limits to his fortune, or his forbearance. Glancing quickly over some of the items, it seemed tu Stewart, ignorant though he,. was of the cost of women's clothes, and allowing for overcharges, thafr the sums represented an altogether outrageous oostliness of material, and the quantity of new gowns was surely in excess of anything that even an acknowledged belle could require. Pauline, glancing at him covertly, while she sipped her chocolate, saw that he looked very stern, and she began to feel a little frightened. Perhaps she had gone rather too far. Of course, this bill must be paid, but he would _ possibly restrict her expenditure for the fuHe pat the bill in bis pocket, and said, with the kind of quietness that is ominous: "I don't know what you imagine to be the extent of my fortune, Pauline; but an account like this, oven once in a year, "Is very considerably more than it is possble for me to allow. You say that you have no funds of your own to meet any part of it? I have never asked you what you do with an ample allowance set'tled upon you for the express purpose of providiug yocr apparel; but it seems you spin it up in the air, for you always tell me you cannot meet yonr milliners' bills " "One mußt dress, and dresa well," Pauline interrupted, petulantly. "Dressl" said Lochmohr, "dress at the rate represented by this account? I confess I don't see the necessity, and Heaven knows I have kept no tight rein, no rein at all, over your expenditure. But you compel me to make a ohange. Now, understand me clearly, and see that you obey. You must incur no more bills, at your milliner's this year, unloss you are willing, and 'able, to meet them yourself. If you transgress my command, you will force me to tell the woman that in future she must look to you entirely for the settlement of her accounts." Pauline burst into tears. It was not that she thought tears would have any effect upon him; she had long ago learned that he knew their exact value; but she was very angry, utterly taken aback, and for the moment she really did not know what else to do. It was useless to plead with her husband; she dared not disobey him. Both by nature and the soldier's habit, he simply did not understand disobedience; and even when he said, "If you transgress," hepdid not contemplate deliberate transgression of his command; and there was no way of crossing it by cunnmg; he knew her too well, she was quite aware, for that; and he would be as good as his word for he never threatened, he simply warned. So she wepc to gain time, to think of seme falsehood, though she had not much hope of deceiving him. He .never believed her unsupported statement. Stewart turned to leave the room. There wis nothing more to be said, and bis wife's tears only made him contemptuously impatient. "Esric," half sobbed Pauline, lifting her head, and dropping the laoe handkerchief she had pressed to her eyes, ''you are cruel! You have never treated me like this before." "A pity I did not," he said sternly, as he paused. "Being careless and indulgent has had the usual result, and now you have exceeded all bounds. It ia not possible to keep pace with such preposterous extravagance." "Your four-in-hands and horses and other pleasures," cried Pauline "cost more." "Uood morning," was all Stewart answered, disgusted, as he was often compelled to be, by the woman's innate vulgarity of soul; but once more she stopped him. "Then I can't go to the Four-iri-hand meet," she said. "I suppose you are going?" Truth to say, be had not decided that point. He answered-. "I had not given the matter any thought. But, of course, if you wist it, 1 will take you." The generous courtesy, the readiness to ignore jarring elements, would have touohed any other woman, especially knowing .herself to be wholly in the wrong;*but it had the opposite effect on Pauline. So be thought it the most trivial thing in the. world that he should issue a new ukase about her milliner's bills, and expect hor to dress on "nothing"; so trivial, that he could toss it aside quite coolly, and propose to take her on his coach as if she were a naughty child, who had been punished, and there was an end of it. "You're wonderfully kind!" she said, with a sneer; "but I don't quite seo how I can go without a dress."

"I should imagine you had 50 available," he said, still outwardly patient, though he sot his teeth hard. "But that is your business. Only let hie know within the next three days whether you intend going or not." "Is it my business?" she said. "I haven't a gown I can possibly wear, and if I have a new one I have no money to pay for it." "That's unlucky. Then you are not going?" "if 1 do, it won't be on your coach," said the silly woman, iuconsistently. "I have had half a dozen invitations already. So, if you want to take Claude The look on her husband's face, as he turned it full to her, made the woman stop abruptly, and utter a little cry. "I told you once." ho said, "that it *ould bo better if Miss Verner's name were not mentioned between us. I forbid you now to ever speak of her" to me. Do you understand me?" "Yes," she said, cowering down. She was frightened as puerile natures are by the mere force of strong passions. She was never really physically afraid of him, as she had been of Kionard Arnold, who more than once had struck her. "Yes, and she Bhll never again enter this house 1" "She has no intention of doing so. She knows as well as I know why you asked her here, and she did not mean to come. Once more good morning!" (To be Continued).