For Honour's Sake.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7971, 23 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.,

CHAPIER XXX.-Continued. Meanwhile Pauline contrived to •see Tollemache again. __ He had not t called a Jseoond time in Cajrlton \ House Terrace, for Stewart's man- J ner to him, when by chance they ' met anywhere, was so haughty as to E approach very near cutting, and *■' Bisil knew very well that the Scotch ( man was aware of certain ugly stories afloat concerning the Squire £ ,oi Dunford. The latter bad not "much nride, but he had enough to E avoid any intimation that he was not weloomo in Carlton House Ter- 3 race. Besides, such an episodn might I get about, and cause undesirable 1 disclosures, whereas at present he could, if occasion required, hint at J jealousy as the reason for Stewart's ooldnea9 to himself. And such hints E Stewart could not take up, while ha J need have no compudctiou in letting it be known why he closed nis doors againnt Tollemache. That young man, if not very bril- ' liant, was not so stupid as he looked * and could weigh matters with con- J siderable astuteness. • * Luck favoured Pauline, for, sit- < ting one afternoon in the row, near <■ Apsley Gate, as usual surrounded .» toy a court, she saw Tollemache ap- j pioaching, and beokoned him to her. ' "So pleased to see you," she said, < •with one of her very best smiles. I "Sit down; I want to talk to you. Burford" to a youth near her, "give Mr Tollemache your chair. Thanks; ' and.please gentlemen," with an im perial wave of the hand, "leave me ■■ for a little while." : Beauties are privileged to do anything, so the discomforted courtiers withdrew with good grace—outwardly—and Pauline was left alone with her new cavalier. !• "I am quite anxious," said she, leaning back in her ohair, "to know how you are progressing with your suit." "It's very good of you," said the young man, "to trouble about me; but I don't make much headway." "Indeed 1 Yet the guardians favour you, and you—forgive mo—you know you oan give a good account of yourself." v ' Tollemache coloured and looked pleased, as most men would have doie at such a compliment from la belle Pauline. "She doesn't seem to think so," he said, after a pause, making circles with his stick in the gravel. "It may be mere coquetry." "Oh, no; it's more than that!" "Do you think—are you afraid," said Pauline, hesitating, "that there Is anyone else?" Tollemache coloured again, and the oircles went deeper into the gravel. He had no real ground for supposing Claude thought more of Captain Stewart than of any other man who came to The Ferns, except that Stewart was the most attractive of, the visitors; and he certainly thought it very unlikely that the captain "affected" the girl; but he hated the soldier, and wanted to do him an ill turn—wanted, therefore, to make Pauline understand than her husband was the "some one else"; but he was too new in London society to work the fine machinery of look and tone, and word by which such inuendoes are convoyed in society ,and he could not put it bluntly. He did not know that if Pauline had been as ignorant as be imagined her to be the manifest embarrassment of his manner would have roused her suspicions. She watched him for a moment or two, in silencb, and then aaid, gently: "I am very sorry, but perhaps you are wrong. Love, you know, is a proverbial self-torturer." "May be," said Tollemaohe; "but it is clear enough she doesn't like me." "Well, then," there surely must be some one else. Have you any idea who?" Tollemache glanced round with a quick start, and thou looked away again. "Beally," said Pauline, with a half laugh, "you are very enigmatical. I suDpose you are jealous of my husband." "Mrn Stewart!" "Oh, . don't make excuses. Men of the world think nothing of that sort of thing. It is always permissable to flirt with a beautiful wo< man." "Well. I—you don't know, then?" said Tollemache. The innocent blue eyes met his, with a half-amused, half-question-ing stare. "Kujw what, Mr Tollemache?" "Why, there's flirting and flirting 1" said Tolemacbe, slowly—he had some cunning, as well as Pauiine, this country squire. "Captain Stewart is constantly at The Ferns." This, certainly, was not true; but truth was never a strong point with Bhsll Tollemache, s and when its opposite served his purpose he gave free rein to Jr. Pauline dropped her eyes* and turned aside. "I did nut know if;,"'she said, in a constrained voice. "Mr Tollemache, pardon mo. This is a painful to me; bat, of course, I cannot help you in any way. There is no Rood in pretouding that Captain Stewart and 1 are Phyllis and Corydon— everyone knows we are not; and so you will understand I have to be content not to know tpo much." Toileniacbe could not but feel flattered by this sort of semi-con-fldonce from so lovely a woman; and, being himself of coarse fibre, it did not strike him that such admissions to a person little more than a strange* showed a singular lack of refinement. Poor fellow! He was only being made the vehicle to cuuvey the slander; for, carefully hinting that her husband was like too many fashionable husbands, ahe whs also, by implication, involving Claude, yet in manner impossible to lay hold of; and, if challenged, she cou!d declare with vehemence, iu itself an accusation, of casting the smallest pebble at Miss Verner. "

"I'm sorry I spoke," said the young man, awkwardly enough. "Ah, no," replied she, sweetly. "WHy should you be? I am grieved that yoa are made to suffer. My husband, J. am afraid, is not quite just to you—forgive my alluding to this—but it is only due to myself to say so; but I see no reason why you t\nd I may not be good friends;" "No, indeed!" said he, eagerly. "I am honoured by your friendship." She bowed her head, with a slight smile. "Now, I am afraid I shall arouse jealousy," she said, with one of her prettiest upward looks, "if 1 keep you by me too long." Tolleruache took the hint, and rose. "1 hope we shall meet again soon," she added. "I am often on the row." She laughed to herself when he was gone. "A foul will do better for. scattering poison than .<» wise man," she thought; "but I must be careful. However, I said nothing to-day that E«io could bring homo to me; «nd one can always deny things. If I could only" get that girl's name mixed up with his—only see her out in some pubiio place—oh, it would bo Ah, Colonel Methuen! charmed to see you! This i« a genuine pleasure." (To be Continued).