For Honour's Sake.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7973, 26 February 1906, Page 2

For Honour's Sake.

OHAFTER XXXl.—Continued. Sometimes the woman felt templed to end it; but, bad though she was, she shrank from such n hido- ' ous crime. She [could easly juagle her distorted conscience into letting the man kill himself, even indirectly assisting him to do so through tho medium of some suicidal vice; but ' she was not.capable of actual and do- , murder. A few days after Captain Stewart's meeting, with Claude at Mrs Ghalloner's, he entered his wife's boudoir to give her a box ticket for tho theatre, which she had asked him to get for her. "TbaukH," she said,, carelessly; she was writiug a note at hor desk. Then she added: "So you are going to stay with Lady Meldune on tho twentieth of July?" "Yes; she asked me the other day." "Very kind of her not to ask me also! Perhaps yuu oontrived that, aB you oontrived to have Miss Verner included attiring the guests." Captain Stewart laughed. "You know perfectly well," ho answered, "that Lady Meldune would hot ask you, even if you were free; and she was aware you would he at the Goodwood races." "My presenoo at the races is problematical," sad Paulino, "since i am to have no more new dresses this year. But, of course, Lady Meldune takes yocr side, even to th < ' .extent of allowing you to practically invite Mißs Veruer to her bouse." To which vulgar taunt her husband •did not even deign a reply; but left " the room aV once; and thi« silent contempt {failed tho woman to her soul. Ir ho would only retort she could aua'*er back again, and havo quite nn interesting quarrel; but yon cannot the air; besidos, con--tempt hurls back the dart, while anger shows that it has gouo home, •and cannot bo plucked out. "1 wish I could think of some •way of getting that girl out of the way," thought Pauline, when alone: "but lam so powerless! Tollemacba—be might, but 1 dare not trust him— dare not oonfldo iu anyone. Esric would suepeot me at once, however careful 1 was, and he would not spare me. I muss play a waiting game. Some day my opportunity may come, in spite of him." Did Pauliue ever recall those words, so strangely prophetic, yet how far from anyth'nK she could have oonjentured was the truth they inolobed? _ CHAPTER XXXn. FX.AYI.WQ THE FISH. It was clear to Basil ToUemaohe that he was being in some way "jookeyed," as he put it. The weeks passed, and there was no sign of •the submission on Claude's part which Fanoourt bad promised. Claude gave him no chance to speak to her alone, and never spoke to him at all if, she could avoid it; and then she was cool and almost contemptuous in her manner. Fancourt the young squire had not yet succeeded in seeing, though he had several times bung about Tho Ferns at night in tho hope of interviewing that gentleman; but little good would have come of any such interview, for Fancourt's lucid intervals were more and more rare. When not fully intoxicated, he was certainly not entirely sober, and it was gradually borne upon Tollematihe that ho must not look to Sanoourt to win Claude for him. ould Davenant bo tempted to betray her into his hands? They could go abroad-—the thin/5 could bo managed somehow. Davenant's sharper wits could contrive the modus operandi. So one evening ToUemaohe was at The Ferns, ho accepted Chris' invitation to adjourn to the smoking room, after the ladies had retired, aud cigars were lighted, auud spirits poured out. Davenant knew perfectly well there was ''something up," b-it he wasn't going to help a lame dog over a stilo. Tollemache began at last, abruptly: "I say, Davenant, how muoh -longer am I lo be foiled?" Ohris smiled. "My dear fellow," said he, "that .depends upon Claude. I told you from the beginning I couldn't coerce her." "Rot." "Thanks. Then," went on Chris, "you allowed that drunken scamp Fancourfc to persuade you that he had some mysterious powor over us, by which Claude could be -forced to favour you. In the first place, if he had, Claude wouldn't marry you to Bave us from tho gallows. She as good as said so." "I've your word," said Tollemache, shortly, "that Fanoourt hua aio such power." "Aud you've his word that ho has. The upshot of it all is that Claude won't marry you on any terms. How do you suopose I am going to make her?" , "It might bo done," said ToUemaohe. Chris looked at him. "By force," he said. "Ridiculous." *Td make it worth your while, of course." "Naturally; but if the thing conld he done, and there w«re no other reasons against it, there is one very salient ono." "Do you mean that fellow, Stewart?" "Exactly. Whether he's fond of her or not isn't for mo to say; but" I'm quite sure he'd be down on anyone who did her any wrong; and, to iSay'nothiog of the personal inconvenience of being, perhaps, maimed for life, it won't pay me socially, as J haro told you before, to quarrol with Captain Stewart." "So," said ToUemaohe, "you let nhn—who h«8 a wife—come here whou he plonses, yon knowing all

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

the time, though you don't choose to say so, that he's in lore with your ward." Ohris burst out laughing. "Come, come, ToUemaohe," he said, "it's too absurd for you to pretend to be a moralist—at the veiy time, too, when you are proposing to me to actually force a girl into a marriage odious to her. You've certainly no sense of humour." "I tell you want," said the other, savagely; "you'll make me thiuk " "Just what you please," said Davenant, with a sudden ohange of tone and manner, "but there are some things best loft un9aid." Tolleinache stared a moment; then laughed. "Oh, I see," he said, with a sneer. "Very well, I won't say; but, of course, I shall have my own opinion." He got up and walked up and down for a little while, Ohris smoking complacently. Presently the squiro threw himself into his chair again. "Look hero," ha said, "if you go abrourl in tho autumu the thing could bo managed." (To 1 be Continued).