Selina's Love Story.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8223, 29 August 1906, Page 2

Selina's Love Story.

> By Effie Adelaide Rowlands. 4 Author of "An Inherited Feml," i( lirave Havbava "A Splendid Heart," "Temptation of Mary Barf," si The Interloper," etc., etc.

CHAPTER Xlll.—Continued. £" He got up suddenly. 'I must leave yon,' ho said. 'When do you go down to the country?' 'To-morrow,' said Selina. She sot np, too, feeling daznd, feeling that everything about hei was unreal. 'Then wo shall not meet again, perhaps. You see lam not guing to bother you. I want what I have said to yon to aink into your heart; I want it to come to maturity naturally. I don't want to startlo you into lovin« me. 1 want you to love ree because you feel yon must; because I shall be necessary to you, and at the mere thought that J may be separated from you, you will feel yon cannot live without me.' Selina looked at him. 'Are you going away?' 'I shall tell you nottruu '; f my n.ovements,' he answered, with a smile.. 'I shall only give you this remembrance to take away with you: Always remember that 1 am yoars, and that I live for you, that there ia nothing in the world so necessary to me as you are; that, if you only stretch out your handa to me and sa.v 'Come,' I will anwser that command, esen if I should be at the other ond of the world when it reaches me. Aud, so fflrewell for the moment, dear, beautiful heart.' He clasped her hands till bo hurt them. Selina sat on after had gone, trying to realizo wbat had happened. The park seemed suddenly desolate and the clouds -- seemed to have fallen on the sunshine now that he was no longer there. It was a sensatioa that had come to her vaguely euough during these days that they had been so much together. Whenever he had left them, Selina bad felt as if she had lost something that was sweei and pleasant. The meaning of n>uch that had been vaguely charming, and dreamy, took its proper shape now. She had been angry when he had claimed her love so airogantly; indeed, she was by no means sure that she loved him, and yet she did know (bat her heart was moved when he spoke, just ks it was moved .when she heard beautiful music. The mere suggestion that be should go away altogether, that she should never see him again, made her oatoh her breath sharply and gave her a cold sensation. She got up all at onoe. Movement was necesßary, and she walked home oncompassed in that troubled, and yet sweet, atmosphere of perplexity. 'Have you had a pleasant walk?' aßked Miss Lascombe, when they met at tea time. Selina nodded her head. 'Yes, the park was looking beautifo.'. You are quite right, folly, London is certainly a delightful place in the spring. 1 don't think 1 could endure it in the winter. I saw Mr Delaval,' she added, a little abruptly. 'Oh!' said Miss Lascombe. And then she said no more. Selina poured out some tea and put some saucers down for her dogs.

f Her pretty face was full of colour. 'Folly,'' she said, suddenly, 'it sounds very, very ridiculous, but do you know wbat Mr Delaval told me to-day?—that be loved me?' 'Ob!' eaid Mary Lascombe, for a second time. She stirred ber tea with great duliberation. 'And what did you say to him?' '1 was so amazed,' said Selina—she was sittng on the floor now to prevent the tea being spilled in the carpet—-'that, I believe, L was rather rude. I have read a gofcd many books you know,' Selina added, 'and in books when people make love, it always seems that eaob of them is quite prepared fur wbat the other person is going to say.' She blushed again. 'Mr Delaval does not make love aa 1 have read about it in books.' 'Mr Delaval is not a conventional man,' said Miss Lascombe, quietly. There was something in her tone that made Selina look at her sharply. 'Polly,' asked the girl, 'don't you like him?' Miss Laacombe was silent for a minute or two. 'I don't believe anyone could merely like St. John Delaval,' she said. 'With such a man it has to be all or nothing—blind, unquestioning devotion, such as Michael Silebester gives bim, or lofty |indifference, which is. 1 believe, "our brother's attitude toward Mr Delaval, and, indeed, other men. What my feelings are, bowever, really is not the question. He is not making love to me, and there is no possbility of hisn wanting me to marry him. Your views on the matter are a very different affair, and more to the point. So I will fiek you a question in my turn, Seiioa. Do you love this man?' beliua sat looking down. The doga had finished their tea, and tbey were lying with their heads stretched out on her lap. 'I don't know she answered, in a low voice. 'When be first spoke to me to-day, be spoke in a way that made me angry with him. You see, he startled me, Polly. I never bad the slightest idea he cared for irie. Hut, afterward ' She brok« off. The colour came and went in ber face, and the hand that caressed her favourite dog trembled. 'What is going to happen?' asked Mips Lascombe, rather abruptly. 'Happen?' said Selina. She looked up in startled fashion. 'Oh! Oh, nothing' At this Miss Lascombe laughed dryly. 'You certainly have not yet taken the measure of this man. You tell me that St. John Delaval has just informed you that be loves you, a fact of which I liava baea painfully

aware for the last week or so. Wall, when suoh a man makes such a declaration, something is bound to happen.' Selina sot up. She went and stood by a little table where a large bowl of flowers was placed, and she fingered the delicate flowers unconsciously £.s she spoke. 'Why do ynu say 'painfully aware,' Polly?' she asked, «in a troubled voioe. 'Don't jou like him?' Mary Lascombe got up also. 'I must be honest with you, Selina, she. said. 'This man is not the man 1 should choose as a husband for any young girl. ilo is a great man, that is true —a man who has fchieved great things—but he is a strange man—a mau who has lived a strange life. It is almost impossible to judge him by any given standard, for I believe be has made laws for himself. I thjt-k I must say no more than this except that I am bitterly sorry that you ever met St. John Delaval, and I reproach myself very much that 1 have not taken steps since you have been with me to prevent the acquaintance from growing into friendship between you.' 'J am so sorry you don't like him,' said Selina. She was, indeed, sharply hurt. If anything had teen needed to presa'home to ber the charm, the worth, the desirability of this man, nothing could have done this more completely that Mary Lascombe's quiet, yet determinedly antagonistic, attitude to Delaval. As a matter of fact, however, the mischief had been done by the man himself. Had he remained to pesa and to •Dlead, to worry the girl with a reiteration of his feeliutrs, it is more than probable that Selina would have relapsed into that condition of resentful and proud anger. But going, as he had gone, leaving ber absolutely to herself, making no effort to control and influence her, was the beet possible course he could have pursued. And, as every woman knows, it is part of the feminine nature to oontradict, just as it is to stand loyal to the absent, Mary Lascombe had said too much. She realised that almost immediately. "Yet bow couI& I pretend things in suoh a moment? It is well that the child should know that all will not be smooth sailing." After Selina.had gone upstairs, Miss Laaoombe sat working and worrying. 'This must be prevented, [bat who is to do it? I shall do my best, but I have not half enough power, and he will outwit me. George? Had this happened before his marriage, there might have been some hope of rousing him to a sense of his duty where Sel'na is ooncerned ; but, I take it, my lriend George has about just as muofa as he oau do to attend to his own business. There is always Mionael Silchester, of course.'

And here Miss Lascombe paused

She felt vexed and dissuppointed tbat Michael bad never written, never come. She die; not in the least realise that her own silence might have been the oause of this silence on the part o£ Silobester. In fact, Mary Lascombe bad waited to hear from Michael,v and then, as the days had passed, and the young man bad not written, nor paid bis promised visit to London, she had felt a little sorrowfully that Michael must have reflected and felt that in approaching Selina, he would only be exposing himself to unnecessary discomfort. She could not otherwise epxlain the matter. By and by Selina came down stairs again. 'Let qs be very happy this last evening wo' shall spend together, Polly,' she said tenderly, and she kissed the older woman. 'Of course 1 shall come back some day, and we shall stay together, but I feel as if I were going to do a lot of hard work now. I mean to do everything I can to help Dorothy.' 'Who sayd Dorothy wants help?' queried Mary Lascombe. Then she checked herself and fell into the girl's mood. 'Yes, let us be, bappy, for to morrow I shall be sad enough. I shan't stay when you are gone, Selina. 1 shall pack my trunks, and be off,to other lands. I only wish I could take you tfith me. But you can always join me, you know. And lam going to make you promise that you will deal honestly with me, Selina, and that you will let me know exactly everything that is passing with you; otherwise, I declare I won' l ; let you go away from me to-morrow.' (To be Continued.)