Selina's Love Story.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8235, 13 September 1906, Page 2

Selina's Love Story.

\ CHAPTER XIX. -Continued. 'Nothing very deiinitely. He merely volunteeied the information that he was coming up to Loudon to see Delaval and go more thoroughly iuto certain details connected with his brother's death. I did not ask him why this had cropped up. I didi not thiuk it was my business, but 1 should not be a bit surprised if he finds out something unpleas ant. Delaval is the sort of man I should not trust much further than 1 coald see him.' 'Oh! You wrong him, George, surely ! Why,' Selina forced a laugh to her white lips, 'don't you remember what a hero he has been. I can't very easily believe that Michael would turn against him. He thought so mach about him.' Her heart had sunk to the lowest depths. Though oqoe again this snecestion of animosity against the man who loved her spurred her into quick loyalty, yet the mere suggestion of speaking to her brother about him was now driven quite out of all consideration. She eat in very miserable silence, aud after a while she got up to go to the drawing room. Sir George rose, tuo. 'lf ycu don't mind, Selina, I won't come upstairs with you. I have brought up a quantity of letters whion 1 muut attend to, and, besides, 1 shall ait up for Dorothy.' Just as they were parting, however, Sir George said: 'By the way, I hope this fellow Delaval does not com 9 here very much. He is the last man that I desire to have about my wife.' 'He has been coming very frequently,'Selina answered, and then she said with an effort: 'He claims old friendship with Dorothy, and 1 think you judge him rather hardly. Of course,' she spoke with a great effort, 'Michael may have reason to doubt hiiu, but reason is no proof, and, after all, Mr Delaval has been his friend for so long that it seems almost incredible that Michael should turn against him now.' They passed out into the hall together, and Sir George said nothing. When he was alone in his study he sat down to his writing with a frown on his face. 'lt is indeed time that 1 came here,' be said to himself; 'Dorothy is a child, and children need protection.' CHAPTER XX. WHY SHE CURSED ST. JOHN DELAVAL. Though selina had not seen him, Michael Silohes'er had seen her. Nelia had spoken truly the day she had left Selina in the lanes, and had dilated on the proposed departure of Mrs Silohester from the Priory; but she bad been inventing when she bad linked Michael's name with his mother's. Mrs Silohester had laboured under the imagination that her bay was going with her when she agreed to go away td the seaside for a little while.' JLJut Michael had no such intention. 'You have Nelia, mother, and I cannot possibly leave for bo long. Besides, I have some business that I want to attend to iu London.' This made Mrs Silohester very curious. *I think you are very unkind,' she said, plaintively. 'You know that Dr. Foster said that I am not very well, and surely you, my own boy, might make an arrangement to oome away with me. lam sure 1 don't,know what you can want to do in London.' 'There are many things oonnected with my work, mother,' Miohael answered, in his patient way, 'about which you cannot know, and I will uome down and see you. Try and be happy,' he added, puttirfg his arja about her and kissing her, for though she was tiresome and very trying, she was still his mother, and that counted- for a good deal with Miohael Silohester. 'You know you are very fond of Nelia, and I am sure you could nut have a more charming companion.' Mrs Silohester let him pet her a ittle. 'Yea; 1 am very fond of Nelia; she is a dear girl,' she said; 'but, of course, it is oot the same as having you—and you must know that.' It had been a great blow to Nelia when she found that she was to go alone to the sea with Mrs Silohester. ' She had imagined she was makiug great progress in her intimacy with Miohael, and this checked everything sharply. Besides, she was not easy about this going to London. Selina Was in London—and wherever Selina was there was danger. However, she could cake no definite protestation, and so she went off with Mrs Silohester, and Miobeal heaved a great sigh of lelief as he found himself alone. Sometimes solitude is the greatest gift than can be bestowed—certainly Michael fouud it so. He made his arrangements at the bank and went up to London. He was resolved upon seeing St. John Delaval. Pie knew that Delaval was in London, and ho resented the other man's silence. He had written a very temperate letter, and what he bad asked was so important that it at least deserved an answer. The very day that he left he met George Durutsnne in the struct of the little town, and they spoke to* gether just as they bad been wont to speak ail the years they had known each other.

By Eftie Adelaide Rowlands. Author of "An Inherited Feud," " Brave Barbara," "A Splendid Heart," "Temptation of Mary Barr," "The Interloper," etc., etc.

It was au impulse whiob ho would not actually define that made him mention his worry about his brother to George Durnstone, and later when he was by himself, he almost regretted having done so; though, indeed, the name of Delaval had not been mentioned between them beyond Michael's remark that he was going to London on purpose to see the other man. He had not been in town an hour before he oaught sight of Selina. She was sitting in a carriage in Bond Street, waiting for Lady Durnstone to oome out of a shop. Miohael stood a little way off, and devoured her face with his eyes. He soaroely recognised her. It was horrifcly painful to the man to realise how she had ohanged. Not that she was no longer lovely—iu his eyes she had taken an added beauty with that sadness, that shadow on her face. She was no longer his comrade, the girl whom his moiii<-r had always denounced as a tomboy und a hoyden; she bad left all those old things behind her. She was now a woman. Miohael had never seen ber so smartly dressed, but she seemetf to find no pleasure in such things. She sat in the luxurious carriage listlessly. Her oyen were fixed on the passers-by, but apparently she saw none of them. He wondered, with something like a pain at his heart, how she would greet him if he went forward and spoke to her, and he half made a motion to approach her. But then came the remembrance of their last meeting—of her anger, and of those words which she had spoken. If, indeed, she loved this man Delaval, love brought her seemingly nut little happiness. Miohael felt suddenly suffocated. It was his tangible realisation of jealousy, and it swept him entirely away from his usual calm standpoint. 'Noi' he said to himself, '1 will not go and speak to her; I shall only torture her. Everything good and sweet passes, and so Selina's friendship with me has gone! Let me realise that once and for all.' How little Michael Silohester knew what a delight would have filled Selina if he had advanced and spoken to her! Indeed, at that very moment she had been thinking about him. Sitting there in the crowded street, with the world of fashion and wealth surging to and fro about ber, something in the sunshine, something in the feeling of the air had carried her spirit away from town, baok into the summer before —to a certain day when she had had one of ber numerous excursions with Michael. She had smiled half sadly as she remembered how she had bullied Miohael on that oooason, and how meekly he had taken this bullying. Ab, those times bad been good Would there ever be such times again? Miohael let a few days go by before he approached Delaval. He was trying to make some inquiries on his own account about His brother. - There were one or two former friends of his brother's that he had not seen for some time. They had not, it is true, been out with his brother when he died but they might fce able to throw some light on various points which—Miohael had realised this lately—had never been properly exciained. Above all, he was anxious'to come in contact with the person, or persons, who had sent him those anonymous letters. He went over and over again to himself the story of his need to be loyal to Delaval. 'Not for a single instant would I believe a word of this,' be said to himself, 'if Jack had not made me feel by his silence chat there was something hidden, something which, for some reason, he has no desire should be revealed.' It took him these several days to searoh up one of the men whom he wished to see, but nothing was forthcoming from the interview. This man oould only tell him what he aheady knew about his brother's life before Edward had gone abroad. When they were quite young boys there had been the strongest bond of friendship between the two erotbers, Miohael and Edward Silohester, but as they had grown up the inevitable separation had oome, and Miohael had known really very little what had been passing in.hia brother's life when Edward had drifted into that olose friendship with at. John Delaval. (To be Continued.) Daughter: "Is thia not a nice pioture that Cousin Clara has sent me; where shall I get it framed ?" s Mother (with experienoe): " Take to that shop in Gillespie'" Buildings, where Kobt. J. Lyttle will do it promptly and well." Daughter: "Oh yes, mother! I heard it was a good place to get mirrors,too."