Selina's Love Story.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8255, 8 October 1906, Page 2

Selina's Love Story.

CHPP.rEK XXX. .-Oontiaued

Last night, she said, 'when we carted, you sueered at my intentiou to work for my brother's happiness; and, indeed, this joy is taken from me, but I can always remember, it was in this very room taat 1 hrst realized how dear 1 was to ray brother; tt is fitting in this room thnti should tell you that if I ahould live to be a hundred years of ago nothing shall make me break the promise I gave my brother!' Delaval was breathing hard. The iron grip of his Angers about her wrlata was ro fierce it seemed as if he could have broken tho bones Without further force. 'And ' tell you,' he said, in a low, a cruel'tone, 'that your rromise shall be as water. 1 tell you that no dead man shall stand between us —1 shall make you my slave, what I will! What! Do you think that after all these years of conquest Ishallbedefledbyach.ldliUeyou? Now, Hstou to me? To morrow 1 leave England, and you go with me! You will take nothing with you. Everything you will need I will give you. We shall go out into the life we planned together. It icill be best for you to reaUza now that you are powerless to stand against me, for I have that within me that can beat down any barrier you choose to try and build between your future and mine, lam not an ordinary man, Selina. If you take me as I offer myself to you I will bo your slave; if you dare to oontiuue this defiance, 1 can bo a devil. But, slave or devil, I am always your master! You have given yourself to ,nie; vou cannot esoapel' Selina tried to speak, tried even to cry aloud. It was not the physical forae which would have brought that cry from her lips; it was the horror that what he said might he true, the sudden feeling that this man was indeed no ordinary man, but one gifted with supernatural powers, capable Indeed of loroing her into the loathsorao oirele of his existence. ,' .. She shrank from him, and the courage which had sustained her bo wonderfully all through the terrible day began to ebb away. tin.- ptreiißlh seemed to fade from her, her limbs trembled, and, gasping for hreath, she swayed as ehe stood aud sank slowly on her kneeß Delaval still gripping her by the wrist just as the door opened and Martin oamo in followed by another man white-faced with hungry and sorowful eyos. It was Michael Kilchoster! A flood of light was let into the darkened room as Martin stood with the door swung open. It was Michael's eyes that saw that drooping figure on tho fluor that saw tho cruel grip of Dulaval s band. He strode across. 'Selina!' he said, 'Selina I am here. I came as soon as 1 heard. Selina it is Micbiel!' The girl looked upward and seemed to wake for an insant from tho cloud of tortured fear tint waa wrapping her about. 'Oh! Micbaol! Michael!', she said wildly brokenly 'how good to see you. Michael help meT--I « Delaval unlocked his hauds before Michael oauld touch his lingers It was Martin who spoke tu him. •Will you come this way, sir?' said the butler. '1 don't know who' showed you iu here, but Miss Durnstone wants to seo no one to-day." 'Miss Durnstone will see m>, my good fellow,' said Delaval, with a snarl. 'I am Miss Uurnstone's future husband. I have the right to be here!' It was Selina's voice that rang out on the silence. She was leaning airainst Michael, hardly conscious that hia arm waa about hor. 'Ob, no, no!' sho ciied, wildly. •It is false! I have told him so I have entreated him to go awuy. He is a oruel, a wicked man! He kuows that I have promised my brother that I will not speak to him again; he will not listen to me? Ob, God ! I feel I shall go mad!' She fell forward as Bhe spoke these last words, and Michael caught her and held hor to his heart. 'She haß fainted,' he said, in a quiet, low voice, aud with that he piuked her up in his arms, as though she were a child, and carried her out of the room. 'Let that gentleman war, Martin,' he said, as he paused at thu dooi. 'I have something to say to him.'

CHAPTER XXXI

HOW MICHAEL LEARNED OF TUB TRAGEDY.

It wns by the merest ohauce that Michael Siluhester was able to be with SelinQ at this terrible momeut of her life. Although no suspicion of ("the real truth passed through his mind, he could not help thinking that Nelin had strangely exaggerated his mother's condition. After a good dinner the night befoie, and a good breakfast the next momiujr, Mrs Silohester indeed looked perfectly well, and there wns nothing to prevent Michael from going back to London. But though ho chafed nt the separation because of the fulfillment of a groat task, and the gayty of this seaside place jarred on him, Michael felt tbnt he must give hie mother more than hei usual amount of attention and care. With that dark and sorrowful secret working iu his heart, his mother was drawn closor to him than she had over been before. Sho had been so fond of Edward His brother had always been her favourite child. Not that Michael had ever been jealous of his brother; ho had been j

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

too deeply attached to the dead man for that. It struck him with painful significance that bin mother snould have spoken to him about Edward the night before. The question that pressed on bis mind now pos whether, if what the old Italian woman had told him should be proved true, it would be necessary to acquaint hie motherwitb what had really occurred. He hoped not. He knew that rnoet people did not give his mother credit tor any great depth of feeliug; and, indeed, he had learned himself to regard her aa being selfish; but beneath all her tiresome little tricks there ran a real maternal love which neadpd only au excuse to make itself felt. Ho resolved that ho would go baok to Loudon the following day. If he promised to return to his mother, in all probability she would not make any protest. How be wiphed in theee hours that Selina and hia mother were | more in sympathy! It would have been such a natural arrangement | for the v.hl to hare, been with Mrs Silchestcr. And as he remem bered tho conversation ho had had with George Durnstoae, Michael told himself that undoubtedly Selina was not too happy in London, and would have been glad to escape from the round of society duties which apparently gave Sir George Durnstono'a young wife *>so much pleasure. This, however, was a vain dream. Even if Soliua had been disposed to come, his, mother, although she was hospitality itself, wo<ild have found some objeotion; at least, that is what Michael thought. Yet Michael was convinced, a 9 be left the breakfast table and went out to saunter aimlessly on the parade, that his mother was not do riving much pleasure from the companionship of Nelia Poster. That calm, gentle, submissive way that Nelia had could be irritating, even exasperating. And then she was so accustomed to the element of the sick room that she hand fallen unconsciously into the way of addressing his mother as though she were a patient to be coaxed and eluded. He, sculd nardy have told why it was, but Michael realized, as he stiolled along in the sunshine, that ho did not care fso very much about Miss Poster. 'lf she stays very much longer with mother, 1 ,he said to himself, 'she will succeed in making the poor soul imagine that she has got all sorts of things wrong with her. 1 wonder what I could do?' And then Michael sighed, lie would have taken hia mother to London and given her a round of gayoties if only this black suggestion of tragedy had not come to darken tho whole of his existeuce. » Nelia watched him from her bedroom window, aa ha stood looking out over the sea wth eyes that wore blind to the beauty of the summor day. There was a bitter feeling in her heart. She had told herself ho would bo so ensy to manage, once under the full sway of her influence. So sue had imagined everything would go as she hoped and intended it should go. But Michael was not a very easy person to manage. Ho seemed to be wanting gallantry. Why, for instauoe, had he not asked her to go cut with him when they had finished breakfast? He paid full deference to his mother, and he had not moved until ho had understood that Mrs Silchester preferred to sit in the courtyard of the hotel. Should she go out and join him? She was wearing a vory pretty linen trek, and her complexion, under the rosetrimmod, wide-brimmed hot, looked exquisitely fresh and delicate. There *vore various people to cast glducwn of admiration at Nelia, but the look she desired to seo in Michael's eyes never came. Even Mrs Silobester had remarked that Nelia had begun to shtd a little of her usual demure aud unfashionable appearance. 'Why, ho» smart you are,' she bad said at breakfast time; 'that is a very becoming tjown, Nelia.' Neiia hod coloured 'lt was made by a little dressmaker in Jtaly,' she said. 'lt cost only a few lire.' She had bought it On Paris on ner way borne from Italy, aud the bill was not vet paid to the fashionable dressmaker who had furnished her with this and some other thinqa which she was only waiting her opportunity to wear. (To bo Continued).