A SENSATIONAL CASE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9171, 20 August 1908, Page 2

A SENSATIONAL CASE.

By FLORENCE WARDEN, Author o£ " The Lady in Black," "An Infamous Fraud," "Fov Love of Jack," "A Terrible Family," "The House on the Marsh," etc. etc.

CHAPTER Xll.—Continued. "No, it doesn't," broke in her husjand, rather pettishly. "It doesi't look like anything but what it is—an attempt to shield ourselves frjm the horrible publicity a case of th it kind involves. You don't know th 3 world as well as I do, nor how resdy people are to think the worst. Wny , if you'll believe me, there are hundreds ot people about, in spite of thi verdict, who think " "Oh, don't, don't!" Perhaps if certain awful doubts had not occasionally thrust themselves into her own mind, Netelka would not have been so much shocked at this suggestion. As it was, she clutched her husband's hands and clung to them, as if, by the force of her wifely affection, she could thrust out and destroy the horrible suspicion. "Ah, well," said Linley, with composure, "it is as I say, I assure you. Those infernal insurance companies, for instance, have bean exasperatingly difficult to deal with, and I have had to accept a compromise, which leaves me precious little when the expenses of that beastly trial are all paid. It's a shame that a man shouldn't be able to get compensation in these cases when he's been proved innocent, after being put to all that expense! If it hadn't been for the little Hebrew, goodness only knows how we should have scraped along. Of course, he expects in return that ha can bring his friends down here; and, to judge by the way you seemed to be getting on with that young Waller, you don't object to that yourself!"

Netelka blushed deeply, recalling the scowl with which Linley had in-j terrupted her tete-a-tete with Gerard on the previous night. "Were you angry, Linley?" sh? | naked quickly. "Did you think I had I made friends with a stranger too I quickly?" _ t "Oh, no, r.o —dear me, no, child,'' f answered her husband at once, with a | laugh. "I am nut of a jealous (lis-I position, I thank Heaven; and I should ; a3 soon think of doubting tho purity! of an angel as of believing you cap- j able of indiscreet conduct." Netelka looked puzzled. "Then why " "Why did I dumiss you so curtly last night? Well, I thought, from tome words I heard as I came u>, that you were preaching. Now, I can'c stand being preached to myself, and I don't care to have my guests preached to, either; for you must understand, my dear, that whoever; Harrington Moseley likes to bring ii >wn here is my guest —and yours. There, now, go and dress; I don't want to preach any,more." j "Oh, Linley," whispered Netelka, almost sobbing, "if you will only be kind to me, and not leave ! me days and days by myself, ynd tell me things gently, and not with those cold eyes you sometimes look at me | with, you will find there isn't any-1 thing, anything, that 1 won't do for , yoi without a word!" Linley gave her a hasty kiss, assured her that he loved her and trusted her, and should do so again to the end ot his life, and told her again to dress quickly, and not to be j late for church. They breakfasted by themselves, ; the young men failing, as Linley had predicted, to put in an appearance so early after their late night. Then they walked soberly to church together, arriving in good time, be-; fore the bells had ceased. Linley ' had already secured sittings, more, probably, for the opinion of his neighbours than on his own account. He him! If occupied the inner corner > of the pew, with a very large prayer- j book and a handsomely bound hymnbook, both of which looked new. Before they had risen from their knees after the "Confession," a third person entered the pew quickly, whose loud breathing betrayed that he had had to "run for it." Anj Netelka, turning her head, as she rose, riaw the curly head of Gerard Waller. She looked rather astonished, in spite of herself. "I've hud no breakfast. Am I not good?" he whispered, as he stood up. But after,this frivolous and unpromising beginning, he maintained a beautiful solemnity of demeanour throughout the whole of the service, joining in the hymns with a pleasant light tenor voice, and not lo king about him more than in reason. When they :arne out of church, Gerard shook hands with Linley and his wife, and as Linley was accosted by Major Collicgham, Gerard walked on with Netelka. "The worst of going to church is," he explained cheerfully, as he took her book, "that it makts one so abominably conceited for the rest of tha day. I haven't felt so offensively cocksure of my own merits for two \ears." " i'h.n why did you come? Without your breakfast, too." "That's a pretty way to talk to your own convert!" cried Gerard reproachfully. "I expected t) find you overwhelmed with joy to k'arn tat your sermon had taken such good effect. I've not only given up card-playing, but become a church attendant. Oh!" he exdaimel, below his breath, with a change to a dismal !onf, "here's old Mother Cjllingham bearing down upon us! Can't we run round a tombstone and hide? I do so hate to have my mind disturbed by frivolous people of that sort when I'm coming ou of church!" "No, you can't escape," said Netelka, in the same low voice. •"But there's some one with her ■whom you won't bo so anxious to escape from!" And Netelka glanced at Jem, who, with a bevy of small brothers and sisters around her, was looking very pretty, very ill-dressed,

and shyer than ever. But Gerard only said: "I don't know. Jem's a nice girl, but we had out flirtation out the year before last. My goodness! She's lankier than ever." 'lhen the Collinghams came up with them. CHAPTER XIII. POOR JEM. When the party from the little house joined the party from the big house, the greetings on the one side, at least, were of the most effusive kind. Mia Collingham kissed Netelka as a matter of course, and shook hands with Gerard as if he had been for years the benefactor of herself and her family. "My dear Mr Waller, this is a delightful surprise! Do you know it was onl/ the day before yesterday that I was saying to the major that it was an age since we had seen you, and that I was sure you had forgotten | all about us!" [ "As if that was likely! As if it were jven possible, Mrs Collingham," said Gerard politely. "And as for your thinking of me the day before yesterday, my devotion to you exceeds yours to me, for I wss thinking of you only this minute. How do you do, Mi?s Collingham?" Jem, paralysed with shyness, not knowing whether she was most happy to see him again, or miserable becauio she was no longer "Jem," gave him her hand with that painful girlish constraint which passes for either frigidity or rudeness, replied that she was quite well, and relapsed into silence. Netelka would have walk'd on with Mrs Collingham, leaving the two vounr people together, but neither Jem "or Gerard desired this, so they all jogged on uncomfortably in a .straggling line, and passed out of the I churchyard gate, holding such conversation as they could. "And now, my dear Mrs Milliard," said Mrs Collingham coaxingly, "I want you to do me a great favour. When you called the other day my husband was half-askep, and he complains that I didn't let him;have a clrnce of talking to you. Now, am T asking too much if I beg you to come in this afternoon just for a cup of tea and » chat? It will be nothing more, you know; one can't ask people t;> do any thin? on Sundays out here; this isn't quite like town, you know! And one doesn't want to scandalise one's neighbours!" Netelka explained that she could not very well come, as there were friends of her husband staying in the house. But Mrs Collingham overruled this objection. She would be delighted to receive as many of Mrs Milliard's guests as cared to come. "And you—of course, you, Mr Waller," she continued, turning coquettishly to Gerard, "are a very old friend." Gerard heaved a meek sigh. "I am but a lonely and helpless bachelor," said he. "without any will of my own. I am as a lamb in the hands of my hostess; I will go wherever she will let me fo'low her.' "There," said Mrs Collingham, turning to Netelka, "now you must come. 1 shall get your husband's parmission. He will be able to entertain his friends by himself for an hour, I'm sure. They can smoke to pass away the time." {To be continued.)