A SENSATIONAL CASE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3010, 6 October 1908, Page 2

A SENSATIONAL CASE.

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

CHAPTER XXXIX. —Continued. "It!depends," said he, with a glance over the children's heads at Jem. But she would not ask him upon what his plans depended. She changed the subject rather abruptly. "Do you think," she asked in a low voice, "that they will catch Netelka's husband. I suppose you know about his going off with some things belonging to Mr Moseley?" Hugh assented. "Papa says Mr Moseley was forced into sending for the police, and that he will be afraid to prosecute.'* ' "I shouldn't wonder," said Hugh. "In any case, what will become of poor Mrs Hilliard? She can't stay sit 'The Firs.' Mr Moseley has gone away, and they begin to say that he's gone for good and won't dare to turn up again, and of course Mr Hilliard can't come back. What will poor Netelka do?" "Go back with her aunt to town, if she's wise, and thank her good fortune that she's got away from that scoundrel." "Yes," said Jem meditatively. ''But, I'm afraid he'll play upon her feelings and get her back again. See what shs's put up with from him already!, Why, a woman is silly to put with so much." Then Hugh, still scraping away with his slate-pencil, spoke. "They are not all like that," he murmured in a soft voice. "Some won't put up with anything. I know one who wouldn't even be decently civil to a man just because he had fallen in with an idea of hers and it hadn't worked well." "Ah, but you're not my husband!" retorted Jem quickly. Hugh's retorc came more quickly still: "No, but I want to be." He still went on scraping with his pencil, while Jem, red, excited, j trembling, hunted in the work-basket by her side for something to occupy herself with. But it was in vain that she tried to pretend that she had not heard. She knew that she had; and when, after a long pause, her glance stole shyly in his direction, she met his eyes looking at her with an expression which there was no mistaking. "Well?" he spoke in a very measured tone; but he was not nearly so calm as the children thought. They were still in ectaaies over his artistic achievements, with the exception of Willie, who stopd staring from jem to Hugh and back again, frotn the other side of the table. It was the boy who broke the silence. Leaning bis elbows on the table and supporting his face with his hands, he asked in a solemn voice: . k "Won't she have you?" "I don't know yet,- Willie," answered Hugh, in s» tone just as solemn as the boy's own. "But I'm not going to give up hope." \ The boy sidled round the table to his half-sister's side, and,, putting one arm round her, said earnestly: "Jem, if you don't take him, you're a fool!" Jem burst out crying. Willie was hardly nine, but he was her great • chum and confidant. " "Doyjuwant to get rid of me, then, Willie?" she asked, sobbing. but I want you to get out of this muddle and be happy. And—and," added the boy, with a sudden gleam of a less interested feeling, "when your money's all your own, and you don't have.to spend it to pay the bills, you can buy me a bicycle. You know you promised." By this time Hugh had left his seat, and in a casual way, still busy with the slate, and pencil, and still surrounded by the younger children, he had gone down on his knees beside Jem's chair. "It will be a shame, you know Jem, "not to get the boy his bicycle, since you've promised. And it will be no new engagement, you see —only an extension of the lease," "But Jem, half-laughing, half-crying, "I dha'n't dare to break it off again, eyen if I want to S" "I won't let you want to !" "And you are not jealous of——" "Gerard? Not a bit. Yu've been too' honest with me, and have let me see that I can cut him out." "But I shall feel as if you were only taking me out of kindness as a salve, to my wounded vanity, after—after that horrid, horrid day at Hastings. \" "Oh> you may think that if you like," murmured Hugh, coming a! little nearer, looking over the head of the youngest baby but one, into Jem's face. "I hadn't thought of that as a reason myself. But lam glad to think I am capable of such a heroic sacrifice." At this moment the little mite on his knee, prdbably with the intention of turning his attention to heself, put her arms round Hugh's neck and asked him to kiss her. He complied at once. But the mite was not satisfied. With a fine perception of the direction in which his wishes were tending, she then said: "Tiss Jem, too!" Jem blusheJ and said: "Sh-sh, Lina!" But Hugh said gently: "Mayn't I? Just to please Lina?" And, with just a moment's pause, which only served to increase the Value of the permission, she let him.

CHAPTER XL

A JOURNEY AND ITS END. Hugh Thorndyke and Jem were still holding a conversation of an interesting but desultory sort with the children, when a messenger arrived from "The Firs," asking Miss Coll-

ingham if she would come and see Mrs Hilliard. Jem was shocked when she found why Mrs Hililard wanted her, but, as Netelka had foreseen, she was easily induced to yield to her friend's entreaties, and to help hef to escape, so that the ladies left "The Firs" together, quietly and unobserved, while Lady Kensiow was resting in one of the spare rooms. The station was not far off, but Netelka, who found herself less robust than she had expected, was trembling with latigue, and feeling faint and dizay by, the time they reached it. •To Jem's great joy, they ran against Gerard Waller, who was waiting for Hugh. (To be continued.)