TO THE UTTERMOST FARTHING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10435, 28 September 1911, Page 2

TO THE UTTERMOST FARTHING.

OjumPTER XX—Continued. / •'I don't know w'hat to think. Lorraine, .you have always helped me! What s'hlall 1 do, dear?' Once more grief conquered anger in, the tender heart. Cllare dropped upon the couch with a wailing ary, hiding her face. Lorraine stood lookr, 'injg,, at hen - —there was a rage of ■helpless wrath and. anger in her look.# Unseen, 'she wrung her hands,, and' -her head droopedshe quivered as, thtiugih fetich sob from CQare- wcire a stlab in 1 her breast. A knock oame upon ' the . door. Clare , stai'tedy to her feet, turning awtay Her head to hfcie her flushed, tear stained face, and hurriedly drying her eyt's. Lorraine. went to.' tjie door, received a softly spoken message, and returned. :

hieard, ,Csare? It is< > Sir Derek. He is asking for, ybti, .ddar.", ». . 1 Derek? Is it? • "Oh!" Her fiace lighted. 'ip through all the disfigurement. of its tears. ''OK, ••-Lorraine, he has come because of Hast riigjht—don't you think he has? He knows' I Was angry — I let him see ,that I wla®. He has oome to say that he is sorry— ito explain, perihiaps? And I may have made, too .much of it. 1 was never jealous before." \ ISJlies ran to tine gllacs. "Oil,, look at me! Fm hideous rattLi crying. I can't let him see me like, this. He may guess wlhy, and then ?" iher face darkened and hardened suddenly. "No," she isaid stubbornly, "I won r t see ham. I'll, punish him for 1 last night even ■if he is sorry, though I shan't mlake him n's misenable a® he has made me. I should cry again if I saw Mm now, and men hate women- to cry. Lorraine"— she turned to the other entreiatingly—"you 1 go down 'and .see him, dearest, mill you, for ime?" ...

"Ye"," Lorraine answered instantly, "I will ..go, Glare." She threw her arims about Clare and kissied her with a protecting passion which made the embrace like a mothGt's. "Don't be unhappy, my darling, don't cry any more! All shiall bo.' all shall be as. you wish wihen ylou see Sir Benek next. '

1 She left the room', and, at a firm .steady pace that neither \ hurried or wenti dmVn to the next floor. ' - Uliie drawing room door, standling j iajar, opened wide as she crossed towards it, and a woman came out— I Glare's m&id, Alethea Yentry. In>' ! sheer surprise, Lorraine stood I 'still. ' , • ; _ ... I "Alethea, what has taken you in i there ?" /"Nothing. in particular, miss!" .There rwa.& a hight flusSb upon- tjie .gtirl'ts' her eyes were .glittering and there was a tone in her voice almost like covea-t insolence, jarring with her priimlyrespectful air.' *:•' ■"Mis#Clare said a little wihile ago rthat sh» '3i|ad" left her hook dn tEe drawiing-rtom yesterday, and that she wijshed I ; would 1 fetch it." She showed the -wluinfe ;in (her hiand. "That is all. Ib doesn't matter, I hope, thougjh I've 110 biusiness- in the drawing-room." >• i ' 'lt dbas not matter at all, biit 'you . should have chosen a time when tihere.»was no one in the room,"-lior-r'aine said coldly. "You better take the /boO'K to your mistress since she wsantsi it."

Tine gdrl turned toward the staircase.- without • reply.. At another time Lorliaine would ;h;ave noticed: it and resented the curibns rudeness maimer. she erifteiried "tKe 'iidom silie ifet-jall mem-' bry- of AJetijbea Ventffy . ? SBie ooijld even conquer heir owri anger of last night in Jier thougjlut of ,

CHAPTER XXI

Sir 1 Derek iby ia table- laden with various trifles, idly turned over some pJitotpgrapihs .upon i., .stfarted with a quack change of egression when, hie saw Loitaine. Bier face displayed the aversion;, which, .when , aOone witJi him, she never attempted to conceal. OProm the time of her girlhood he had al%fayis torn tto't she hiad toted him. Sh© <spoke without evten i*aisjng her eyes, cbntempttuousily, disregarding t3ie> offered hand wflwch lie liad guessed she would nob touch'. ; ,''jC!latr<e is tired as • tlie "'result of her engagements of last evening, Sir Derek," she "You : most ,ek.;cuse .her iflor 'to-day. T am glad in a sense t-hjat she is not. &b>le< to see you, "btecause it give® me ia chiamce .which I should Wave otherwise have had to m'ake—(a dhance of speaking (alone to you." -I ' r "I am honoured that you should rw&sh to do so," he 'Said, in his bestf*

(OUR NEW SERIAL.)

By CARL SWERDNA, Author of "A Mere Ceremony."

manner. With that elasy, ready ■courtesy which was. part of himself ht brought a chair forward for her. '1 fear you" are tired also," he sajid gently. ."You are very pale, I an; sorry to see. Won't you sit down?" "No,' I think I prefer to • srtaad."' v ■ ' . , . ; j She rested .her hand on the table, • and for the first time, slowly,' as itJjough it \ were *a plliyisical effort, mused her eyelids and looked . a.t him. ' . "You have a good memory, Siir Derek?"

"I hope 'so, Miss Latouche." "Be kind enough to exert it.' You' rerrnemlber v conversation which you iana I had together soon- after you c3fine from. (abroad It was at< a diance', at. Mrs • Moorfield'is house. You recollect' it r"—-Hooking at hiim with searching eyes.- ' ' "You. have honoured 1 me with so oyfany private 'interviews tfhat it ni:ould be most strange if I forgot it,".;answered Sir Derek. "I remember perfectly." His simile showed her tihtat he not only remembered it, but recalled tlie

extvit words with; which she had begun it. But she hiad forced herself to look at him, and even before his smile she could not look away. , "You remember what- I asked you then ?" she said. ' : "I'im afriaid my memory, good as you s'ay it is-, is not good enough for that, but—". "You remember perfectly!" Her. Aland and her. voice put tibe- denial asdde with contempt. ''l repeat the question that I asked you then, Slir iDerek. I again ask— When do you mean to ask CHare to be , your 'wife?" ■ ■ ' In spite of the resolute control which sihe wias keeping over herself with all the strength of her will, fom&tJifng of rage and, misery birokt (from. Sier . with the wards'. He lookted at the flash of her splendid eyes, at the scarlet that flamed in her (cheekis, and thought with a thrill" of •savage admiration bbw beautiful sihe was, He similed again. "Pftrdion me', but thiat is a strange question for you to put, Ss it •not?"

, "Strange ? Clan I help> it? Do jpon not force me: to-it?" She put her hand to her throat ja i though, -she would have torn the (surrounding lac© away; liis attitude, Ma smile, were to her like oil joe. filame'. "You told me then that it was too soon, thiat there miust be a little time first, that it would be tetter to wait, did you not?" \ "I have 110. doubt, if you isay so." .' 'You declared to me tih'at you meant to keep flaitih witih -her. You owned that, although there had nevier been an engagement between you you knew that she coiin,ted herself (biound to you. You • said that, you -counted- bound to her. You .vowed to me that you, were not the -scoundrel and' coward that I luad begun to suspect" you.were. You said jthlat you would be true to her. Did you not ?", Sir Derek, slightly shrugged his dhoulders, still smiling. He liked ito sefe this ice change into fire. IA

"I certiainly you said .some very uncomplimentary tilings to me," Hi© said. . "As to wihat : I s'aid to'you, I hfave no doubt, a'giain, .that" your ' memory is correct-. SQiall .we tak©' it that -t isi so?"

"I have waited. Time, goes on, and you say nothing—tilings are just where they were. She is undduibtttful,' trpuHM yo'u k raiiUisib know it— l wondering why you do not «peak—and now 1 your name yqu must toow tliiat too, is ooupleti •with that of another woman. Will you allow her to endure that? If you have a spark of honor, you—" She broke off and clenched her ihlands. "0h,," shje cried pasionately, "that- I should stoop to plelkd to you fbr liter Giare! I disgrace myiself, I drag my darling down. 'But what can I do? •Wlhia.t is left? to me?' She. loves you!*' "Y®-." Sir Derek half laughed. : ' Frankly I must allow/(hat is. pretty evident." ' (To her Continued.) ... <S