“CONSCIENCE,”

Wairarapa Daily Times, 13 March 1925, Page 7

“CONSCIENCE,”

(PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.)

FASCINATING STORY OF LOVE AND MYSTERY.

ELIZABETH YORK MILLER Author of ‘The Brass Box,” “CarryOn,” “The Sins of the Fathers,” etc., etc.,

(COPYRIGHT.)

CHAPTER XXI. (Continued.) “Then you haven’t forgiven me, Dennis! ’ ’ ‘ * Yes—yes, I have. ” “But you won’t care for me any more. ’ ’ “Would it make vou happv to think I did?” “Yes, it would, Dennis,” she said boldly. She crept towards him, her eyes glowing, not the girl Loraine whom he had loved so tenderly, but a woman with. a. strange knowledge in her heart. Ho trembled under the touch of her hands on his shoulders, and then he gently disengaged her. “You must be mad, Lorie.” “1 am. Oh, Dennis, if you only knew! If only 1 dared tell you. Don't push me away like that. 1. can’t bear it! ’ ’ “I didn't push you away. But we must not forget ourselves Lorie,” “You don’t know how unhappy 1 am; how frightened—” “He doesn’t ill-treat you?” the boy asked in a horrified whisper. She hesitated over the lie and found it impossible. For one thing, if she said Flagg ill-treated her, Dennis might make a fool of himself and incidently of her. “Oh, no!’’ she mannered. “ What do you want of me, then ?” he asked patiently.

In his heart of: hearts lio was critical of lier. Site Lad shocked him terribly bv her all but frank avowal that she still craved his love. She was so different from the Loraine whose purity of mind had seemed her strongest characteristic. “What do I want of von?'’ she echoed drearily, letting her arms fall 1o her sides with a limp gesture. “God knows. Or perhaps the devil. I can’t bear to think of your coining to care for another woman, that’s all. My marriage was a mistake, Dennis.” There was a stir outside in the hall, and Loraine stooped quickly, picking up the railway guide which had fallen to the floor. When Mrs. C’apel Reavis and Janet came in, she was her old cool self again, agitation betrayed only in the pink stains on her cheek-bones. Janet looked quickly from one to the other, and sighed gently., After Dennis had been introduced to Rachel and a few commonplaces exchanged, he turning to Janet, stating the object of his impromptu call. “I’d love to go,” she replied. “It's awfully kind of you, Dennis. Mr. Tenison must be a very interesting man.” Then Rachel pressed Dennis to stay to lunch, and was so insistent that he could not very well refuse, especially as the meal was announced while they were arguing.

For Loraine it was like a nightmare, ('IIAFTER XXII. “You surely can't want to go off to Bentlebury by yourself, my pretty,” Alexander Flagg said, a couple of hours later, when Loraine had met in their rooms at the hotel. She had hoped to find him out, and that being so, would have packed a bog and slipped away, leaving a note to the effect that she had been overcome by sudden home-sickness to see her father. lint he was there, waiting for her to come back from lunch. “1 must go,” Loraine said desperately. The change in her was so complete that her husband would have needed to be a fool not to notice it. She kept her face averted, had sliruddered beneath his welcoming kiss, had cringed a way from him. Instantly there came to his jealous mind a solution of this mystery; but he was only partly right. “You’ve seen that fellow Carr?” he stated coldly. Loraine flushed. “Whvl ” “Where? - ’ “Really, Alex', you’re rather stupid. ’ ’ “Am 1? 1 asked you where?” “lie was lunching at Rachel’s.’’ “Oh, ho! S.o you knew last night.” “I hadn’t the least idea. As a matter of fact, it was pure coincidence. He came to make some appointment with Janet, and Rachel insisted upon his staying for lunch. If I'm to be badgered like this all my life—” “My darling!” Flagg cried. “It’s that you’ve changed towards me. Don't you understand that I can sec a change in you? He shan’t have you. I —l’ll kill him first!” The expression of Loraine's face brought him to his senses. “My pretty, now I've frightened you. 1 didn't mean to. Forgive me—' ’

She drew further awnv, covering her eyes with her hands. “You shouldn't say such terrible tilings. You do frighten me. Js it. so easy as ;i7i that to kill."' Flagg laughed recklessly. “I don't know,” he said. “J've never tried if.” Her hands dropped and she gazed at him bewildered and half relieved. Of course the. Staghornl person was mad quite mad. Lornilie laughed too: hysterically. “I—l ran into a man to-day—such a dreadful creature! He'd been to the Vicarage and 1 remember him. It was the day before we were married. He seemed surprised that I'd married you; said you had killed a man in New South Wales and been in prison l'or it fifteen years. That's why 1 "m so queer, Alex. It upset me dreadfully. He said he’d told father all about it —that he had proofs he could show me. 1 wanted to get home, Alex—to ask father. This man’s name is Stagbund. Father said he was a pris/i chaplain, but he never told me.” She broke off, trembling like a leaf. Never had she seemed more lovely and desirable to Alexander Flagg than at that moment, when, as it appeared, forsaken, alone in her terror she appealed to him, the man who terrified her. His square jaw set grimly and there was a baleful light, in his jade eyes, lie was furiously angry—but not with her. “Sit down, Lorie,” he said gently. “Let me fetch you a glass of water. . . ” He did so, placing it on a table beside her. Then very deliberately he chose a dear and, his glance straying to a stand where there were decanters and syphons, he poured himself a rather large dose of whisky, which he drank neat. He came back and stood by the fireplace, kicking at the ornate bronze dogs, his eyes, lowered, his forhead drawn in a deep frown. Loraine felt slightly easier in her mind, but why didn't he say something Why this curious, contemplative silence. At last he looked up, smiling frankly. “To lull you the truth, Lorie, I 1 bought you knew,” he said. In a way, that was very much what tin l Reverend Mr. Stagbund had maid. “Knew—what?” she whispered. Flagg rolled Jus cigar to the other

side of his mouth. “That I'd done fifteen years, at Catesbury for manslaughter—but it really should have been for murder. Only in that case, they would have hanged me.” “Then it’s true!” sue shrieked faintly. “Quite true. But the parson knew it. ■ Stagbimd told him!” “Alex! . ■ • Surely, then you vou convince! father ” “There "'as no occasion. He never brought up the subject. Don t ,\ou remember, wo all went over to the chinch that afternoon and rehearsed the music? Stngbund came up to the castle after he’d seen tlie old boy and told me. He’s a conscientious swine. He said I could prepare myself for. the wedding being ott’j 1 said All right, but. vou* never know.’ And it "asn t off. So why should I worry when parson father didn’t? I wanted you, Lorie, and 1 got you. I'm going to keep you, too.” , “You can’t —against my will! “You’ve got me there. I can t—against your will. Oh, my "ife, my wife! ’ ’ Jt was an unexpected cry that sent hot. waves of anger tingling through every vein of her body. She could punish him easily enough. “You married me under false pretences. You thought you could buy me —that money makes up for everything. You —an ex-convict, a murderer, and, for all I know, a thief!” , “No, not a thief,” Flagg quietly said. “You can use my money with a clear conscience. I earned every penny of it.”

The shot told. TTiless she went back to the Vicarage she must use his money. It was his money that had raised tin* melancholy load of poverty from the Vicarage. He had more than doubled her father’s income. Port flowed plentifully, and James Reavis had paid his tailor and indulged himself to the full in fanciful luxuries. She tried lo blame her father, lmt some remnant of honesty remained to her. Would she have broken off the marriage had she known? She tried to think that she would have done so. At least she should have been given the choice. Alexander Flagg kicked one of the fire-dogs so successfully that it. toppled over. He shifted to the opposite side of the hearth and began on the other. “Lorie, what’s the answer? Wlmt do you want me to do?-” She hated these practical questions, and (ould fin 1 no iv.rdv re py (To be Continued.!