Linked by Peril

Waikato Times, Volume 101, Issue 16947, 9 November 1926, Page 3

Linked by Peril

BY BEN BOLT,

Yvvuzrm> bt special arrangement.

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CIL\PTEIt XX. — (Continued.) "Whither away in such haste, Sylva?" lie inquired, laughingly. "Oh," she cried, "I was going anywhere —anywhere to get away from those hateful people with Lady Traynor!" He looked at her with shrewd cyss. Something had occurred —something which had filled her with indignation, but ho did not ask what it was. Instead, with ready wit, he seized the opportunity offered. "A car would take you away quicker." he laughed. "Suppose we go for a spin?" "But I shall have to go back for a hat and coat, and I can't bear the idea of meeting—" "No need whatever," he broke in gaily. "I'll got them for you and bring them with me In the oar. If you will walk towards the east gate " "I will wait for you there," she interrupted.

there's no time to waste. I'll bring along your suitcase. Miss Gauntlett." The car was waiting for them, and at the owner's suggestion Sylva took her sent by his side. "You see," he said smilingly, "the screen will break the wind and keep off the rain a little. Tuck the rag well round you. So I No we're off, Miss Gauntlett." "How do you know nry name?" she asked, looking at him quickly as the car began to breast the hill. "Your chauffeur told me," he answered smilingly. She looked at him again. There was something in his face and in the tones of her voice that reminded her of someone whom she knev?, something about him that was vaguely familiar, and yet she was quite sure she had not met him before. "I suppose Leach also told you that I was on my way to Winstow to be married?"

"Then I will go for the car." In a flash he was gone and ten minutes later he picked her up at the "Which way?" he asked smilingly. "Any way," she said. "It is a matter of indifference." Left to his own ohoice, Smendou drove over the downs, and in the course of aa hour they came to a small village with a beautiful church deeply embowered in trees. Smendon pointed it out. "My father and mother were married there." "Indeed" said Sylva. "It is a beautiful place. I can understand anyone wishing to ho married there." "Well Why not Sylva? Wiry not you and I?" Ho had brought the car to a standstill, and as lie looked in her face, he found there was something whioh nerved him to continue. "Why not? ' Y/hy should we wait? Why should we be worried by a great fuss? Why not steal here quietly one fine morning and then go away together?" "Why not?" she murmured more to herself than to him. She was still' smarting from the remarks she had overheard. She resented bitterly the idea that there was only one possible marriage for her, and she was in a r-iood for desperate things. "Sylva," he cried, "do you me-ui it?" "Yes," she said, in a voice that was almost choking. "Yes." "You have made me the happiest man in England," he whispered, astonished at his own good fortune. "And it shall be as you wish. I will make the arrangements. It shall be a secret between us, and no one shall know until we are mavried." But though Sylva thus salved, the hurt to her pride, she was not happy, for when she was back in her own room, she gave herself up to a wild fit of weeping, and once she moaned to herself, "Oh, Cyril Cyril." CHAPTER XXI. The road ran between two high downs, on which a few sheep, cropping the rough grass, were the only living things that redeemed them from desolation. The road itself had a forlorn aspect, which was accenuated by the misty rain which drifted in the wind; and to add to the dismal prospect was a broken-down motor-car, under which, on his hack on a mackintosh sheet, the chauffeur lay at full length tinkering at something with a spanner. In the open car, her head bent before the wind and rain, was Sylva Gauntlett. Her face was pale; her eyes had a weary look, and betrayed absolutely no interest either in the man under the car or the sheep on the downs, which, with the silly curiosity of their kind, had drawn near to watch the antics of the chauffeur. Presently the latter crawled from under the car, wiped the sweat from his face with the cuff of his sleeve, and then remarked: "I'm afraid it's no go, Miss Gauntlett." "What is wrong?" asked Sylva in an indifferent tone. "Can't tell exactly, Miss, but it is pretty bad, I think. It will want a motor mechatifc to repair it." "And how far is it to Winstow?"'

'"He did," responded the gentleman . smilingly. "I understand that you had just astonished him beyond measure by telling him so. He seemed to think that the affair was quite a romance." "It is not quite that," answered Sylvia, a little touch of bitterness in her tones. "Indeed!" the young man looked at her in some surprise; then a shrewd light came in his grey eyes. "Pardon me," he said in a kindly tone; "but was my arrival on the scene quite so opportune as—a —l thought?" "It was altogether too opportune,' said Sylva, the blood flushing her pale face as she made the confession. The stranger slowed down the car a little, and a thoughtful look came on his face as he glanced at her. "Am I to understand that—that it would have been better if I had not appeared to play the part of knighterrant?" "I do not think it would have made much difference," replied Sylva, with a rueful smile. "Leach would have found some other conveyance You will get me there a little earlier, that is all." "But—but " The man stopped in' some confusion, then blurted out what was in his mind. "Why go to Winstow if you do not want, Miss Gauntlett? I may be making a mistake, but it seems to me that yon arc er—not too enthusiastic; and this, you know, is a free country—yet " "I shall have to go to Winstow now. When my car broke down I felt for a moment that Fate had intervened, but when you appeared I knew that I must go after all." "But you need not," he cried. "I must," she said. "I made a promise in order to get a great service wrought for—for another man, and I must keep it." "Ah," said the man softly. You love the other man—the man for whom the service was wrought?" "How did you guess?" asked Sylva quickly. . "I saw your eyes when you spoke oi him," answered the stranger promptly, "and really, Miss Gauntlett, I am beginning to feel very sorry that I consented to your chauffeur's request. I am not sure that I am doing right in driving on, now that I know what I do. Seriously I think you ought to reconsider the whole matter." "It would make no difference, answered Sylva wearily. "I made the promiso and I must keep it." "I do not see that," was the reply. "There arc circumstances where the breaking of a promise is entirely justifiable, and matrimony is a tremendous affair —altogether too serious a matter to be entered upon merely to keep a promise given—er —under pressure, as I infer your promise was given." ■ "Do you really think so?" asked

"All six miles, Miss." "Six miles I" echoed Sylva. "How am I,to get there? I can't possibly walk it in time." "Beg pardon, Miss Gauntlett, but is it very important you should be there by two o'clock?" "Well, Leach," said Sylva enigmatically, "I'm not sure which is the most important—to get there in lime or to get 100 late. I'm going there to be married, you know." - "God bless my soul!" criea me chauffeur in astonishment. "I —1 did not know." "No?" A wan smile showed on the girl's white face. "But I'm not surprised at that, Leach. No one else knows except Mr Smendon and the clergyman at Winstow." "Beg pardon, Miss Gauntlett curiosity being natural in both man and woman—"but is Mr Smendoa the happy man?" Svlva glanced at the watch on her wrist and again she smiled rather pitifully. "I'm afraid he will foe the unhappv man very shortly. It is now a quarter to two, and it is, you say, aix miles to Winstow?" "All six miles, Miss Gauntlett, said the chauffeur, adding with sudden energy, "hut I'll do what I can. There s sure io bo a farm somewhere about, where I can pick up a trap to get you there. You just wait here, Miss., ana I'll see what can be done." ! lie turned and hurried off up the road Svlva watched him go with speculative eves Then she smiled in a mirthless way' The man was more anxious about her marriage than she was herself She did not greatly care whether lie found the trap or not. She had promised Lorry Smendon that abo would marry him quite privately that day; but she was merely fulfilling her promise in. an apathetic way, and athe time her heart was crying out against her doing so. S tUng there, hereyes fell on the tool kit which the chauffeur in his haste had left lying in the road, and she found herself thinking that it was odd that the car should have broken down at this parlicular place, and when there was such little time to spare Perhaps Fate had intervened on her behau. Perhaps • caused her to look up quickly. Aor was corning down the road towards her, and silting with the driver and waving his hat was Leach. She was conscious 1 of a sharp feeling of disappointment. ' Kate had whimsically changed its mini. again and was determined, after all, to get her to Winstow in time. A moment later Leach ran to her, his fase wrinkled with a happy grin. "it's all right, Miss Gauntlett; I ve explained the situation to this gentleman whom I met at the Lop ol Lie hill, and he has very kindly offered to run you to Winstow.'" "It's very kind of him, I cm sure, said Sylva "as she descended irom the broken-down car. "Who is he?" "Don't know him from Adam, Miss; and I didn't like to ask his name. But there, lie has the car reversed, and

"I am sure of it, Miss Gauntlett," answered the stranger earnestly. "Think what is promised in the marriage service. You will promise to love, honour and obey—and whatever you do as to the last two, I am sure the ■first does not seem at present a promise that you can keep. Of course, it is, confoundedly impertinent of me to talk like this, even to meddle in your affairs at all, but " He broke off and laughed shortly. "Well, I appeared in the scene as a knight-errant, and, believe me, I am only trying to live up to the character." ITo be continued to-morrow).