THE BROKEN FENCE.

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 17839, 11 October 1929, Page 4

THE BROKEN FENCE.

Synopsis. SIR JOHN TREGENNA began the trouble wnen he started to enclose Garloggas Downs, which had been common land from time immemorial. The villagers, are angry and seek the advice of PAUL PENDEAN, the son of a local farmer, who has tutored Sir John’s son, and who is in love with CATHAY TREGENNA, the squire’s daughter. Paul promises to get in touch with the common land preservation society. Meantime, Sir John puts up fences around the Downs. They are promptly torn down by the villagers. Cathay is told by her father that Paul is the ring-leader of the opposition to his plans, and she decides to put an end to their friendship. Next day she meets Paul on a path which her father has ordered to be enclosed. They quarrel. Cathay then returns home, where she learns from her mother that both the family solicitor and an eminent counsel consulted by her father have advised him not to enclose the Downs. Later, Paul saves Cathay from an attack by an evillooking gipsy.

CHAPTER 17. Facing the Truth. Paul halted l'or the fraction of a second and looked hard at the girl who was so often in his thoughts. Cathay, however, did not meet his eyes. If she wondered why he was there she made no sign. For the moment she oquld oniy think <rf Jasper. Subconsciously she was aware that Paul was looking at her. The next moment he had passed her and was gone. When at length she reached Jasper’s bedside he was just struggling hack to consciousness. For a moment i or two his eyes wandered vaguely about the room. Then he caught sight of his sister's face bending over him. “Cathay,” he whispered faintly. “Oh Jasper!” And the tears welled over her eyelids and rolled down her

cheeks. The nurse and docto'r drew away from the bed and waited. They both regarded it as fortunate that the lad ] had opened his eyes on a familiar j face. Th c shock of finding himself i helpless and in a strange place would j jbe less terrifying. j Jasper’s eyes wandered round thc j room again and came to rest for a ! ! moment on the faces of the doctor and j j nurse. Then he looked up again at j his sister. “Where am I, Cathay?” he whisper- | ed. “What's happened?”

“You’ve met with an accident, dear,” she answered, making a strong effort to control her voice. “But you’ll ! soon be all right again—l hope—” He screwed his forehead into vertical lines as if trying to think. “But what place is this?” ho questioned, and his eyes strayed round the room again. "This is St. Mary’s Hospital. Do you remember riding to St. Clement’s on your motor bike?" For several moments he made no reply, and Dr. Curnock came forward and took his wrist between his finger and thumb. Then he mentioned to the nurse who came to thc bedside at once with a medicine glass in her hand. Ten minutes later Cathay found herself with Dr. Curnock in his private room. “Now I want you to tell me everything doctor, if you will,” she said, with a pleading note in her voice. “You see when the telegram arrived my father was away on County Council business, and had' taken the car. Mother was in bed with one of her bad headaches. So I had to come j alone on horseback. That’s the rea- j son I arrived late.” I "You must have ridden hard,” he smiled.

“I fear I gave Bess rather a bad gruelling,” she answered, “but I was almost mad with anxiety." ”1 can quite understand,” he replied. “But I hope—indeed I feed sure that the worst is over now. I was very anxious myself when I first saw him. You see he had lost so much blood that he was almost at the last gasp. If he had been discovered ten minutes later I question if anything could have saved him. But more than a pint of fresh blood in his veins has worked wonders.” “You mean that someone in the hospital has given of his own blood," she interposed. “How splendid!” “No, not someone in the hospital, Miss Tregenna,” he replied slowly. “You see when Mr. Pendean discovered ” “You mean Paul Pendean,” she demanded—

“You know him of course— at least by reputation,” he smiled. “Well he was driving home in his car this afternoon when he almost ran into a wrecked motorcycle lying half-way across the road, and against the hedge lay your brother, apparently dead. Well, he managed to bandage the wound with his pocket handkerchiefs and strips of his own clothing, and so stopped the bleeding, rather cleverly. Then he placed him in his car and brought him here at rather breakneck speed, I understand. And not any too soon, I can assure you." "But the transfusion of blood, Dr. Curnock" she questioned eagerly. “Well, you see, he ran away to send a telegram to your father, and when lip, returned I told him how matters stood.” “Yes?”

“Just what you might expect, of a man of his stamp. Almost before I had done speaking he had taken off his coat and stripped up his sleeve. ‘1 am pretty healthy,’ he smiled; ‘take as much blood as you want.’ lam afraid I bled him rather freely,” the doctor went on after a short pause, “but, you see, the case was urgent.” “He will suffer no ill effects?” she questioned slowly. “Not he. He may feel a bit limp for a few hours, but in a day or two he will be as right as ever.” “Then you think my brother owes his life to—to —Mr Pendean?” “Most assuredly I do. By the bye, he left the hospital only a few minutes before you arrived. I w r onder you did not meet nim.” “I did meet him in the hall, but of course I did not know ” “Quite so. And of course Pendean is not the kind of man who would want to be thanked. He said nothing about it, I expect?” “He said nothing at all." “I met him for the first time this afternoon, but I hope to become better acquainted. By all accounts be is a man worth knowing. Young men of promise and achievement at’e all too rare.” To this Cathay made no reply, and the next moment a nurse entered with the announcement that Sir John and Lady Tregenna had arrived. Cathay sprang to her feet with a little cry of pleasure and made for the door. The doctor hesitated for a moment or two and then followed slowly. He would have lo see Sir John as a matter of course. The baronet was a county magnate, and therefore to be treated with deference and respect. Cathay returned as site came, on hurseback, leaving her parents to fol-

(All rights Tserved.)

(By Silas K. Hocldng.)

(To be continued.)

low in the car. She did not hurry. She had given Bess a gruelling on Hie outward journey, and now permitted her to take her own time. The evenings were still long and pleasant, and in the fields the corn was ripening rapidly. But Cathay took no notice of her surroundings. Her thoughts were otherwhere; tier emotions had once more got out of control. This last act of Paul’s had wiped thc dust out of her eyes and swept away her antagonisms. There was nothing left in her thoughts of him but adrninralion. How often she bad told herself tha I he was her father’s enemy and therefore hers! How often she had listened to her father’s tirades against him, and with general approval. How often she had assured herself that he was unworthy of the friendship she had once extended to him. She knew now that she had been wrong, utterly wrong. He had never been her father’s enemy, nor hers. It was true that he had resisted her father in his attempt to enclose thc “downs"; it was true that he had done his best to defeat her father's favoured candidate at thc election, but in both instances he had been strictly within his rights, lie had as much right to his political opinions as her father had to his, and if her father had no legal title to the “downs” he lind been right in opposing him, and in doing his best to save it for the people. From the first he had acted fairly and honourably. He might have tried to curry favour with her father because he was rich and influential. lie might have cloaked his opinions through fear of losing her friendship. He might have assisted Mr Beale in thc hope of winning her favour. But lie had done none of these things; lie had been true to himself and to his convictions without considering consequences.

Dr. Curnock was quite right when lie said that he was a man worth knowing. And then almost unconsciously she began to compare him again with the man she had promised id marry. It had become a habit with her of late, and a habit that was tending to destroy her peace of mind. And yet how could she help wishing that the man she was so soon to marry had more of thc spirit and courage and enterprise of this son of a yeoman farmer? It was ail very tantalising and humiliating. She ought not to lie thinking of him at all. And yet in one way or another lie compelled her to think of him. How could she ever forget that lie came to her rescue in the plantation, and how could she ever forget the splendid thing he had done for her brother? Then a blush almost of shame dyed

I her face. She had passed him in the j hall of the hospital without a glance of recognition. How small and petty such conduct would seem in his eyes. If he despised her it was only what she deserved. She had preened herself on her social position, had assumed that because she was the daughter of Sir John Tregenna she was therefore a person of importance. She almost laughed as she stripped | herself of all pretence, and fearlessly ! faced her true self. In what lay her i j importance? In any true estimate of ! j va'ues she was a nobody, a fit mate ! i for the Honourable Charles. She : | blushed again, but this time with. ! something akin to anger. She had j j been a fool—she saw it now. She had I misread life, its meaning and importj anee. Her scale of values had been | all wrong. She had adored the tinsel and despised thc gold. She had been running after shadows and had lost sight of realities. Now she would have to pay the penalty. In less than a month she would marry Charles Beale, a man as commonplace as herself, and what then? The car overtook her as she ambled home through the park. She was glad of the distraction from her thoughts. Her mother’s headache had returned and she was glad to get off to bed. Her father was moody and not much inclined to talk. She wondered if he would mention Paul Pendean, but lie carefully avoided all allusion to him. She went to bed at length knowing tiiat she would not sleep for hours. Her brain was too active. Her thoughts " might lie vain and foolish, but she r would have to think them all over k again. c

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