HIDDEN FIRE

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 17268, 14 November 1929, Page 4

HIDDEN FIRE

Principal Characters. ROBERT GRAY, who is summoned to the bedside of ALICIA JOHNSTONE, the daughter of an old friend of his father’s, who, stage-struck at the age of seventeen returns from New York, and is found dangerously ill in a squalid Liverpool lodging-house by a mysterious individual known as JOHN MARKS, mistrust of whom Robert expresses in a letter to his „ ,-mb e UA e , a r r 1 ■ Raphne Forster. GEOFFREY ROBERTSON, a young aristocrat, who had employed Marks to “hunt down” Alicia, who, recovering from her attack of nervous exhaustion, has a heated interview with Robertson concerning mysterious affairs of the past. MRS GRAY, Robert’s mother, receives Alicia at her home, and Robert, who has lent her £IOOO, finds himself strangely attracted by the personality of the playmate of his childhood. He drives off to meet his fiance, and 1 overtakes Alicia con\ersing with Robertson, whom she lefuses to marry, and tells him that she has done with “that ridiculous imposture ’ as to her identity. Robert and Daphne, on their honeymoon, quarrel concerning Alicia.

CHAPTER X. (Continued.) Robert fell into his old habits in the morning. He awoke early, dressed noiselessly, so as not to disturb Daphne, and went out to the January darkness which the hint of earliest dawn had not touched yet. Even the stars twinkled more familiarly here as he looked up at them; the fragrance of the homestead was redolent, of endless associations; and as he deeply sniffed the breeze in the held beyond a medley of boyish recollections thronged upon his senses in such a way as to suggest his mysterious connection with some other world. Nevertheless he threw' himself quickly into an active mood. Gray joined the men in the stables. After talking there he went on to the cow's. Here, there and everywhere the young man flashed his big lantern, giving a glance into every corner, and quickly noting all the little irregularities and omissions that had crept in during his time of absence. He made no remark beyond directing this or that to be removed, some other disorder to be corrected, just as if it were a casual direction there first occurring to him. As dawn crept over the landscape Gray put out liis lantern and hung it on its nail. For a short time there had been less decision in his movements, and more than once he had gone to the gate into the home field, from which point he commanded the pathway connecting his homestead with the highroad. On the last occasion he looked at his watch, and stood leaning on the top rail. A few minutes later he was crossing the field. A figure was also coming towards him, and it was now light enough to reveal a man in postman’s uniform. The two met with easy affability. “Got back again, sir? Had a good time, I hope I” Robert laughed and assented. But at the same time he betrayed some unusual curiosity in the postman’s search into his bag. Several letters

and papers were selected and handed to Gray, whilst the commonplaces of the weather were interchanged. “That’s all, sir.” “Thanks, William.” And the men turned their opposite ways. With less composure Robert retraced his steps to the house. As the letters were handed to him his eyes I had caught the object of his curiosity, and a tremor passed through him. Ashamed of me movement, Gray was trying to put something different in its place as he walked back. Nevertheless when he got to the shelter of the wall the man slipped one letter into his pocket and went indoors with the rest. Daphne was already down, warming her feet on the fender and talking gaily to Mrs Gray. “I meant to begin properly, at all events,” she cried, in answer to Robert’s banter. And they were soon all seated at the table. Light-hearted as he was, Gray did not take long to discover that a change had come over the spirit' of his matrimonial dream. More and more distinctly could he see Daphne as an individual, and more and more ready was he to accept the fact. Later in that day he was even smiling at the old idea of moulding his bonnie bride to the ideal woman upon which his soul had been fixed. Secrets and reticences were gaining upon him, and very little reflection was necessary to keep the fact of Alicia’s letter to himself. That detached homage to Daphne’s outward beauty merely had apparently swept away several inward scruples, and given him a clue to the distracting maze In which he had been in danger of getting lost. The first attitude had brought him a novel sense of freedom, which, instead of causing depression,’ as a short time ago it ought, gave Robert now a positive exhilaration that vastly extended the bounds of life.

Frequently, therefore, at suitable moments he took out Alicia’s letter to read. These were the words he had to weigh there—“My dear Robert, —Why ever didn’t, you come, as the doctor suggested? i really think It would have been wiser there and then to take the bull by the horns. But never mind. All goes well enough, and I shall soon run down to see you again. Your mother will explain It all. The thing came so unexpectedly and seemed to me a mad freak of the manager’s, but it has ended gloriously. It will set me on my feet finally. And mind, you, my .boy, have done it all. I am not likely to forget that, and I hope you won’t. Why didn’t I let you know? say you. Ponder it and you’ll see. Good-bye. Don’t let us write yet.—Ever yours, A.’’ Still fewer words went back that night by way of answer, and Robert settled down gaily to his’wqrk. Daphne was not long in finding the benefit of the rearrangement. She had from the first persuaded herself that nothing but Robert’s cranks stood in the way of her life affording her ] nearly all she asked of it. Now that i lie was so plainly loosening the strings ; anything might be possible. She could j not doubt that her own action had I mainly brought about the change. I And how thankful she was that she | had struck the right note from the I beginning. It would now be easy to i get over that timidity and those mlsI givings which had caused all her bad j temper—hence, as it seemed to her, all other troubles. She would know I herself better. She would be herself. J Those impulses of hers were no longer ! feelings to be restrained and ashamed | of. As a married woman Daphne had mature rights and responsibilities which she was quite ready to assume. Robert’s eyes were getting opened, i she did not doubt, and this later victory had quite paid him out for that : bitter humiliation she had suffered by - his thrusting upon her that actress of,

By ALGERNON GISSING. Author of "A Secret of the North Sea,” “The Keys of the House,” “ Rosanne,” “ Between Two Opinions,” &c.

more than doubtful character and of such abominable cleverness. If she herself could only have had such opportunities and such —dresses! Daphne found that that thought could inflame her still, so she conscientiously did her utmost to avoid it. But in a short time this was not easy, since , Robert, though so much - improved, had immemediately set to work to make good the extravagance of their honeymoon expenses. Daphne’s training had not made for domestic or personal economy. Petty calculations annoyed her, so immediately some friction became apparent in the household accounts Gray explained it all patiently and good-humouredly. Daphne would apparently fall in, yet the next day some expensive and unseasonable delicacy would be presented on the table. Nevertheless the general current was smooth and harmonious. Nearly a month elapsed, arid one afternoon about teatime Mrs Gray arrived at Barfield, as she was frequently in the habit of doing. It chanced to be churning day, and Daphne once more got over her discussion as to the maid's difficulties, slowness, and general inefficiency. ’ Robert was in the best of moods, so he noticed at once that his mother was preoccupied. But he misconstrued it, and his first attempts were fruitless. Then, with a flash of intuition, he divined the cause. An instant’s reflection was enough for him, and he opened fire. “Have you heard from Alicia lately, mother? When is she coming down?” There was dead silence for a moment, for Mrs Gray was too simple to be ready in resource. Her eyes appealed to Robert, and he turned it off with a laugh. “Out with it! You’ve got a plot. Is she with you?” “Oh, dear, no. She is coming for Sunday, by the Saturday night train. But I think It would be far better to put it off until she has a holiday. Don’t you, Daphne? She must go back on Monday morning. Think of the expense for one dayl" “It’s what I should like to do,” said Daphne, with sudden candour. “And’ I,” laughed Gray. So with rapid and unpremeditated freedom they talked about the project, and the anxious mother’s difficulties were removed. (To be continued).