Young My Lord

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 18005, 28 April 1930, Page 12

Young My Lord

=SERIAL STORY —

CHAPTER II. — (Continued.) But the little party had now arrived opposite the portrait of the old ancestor of the family, Anthony Dainton, dubbed Knight by Elizabeth when Lord Mayor at Lhe height of his fame and fortune. He was handsomely dressed, as became his station, and wore the short, pointed beard and ruff in the fashion of that day. It was a face too refined for a tradesman —for tradesman he had undoubtedly been—and seemed to bear out Lord Starnthwaite’s often repeated statement that he came Of a gentle race. For a minute or two the little group stood observing the picture, and then the General broke the silence. “It is a fine face,” he commented, “a fine strong face, and one can understand tils success, in life.” There was a look of steadfastness in the somewhat stern grey eyes even in the picture, and a firmness at the corners of the mouth which indicated decision. The General, standing there watching Cunswick, whose eyes were fixed upon the picture, suddenly made an exclamation. ' “Why, Edward,” he said, “you are like him!” “So old Cousin Robert used to say,” 1 replied Cunswick. “But of course I could never see it.” “No, of course not,” was the General’s reply. “But there is something about the eyes and mouth which you both possess, and it is not to be wondered at, as those likenesses are perpetuated in families.” “Well, I wish he would inspire me with some of his ideas about moneymaking,” Cunswick commented, rather dolefully. Lady Stella turned with a little curl upon her lips which was not becoming. “Believe me, Edward,” she said, “you haven’t got it in you.” If she intended to give him pain she suoceeded, though he hid it, and her next remark did not make things hotter. She turned and took a last look at Sir Anthony Dalnton’s picture, “There is that about a man who has done something,” she said, “which fascinates one, whatever his origin may have been.” But the General was not going to let Cunswick off without a little more chaffing, and the latter was proverbially good-tempered .under these circumstances. “L suppose you will give up the Guards If you go Into business, Edward?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye as they all trooped down the wide staircas . tliink so,” answered the young man. “I think it will workin. I shall certainly 'have a branch in London and then the Regimental Transport can take round the •- groceries.” .But despite the smile upon his lips, Stella’s words rankled: “Believe me, Edward, you haven’t got it in you.” CHAPTER 111. IVlaxton’s Weok-end. James Max ton came down the next week-end and appeared at dinner on the Friday evening, He was gradually working his way into the Earl of Starnthwaite’s set by means of these week-end visits and a plausible and presentable, manner. This plausible manner had been his great stock-in-trade. He was not vulgar in speech, as so many self-made mfin are, hut vulgar in everything else except his plausible manner. He never could have been classed among the “impossibles” on this account; indeed, in early Victorian times it is quite possible that he might have been spoken of as a person possessing “perfect manners.” He may have had a strain of the Jew' in him, as he was fond of money. There was a. thickness of the lips and a droop of the eyelids, but his origin was the source of much speculation and doubt. It was quite certain, however, that he had been a moneylender and bill-discounter, and that he had had a certain amount of “luck” in the business, which is generally understood to mean the falling in with rich young men and stripping them of all they possessed. But in-the drawingroom, and afterwards in the great dining-room, Janies Maxton was all that a successful financier on a large scale ought to he. Indeed, he was almost too respectable for the times, and his respectability seenied to jar against the free-and-easy ways of LadY Stalla and Cunswick, who, true to the age in which they lived, outwardly at any rate, expressed very little respect for anybody or anything. The Earl was old-fashioned in his ways, and when he had a house-party liked to sit at the head of the diningtable; the young people could have single tables to themselves in the corners if they liked. Lord Starnthwaite’s clean-shaven, ruddy face was a pleasant sight to look upon on these occasions, but between him and Maxton there was always a certain reserve they did not mix well, as might have been expected. • But whatever Maxton’s power over the Earl was he never showed it. “It’s a wonderful thing,” remarked General Stoneleigh as he and Benham sat over their coffee in the hall, “to see the command that fellow Maxton has over himself. Just look at him plaving bridge with Lady Stella, Cunswick, and that highly respectablelooking old lady Mrs Mostyn. Although he is an excellent player I will lay you an even finger that he does not win. He never does if he can help it. He is an excellent loser, especially to ladies. No, James Maxton wants to ingratiate himself into the good opinion of this neighbourhood, so that when he steps into the Earl’s shoes — as I have no doubt he is prepared to do —i ae will be ’well received by the county. No, Maxton does not want to win money at bridge—-ho would sooner make it in other ways.” “And do you think the Earl is dipped irretrievably?” Benliam asked. “I am afraid so,” the General answered; “I judge by Maxton coming here So often now and his long interviews with Starnthwaite, which usually take place when all the others have gone to bed. You will notice presently that the two will slip off.” The General was right. Just before eleven Lord Starnthwaite strolled over to him. “Come and lake a hand at bridge, General, and make" yourself useful; and you, too, Benham," he suggested. “Maxton and 1 have a little business to talk over before we go to bed.” The two did as he asked, and Look

By Colonel EL Curties.

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the vacant places at the bridge table; but Benham could not restrain a slight shrug of his shoulders as the Earl, with his arm through the financier’s, disappeared down the corridor in the direction of his study. i CHAPTER IV. .- ' ' Ü B® My Wife and Mistress of It.” It would not be an exaggeration to say that Lady Stella and Maxton spent the greater part of the next day together. “You don’t shoot, Mr Maxton,” suggested the former, “and I don’t to-day, so let us wait round and follow the guns." Maxton did not shoot, because he was very careful not to display his weakness in matters where that weakness was so apparent. “I will come with you with great pleasure, Lady Stella," he replied, and evidently noticed the 1 displeased look which Cunswick gave at the arrangement, over his shoulder. Stella’s words were ringing in his ears. “There is that about a man who has done something which fascinates one, whatever his origin may have been.” The guns trooped off to their stations, and Stella and Maxton idled about watching the shooting, and occasionally noting some fine shot of Cunswick, who had the great gift of killing his birds outright—no “runners” nor birds with shattered legs fell to his gun. “And what have you been doing, Mr Maxton, since your last, week-end here?” asked Stella, when they were tired of watching the shooting. “Oh, the same old routine,” he answered. "Working hard.” “It must be nice to work hard and make money,” Stella suggested. He gave a little shrug. “It is difficult to make money these days,” he answered. “What is the matter with the times?” she inquired. “To quote the newspapers,” he answered, “there.are a great many clouds which obscure the commercial horizon.” “But still you go on trying?” she asked. “Oh, yes,” he said. “I go on trying. I should go on trying harder if I had an incentive." His meaning was very obvious, but she pretended not to see it, although there was a little pleased smile at the corners of her perfect mouth. “How do you make money?” she asked. “I should so much like to know the secret.” • He smiled at that, but indulged her curiosity to a certain extent. "Supposing a man has some good business project,” he said, “like making a railway in some newlyopened country and hasn’t the money to carry it out?” “Yes, I can understand that,” she commented. “Then he comes to men like myself in the financial market', and states his case. If it is satisfactory he gets the money, or hacking, which is the Same thing.” “But I suppose he has to pay for the use of the money or the backing?” she queried. Maxton did not answer for a moment. “Oh( yes,” he said presently. “He has to pay for that,, of course." _ “It seems very easy," she said. “I should like to be a financier myself.” He shook his head and laughed. “There are often very heavy losses,” he said. (To be continued.)