LOVE’S DARK JOURNEY

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21034, 9 February 1940, Page 3

LOVE’S DARK JOURNEY

by MARGARET COOKE

CHAPTER XlX—(Continued)

! j He did not realise it, but he was still trying to forget! He was trying to drown his memories in the possession of Rene Willett, but all the time, lurking in the back of his mind and the depths of his heart, was the knowledge that this happiness was not real and could never : be real. But he gave himself to the programme that was arranged with great abandon. i Rene and her mother knew that once the engagement was announced they would have no trouble with creditors, and it was comparatively easy for Rene to “borrow” large sums from her husband-to-be. If Mark Renway wondered what hap- ; pened to the money he said nothing, i Ho was rich, so rich that it mattered little whether he spent a hundred ! ; pounds or a hundred thousand, and : if money could make Rene haspier ■ | than .she was, then she would have 1 jit. j He tried in every way possible to ! convince himself that this was what he had always wanted. He felt a i pride in the woman who was so often j at his side, and slowly the feeling of i heaviness in his heart disappeared, i I But he found one obstacle that he ; ! had not suspected. ■ | Sir John Ren way learned the news l by letter, and his wife had never seen - ' him so enraged. When the engageJ ) • couple came down to the Manor for l : a few days, the squire found it im- ; i possible to bottle up his wrath. ; ; He met his nephew in the billiard ; j room on the morning after his ari rival. Mark was smiling cheerfully, ; but the old man’s expression sent the l j smile from his face. . | “Trouble, Uncle?” > : “Trouble, trouble!” The old man t j sent the words out like bullet shots. , | “I never thought a nephew of mine , | would make such a fool of himself, j ! Marriage with—with—” l ! Mark’s eyes sparkled dangerously, and he stiffened. “Remember Rene is to be my . wife,” he said coldly. Sir John Ren way should have seen , the danger signals, but he was so int censed that he failed completely. “I know!” he snapped. “A schem- : ing, money-seeking hussy, and she’s going to rule over the Manor. Cr so you think! It’s my land and my estate, and I’ll sell it before she takes Mary’s place! Do you understand? I’ll order it for sale as soon as I’m gone!” The younger man’s face was deathly pale. He was justified in his anger, for ’ the other’s attack was more bitter . | than it should have been. And in , j tact Sir John Ren way would not have . | talked as he did unless he had been 1 j carried away by his storm of rage. “You are at liberty to do what you like,” he snapped. “I am in no need ; of the Renway money, nor the estate. And perhaps-—” he spoke sneeringly, for his anger was flaming—“you will be good enough to make some suggestion as to who would better grace the halls of Renway Manor!” The old man’s blue eyes were aflame. “Name her? I could name a dozen, but one in particular. Ever thought how you deserted Judy Frensham? Ever remembered that you played with the girl for a month and then f hr«?\v her aside? A fine trick for a Ren way! I should have barred the doors of the house to you then and there!” “Perhaps it’s a pity you didn’t,” said Mark Renway in a vibrant voice. “Certainly they will be as good as barred to me in future. As for Judy Frensham—the day I left the Manor I found her in London, with the Martin fellow. Did she seem like a girl with a broken heart?” “You blind young fool!” answered Sir John. “Take everything for granted. don’t you? Know wTio Martin

“Judy Frcnsham’s lover, I wouldn’t be surprised!"

The baronet took a half step forward, and his voice went upwards. “You swine!” he cried. “I’ll tell you what happened, and then you will be able to brood over the brute you have made of yourself Martin cleared up Matthew Horler’s debts. Horler routed the Frens.iams of every penny they possessed, and Judy’s trip to London—the only time she’s been for years—was a business one. And Martin helped her. If you had been half a man you would have done so. You could have made that girl happy and yourself, but you preferred the other creature! You left Judy when her mother was dying, when she was lighting hard against death and disaster, and Martin—a complete stranger—did what you should have done. Oh, I know tile whole story. Your Aunt lets very little pass unobserved, and she’s learned that. Now do you see?"

Mark Renway's face was very white. Despite his anger, this news came as a shock, for it explained a great deal. In fact it explained everything. Had the squire told him a week—or a month—before, it might have made a tremendous difference to his future. But it was too late now. He was engaged. lie had promised himself in marriage, and he would not break his bond. Moreover, the attack that the older man was making on Rene made him rush to her defence, made him feel that she was his to protect.

i see this,” he said vibrantly, “that you have taken it on yourself to probe into my business, you have insulted the woman I am going to marry, and you have insulted me. I’ve finished with the Manor, and with you. Sell your estate—give it to Judy Frensham. as you’re so fond of her. But do not expect to hear from me again!” Rene Willett was in her room when Mark Renway left the Squire and hurried upstairs. She opened the door to his tap, and then stood back, aghast at the expression in his eyes. “Have your things packed at once,” he snapped. “We’re leaving here, Rene.” “Leaving? But ” “Please, don’t ask questions. My Uncle and I do not see eye to eye on certain points, and we have—quarrelled. Ask your mother to pack. also. And. Rene ” She had more than an idea of the reason for the quarrel, and there was a fierce triumph in her heart. She had won when the issue had comebetween herself and the Squire. Her hold over this man was complete. But her voice was soft. (To Be Continued.)